Kali Puja 2026 falls on Sunday, 21 Kartik 1433 by the panjika (8 November 2026). Shyama Puja (another name for Kali Puja) and Dipavali share the same night: lamps at dusk, then the worship of the goddess Kali at midnight. The day before, Saturday, 20 Kartik (7 November), is Bhut Chaturdashi.
The new moon (amavasya) begins before noon on the day of the puja: at 11:18 AM by the traditional reckoning (the Beni Madhab Sil Full Panjika) and at 11:58 AM by the drik reckoning (the MandirBD panjika). The puja is at night; nishita, the midnight window, runs from 11:16 PM to 12:08 AM in Dhaka (Drik Panchang). All times in this post are Bangladesh time.
Kali Puja 2026 at a glance
- Bhut Chaturdashi: Saturday, 20 Kartik (7 November). The Beni Madhab Sil panjika gives the lighting of fourteen lamps between 5:23 PM and 6:59 PM; the custom of eating fourteen greens falls on the next morning, while Chaturdashi lasts.
- Kali Puja and Dipavali: Sunday, 21 Kartik 1433 (8 November 2026); the puja at midnight.
- Amavasya, traditional reckoning: 8 November 11:18 AM to the next day (9 November) 11:57 AM.
- Amavasya, drik reckoning: 8 November 11:58 AM to the next day (9 November) 1:02 PM.
- Nishita (Dhaka, drik reckoning): 8 November, 11:16 PM to 12:08 AM.
- Dipanwita Lakshmi and Alakshmi puja: 8 November at pradosh (early evening), 5:23 PM to 6:59 PM (traditional reckoning).
- Bhai Phonta: Wednesday, 24 Kartik (11 November).
The traditional times are from the Beni Madhab Sil Full Panjika 1433, pp. 208–209. The panjika prints Indian time; the times here are 30 minutes later, in Bangladesh time. The panjika gives no clock time for the Kali puja itself, only “at midnight” (madhyaratri), so the nishita window is Drik Panchang’s calculation for Dhaka.
Why Kali Puja is at night, and on which night
By the panjika rule, Kali Puja is held on the night when the new moon prevails at midnight, and the worship takes place at nishita; it is also called the mahanisha (great night) puja. In 2026 the new moon begins before noon on 8 November in both reckonings and lasts into the next afternoon, so no panjika disagrees about the night: Sunday, 8 November.
The same evening, at pradosh, comes the Dipanwita Lakshmi puja and the sending away of Alakshmi, and the new-moon night is kept awake. For the customs of Dipavali, fasting and what to do at home, see our Bengali post on the rules of Kali Puja and Dipavali.
21, 22 or 23 Kartik?
The Bengali date depends on the panjika. The traditional reckoning (Beni Madhab Sil, the MandirBD panjika) makes it 21 Kartik. The Bishuddha Siddhanta panjika makes it 22 Kartik, as the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Dhaka, lists it in its 1433 programme. Bangladesh’s national calendar makes it 23 Kartik. The English date is the same everywhere: Sunday, 8 November 2026.
Shyama Puja and Kali Puja are two names for the same puja. Her dhyan mantra describes the goddess as dark as a great rain cloud, and that is where the name Shyama comes from.
Is it a holiday in Bangladesh?
On the government’s 2026 holiday list, Shyama Puja on 8 November is an optional holiday for Hindus, not a public holiday. Employees may take up to three optional days a year, approved at the start of the year. Reports say the Secondary and Higher Education Division’s list closes schools and colleges on 8 November.
Where to attend
Kali temples and community mandaps across the country hold the puja through the night. In Dhaka: Dhakeshwari National Temple, Ramna Kali Mandir, Siddheswari Kali Mandir and the Ramakrishna Mission; in Chattogram, Chatteshwari Kali Mandir.
In past years the puja began at about 10 PM at Dhakeshwari and at 9:30 PM at the Ramakrishna Mission, with the anjali (flower offering) at about 3 AM. The temples have not yet published their 2026 programmes; check before you go.
How many days are left?
The Kali Puja page on MandirBD shows how many days remain, updated every day, with both reckonings’ schedules side by side.
Bhut Chaturdashi, mantras and Bhai Phonta
The fourteen greens and fourteen lamps of Bhut Chaturdashi are in our Bengali post on Bhut Chaturdashi 2026, and the pushpanjali and pranam mantras, with their meaning, in our post on Kali Puja mantras.
Bhai Phonta, the sisters’ blessing for their brothers, is on Wednesday, 24 Kartik (11 November). The Dwitiya tithi begins on the afternoon of 10 November, so some give the 10th; as published in West Bengal, both Beni Madhab Sil and Bishuddha Siddhanta put Bhai Phonta on the 11th.
Frequently asked questions
What is the date of Kali Puja 2026?
Sunday, 21 Kartik 1433 by the panjika (8 November 2026). The puja is that night, at midnight.
When is Shyama Puja?
On the same day: Sunday, 21 Kartik (8 November). Shyama Puja and Kali Puja are two names for the same puja.
When does the amavasya begin?
On 8 November, at 11:18 AM by the traditional reckoning and at 11:58 AM by the drik reckoning. It ends the next day at 11:57 AM (traditional) or 1:02 PM (drik). All times are Bangladesh time.
How many days are left until Kali Puja?
The Kali Puja page on MandirBD shows the count each day; the puja is on the night of Sunday, 8 November.
Is Kali Puja a holiday?
It is an optional holiday for Hindus, not a public holiday. It can be taken if approved at the start of the year; reports say schools and colleges are closed that day.
When is Bhai Phonta?
Wednesday, 24 Kartik (11 November).
Read more
- Kali Puja on MandirBD
- Kali Puja 2026: date and time (in Bengali)
- Bhut Chaturdashi 2026: the fourteen greens and fourteen lamps (in Bengali)
- Kali Puja mantras with their meaning (in Bengali)
- The rules of Kali Puja and Dipavali (in Bengali)
Sources
- Beni Madhab Sil Full Panjika 1433, pp. 208–209 (printed page, Indian time): the entries for 20, 21 and 22 Kartik, the Chaturdashi and Amavasya times, the Lakshmi and Alakshmi puja at pradosh, and the Kali puja “at midnight”.
- Drik dates and amavasya: MandirBD panjika, 21 Kartik 1433 (8 November 2026) (in Bengali).
- Nishita: Drik Panchang, Kali Puja 2026, Dhaka.
- Government holiday list 2026: Jugantor, 9 November 2025; Dhaka Mail, 10 November 2025 (in Bengali).
- Schools and colleges: Jugantor, 21 October 2026 (in Bengali).
- The Bishuddha Siddhanta date: Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Dhaka, programme for 1433.
- Past temple timings: Ekushey Television, 2020; BSS, 2023.
- Bhai Phonta: Aaj Tak Bangla, 22 October 2026 (in Bengali).
Temple arrangements and timings can change. Keep the puja by the panjika your temple or family follows.
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