Kojagari Puja is known from various names like Bengali Lakshmi Puja on Sharad Purnima. In the year 2023, Kojagari Laxmi Puja 2023 date & time is 28 October 2023 from 10:55 PM to 11:46 PM. The duration will be 50 minutes and Purnima tithi will begin from 4:17 AM on 28 October and end at 01:53 AM on 29 October 2023.
Kojagari Laxmi Puja 2023 Date and Time
Kojagari Puja is one of the most auspicious day which is known with different names in different regions. Some people call it Sharad Purnima or Bengali Laxmi Puja due to the worship of Goddess Laxmi on Purnima day. The purnima tithi is starting from 4:17 AM on 28 October 2023 and it will end at 01:53 AM on 29 October 2023.
Goddess Lakshmi is the goddess of money, happiness, and prosperity so at this day people worship Goddess for the wealth of their family and to remove the financial obstacles from their lives.
Sharad Purnima Lakshmi Puja Vidhi
Kojagara Puja usually starts in the evening with a puja ceremony and people also do jagaran ceremonies on this day. Evening is also known as Sharad Purnima in some parts of India. There is also a ritual of keeping kheer in moonlight as the midnight hour is known as nishita kaal which is an auspicious time to perform the puja ceremonies. This occasion is also celebrated in Bihar and Bundelkhand areas in different ways.
Some people also keep watch throughout the night, meaning that the devotees must perform a midnight jagran. The person who stays watch throughout the night is referred to as a Kojagara (Ko + Jagara). The holy blessing of Goddess Lakshmi is given to devotees who follow Lakshmi Puja after performing midnight jagran.
Rituals of Kojagari Puja
The Kojagara Puja celebration includes a number of traditions and ceremonies. Devotees worship Goddess Lakshmi during Kojagara Puja and give prayers to her. The deity’s idol is set up or positioned in pandals or residences. The Kojagara Puja practices differ from location to location and religion to religion with an intention to take devine blessings.
A Lakshmi Puja is performed by devotees under the direction of a priest. Goddess Lakshmi is beseeched with offerings of narkel bhaja, taaler phol, naru, khichuri, and sweets to obtain her divine blessings. Women draw Alpana in front of their homes on this specific day to symbolize the feet of Goddess Lakshmi. It is thought that Goddess Lakshmi makes her way to every home on this day.
Kojagari Laxmi Puja Celebration
Women draw Alpana in front of their homes on this specific day to symbolize the feet of Goddess Lakshmi. It is thought that Goddess Lakshmi visits every home on this day to bestow her heavenly gifts for great fortune and abundant riches. In order to appease the Goddess, the devotees maintain the vigil throughout the night and recite mantras, kirtans, and bhajans. Devotees light their homes with clay lamps and other lights to greet the Goddess.
On this day, believers also maintain a fast, depriving themselves of food and liquids all day long. The devotees can break their fast once all the rites have been performed and they have given Goddess Lakshmi some flattened rice and coconut water.
Significance of Kojagiri Puja
In the Hindu month of “Ashwin,” Kojagiri Puja is an auspicious day devoted to worshiping Goddess Lakshmi at Purnima (full moon). The Indian states of Orissa, West Bengal, and Assam commemorate it with tremendous grandeur. It falls within the months of September through October on the Gregorian calendar.
Kojagiri Purnima, or Bengal Lakshmi Puja, is another name for this day of Lakshmi Puja. As the Goddess of Prosperity, Lakshmi is thought to descend on Earth on the day of “Ashwin Purnima” to lavishly shower everyone with prosperity and good health. In some regions of the nation, Kojagiri Purnima is also known as Sharad Purnima. It is a major celebration in Central India, especially in the regions of Bundelkhand and a few areas of Bihar.
Kojagara Puja Purpose
The purpose of Kojagara Puja is to appease Goddess Lakshmi. Hindus consider the Purnima, which happens during the month of Ashwin, to be the “Night of Awakening,” when Maa Lakshmi is said to manifest on Earth to bestow blessings upon her devotees. The prosperity, wealth, and heavenly blessings of the god are bestowed onto the devotees who do the puja ceremonies with the utmost dedication. In the northern Indian states, the harvest and Kojagara celebrations fall on the same day.
