Kali Puja 2023: Date, Shubh Muhurat, Puja Vidhi and Meaning

Kali Puja or Shyama Puja is an auspicious Hindu festival dedicated to Goddess Kali. On the day when most people worship goddess Lakshmi, people of West Bengal, Odisha and Assam worship goddess Kali on the new moon night of the Ashwin month. The goddess Kali symbolises divine energy, or shakti, or feminine power, and she is known for destroying evil. This festival is also known as Kojagar Puja or Bengali Lakshmi Puja.

The goddess Kali is considered the mother of universal strength and her form represents transformative power. Devotees of her worship her to seek blessings from her to destroy evil and achieve happiness, health, wealth and peace.

Kali Puja 2023: Date and Shubh Muhurat

According to Drik Panchang, Kali Puja will be celebrated on November 12 this year. The Amavasya Tithi will begin at 2:44 pm. on November 12 and will end at 2:56 pm. on November 13. Kali Puja Nishita Time is 11:39 pm. from November 12 at 00:29 am. on November 13.

Kali Puja 2023: Significance

According to mythology, two asuras, Nishambhu and Shambu, created uproar and destruction in the sky. The gods and demons engaged in a battle, in which the gods were defeated and the demons became powerful. This led the gods to seek the help of the goddess Durga and, enraged by this destruction, Kali was born from Durga's forehead to restore balance to the world.

To save the earth, the Goddess Kali intended to annihilate all who stood in her way, and her power and rage led her to a massacre, killing, cutting and burning all the demons. The goddess made a garland of her decapitated heads and put it around her neck.

Seeing the anger of Goddess Kali, other deities asked Lord Shiva to stop her. And all it took for Lord Shiva to stop her was to lie down in the goddess's path. As soon as Goddess Kali stepped on him, she was mortified by the act, and that was when her tongue protruded from her mouth, meaning that she realised that she had stepped on Lord Shiva unknowingly, all her anger disappearing from her.

Since then, the goddess Kali has been worshiped with her tongue hanging out. A necklace of skulls and four arms: in one hand there is a sword and in the other the head of an asura.

Kali Puja 2023: Puja Vidhi

Maa Kali is worshiped in two different forms: the furious form of Kali is black in colour (Shamshan Kali) and the soft form of Kali is blue in colour (Shyama Kali).

Kali Puja rituals usually take place at night. Devotees light a ghee lamp and offer red hibiscus flowers which are considered the favourite of the Goddess. Maa Kali is offered sweets, fruits, dry fruits, flowers and jaggery to seek her blessings and the happiness, health and peace of her family.