Amavasya · Adya Kali Puja (Shakta)
Maa Kali (Adya Shakti) — the formless, fierce, liberating Mother
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Amavasya — the monthly new moon — is the most sacred recurring observance in the Shakta sampradaya. Every dark-moon night belongs to Maa Kali (Adya Shakti); the 12 (or 13 in an Adhik year) Amavasyas of the year form the spiritual heartbeat of every Bengali Shakta home, every Tantric akhada, and every Shakti peeth. Special Amavasyas — Mauni (Magha), Phalaharini (Jyeshtha), Mahalaya (Bhadrapada), Diwali (Asvina) — have their own dedicated entries.
Dates 2026–2027
Mantra
ॐ क्रीं कालिकायै नमः · आद्या शक्ति नमो नमः
Om Kreem Kalikayai Namah · Adya Shakti Namo Namah
Salutations to Maa Kali — the primal Adya Shakti who manifests as every form of the Mother. Kreem is her bija mantra.
How to recite
On Amavasya night, set up the Devi altar facing south (or east). Light a single ghee diya and offer red hibiscus flowers, raw black urad gram, coconut, sandesh, and a small sweet kheer. Recite the Devi Mahatmyam Chapter 7 (Kali appears) or the Karpuradi Stotram of Mahakavi (the most powerful short Kali stotra). At midnight (Brahma-muhurta of Devi), offer pranam in pure silence — Maa Kali is held to descend most accessibly on Amavasya night. Light til-til lamps for ancestors during the early evening, offering pitru-tarpan through Maa's grace.
Benefits
Every Amavasya is a Kali night in the Shakta tradition — the dark moon mirrors Maa Kali's formless absorption of all maya. Worshipping Adya Shakti monthly on Amavasya is held to: clear the karmic debt of the previous lunar month, dissolve fear of death (Kali is the destroyer of yama itself), and grant moksha-marga in this lifetime — the path of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who took Maa Kali as his only ishta-devata.
✦ Special Note
In Adhik Maas years (like 2026, with Adhik Jyeshtha), there are 13 Amavasyas in the year. Both the Adhik-month and Nija-month Amavasyas are observed equally for Devi worship — though special Devi festivals like Phalaharini Kali Puja are observed on the Nija (proper) month's Amavasya only. Dates per the Gupta Press Panjika (guptapresspanjika.org — the standard Bengali almanac since 1869), following its Amanta (Bengali) lunar convention with months ending on Amavasya (new moon), as used for Kali worship and dark-fortnight rituals; cross-checked against astronomical tithi computation.
Foods Allowed
Foods to Avoid
Meal Idea
Light niramish khichuri-labra-payesh as the day's main meal (offered to Maa first); sandesh and naru as prasad; black-urad bhog and red hibiscus offered ritually at the altar; til-lamps lit at sunset for pitru-tarpan.
📜 The story behind this vrat
In ancient times there was a devoted son named Shravan Kumar who loved his parents above all else. His elderly parents were blind and had always longed to visit the sacred tirthas of India. Shravan Kumar fashioned a wooden frame with two large baskets — one on each end of a pole — and carried his parents on his own shoulders across the length and breadth of the land, fulfilling their every wish.…
Read full katha ›
In ancient times there was a devoted son named Shravan Kumar who loved his parents above all else. His elderly parents were blind and had always longed to visit the sacred tirthas of India. Shravan Kumar fashioned a wooden frame with two large baskets — one on each end of a pole — and carried his parents on his own shoulders across the length and breadth of the land, fulfilling their every wish. One evening, near the forest of Ayodhya, his parents grew thirsty. Shravan Kumar set the frame down carefully beneath a tree and walked to the nearby river Saryu to fill a clay pot with water. The sound of water entering the pot echoed in the quiet night. King Dasharatha — father of Lord Rama — was practicing Shabdbhedi Baan that night, the royal art of releasing an arrow guided by sound alone. He heard what he believed was an animal drinking at the river. He drew his bow in the darkness and released. The arrow struck Shravan Kumar who cried out in great pain. Dasharatha rushed to him in horror. The dying boy said — "It is not your arrow that has ended me, O King. It is my own karma. But please, take this water to my parents who are waiting thirsty in the forest. Tell them gently what has happened. Do not let them die without water." Dasharatha carried the water to the blind old parents and told them the truth, his voice breaking. When they heard what had happened, neither could bear the grief. The father said — "Bring me to my son." Dasharatha carried him to where Shravan Kumar lay. The father laid his hands on his son's face and blessed him. Then both parents gave up their lives from grief. With his dying breath the father cursed Dasharatha — "As I am dying consumed by grief for my son, you too shall die consumed by grief for your own son." This curse came to pass many years later — Dasharatha died in great sorrow when Lord Rama was sent into exile. We honour our ancestors on Amavasya with water, sesame seeds, and the tarpan prayer. The pitru — our ancestors — are said to be most accessible to receive and to bless us on this new moon day. As Shravan Kumar carried his parents with pure love, we carry their memory forward with devotion and gratitude.
Your family's version of this story may differ — all versions are sacred.
Related vrats
Prioritising the same tradition and category, with related tradition or family entries when fewer than six exist.
- Mahalaya Amavasya — October 10, 2026Same tradition and category
- Annapurna Jayanti — December 23, 2026Same tradition
- Ashadha Gupta Navaratri — July 15, 2026Same tradition
- Chaitra Navaratri (Vasanta Navaratri) — April 7, 2027Same tradition
- Jagaddhatri Puja — November 17, 2026Same tradition
- Kali Puja (Shyama Puja) — November 8, 2026Same tradition
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