Diwali 2026 in Kolkata: Kali Puja Nishita Time, Bhoot Chaturdashi, Bhai Phonta, Temples and Cracker Rules

Quick answer: In Kolkata, Kali Puja and Diwali fall together on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Kali Puja (Shyama Puja) is performed that night, with the Nishita (midnight) puja window at about 10:55 PM – 11:46 PM IST, calculated by HinduTone. Families who keep Diwali Lakshmi-Ganesh puja that evening have a muhurat of 5:20 PM – 7:19 PM. Bhoot Chaturdashi, with its fourteen lamps and fourteen greens, is on the evening of Saturday, 7 November, and Bhai Phonta is on Wednesday, 11 November. Under the West Bengal government's guidelines, only green crackers may be burst, and only from 8 PM to 10 PM on Kali Puja night.

In Kolkata, the night of the Kartik new moon belongs to Ma Kali. While most of India worships Lakshmi on Diwali night, Bengal worships Kali, as Shyama, Dakshina Kali or Adya Shakti, at midnight, in temples, homes and thousands of neighbourhood pandals. The city is lit with diyas, candles and fairy lights, Burrabazar's Marwari and Gujarati traders keep a traditional Diwali, and the festival ends three days later with Bhai Phonta. This guide covers the dates and times, temples, pandals, the cracker rules, metro timings and tips.

Editor's note (8 November 2026): puja times are HinduTone's own calculation for Kolkata. The cracker rules are from the West Bengal government's guidelines announced on 29 October 2026 (IANS) and Kolkata Police guidance reported by KTV Bangla on 4 November 2026. Metro timings are from a PTI report of 6 November 2026. Holidays are from published 2026 West Bengal holiday lists.

Diwali and Kali Puja 2026 dates in Kolkata

The Chaturdashi tithi runs from 10:47 AM on Saturday, 7 November to 11:27 AM on Sunday, 8 November, so Bhoot Chaturdashi lamps are lit on Saturday evening. The Amavasya follows at 11:27 AM on Sunday and lasts until 12:31 PM on Monday, 9 November, covering the whole of Sunday night, so Kali Puja is on the night of 8 November with no doubt about the day. Follow your family's panjika for the exact puja time.

Holidays: published 2026 West Bengal holiday lists give Kali Puja on Sunday, 8 November and Bhratri Dwitiya (Bhai Phonta) on Wednesday, 11 November. Check your office's own notice.

Kali Puja and Diwali timings in Kolkata

Kolkata is far east, so its evening times are the earliest of any major Indian city: the Lakshmi Puja muhurat starts 34 minutes before New Delhi's (5:54 PM – 7:50 PM). Kali Puja is performed at Nishita, around local midnight, while the Amavasya is in force. For other cities, see Kali Puja 2026 Nishita times and Lakshmi Puja muhurat 2026, city-wise.

Bhoot Chaturdashi: fourteen lamps and fourteen greens

On the evening of Saturday, 7 November, Bengali homes light choddo prodip, fourteen small earthen lamps, at the doorway, staircases, corners of the house and the tulsi mancha. The lamps are lit for fourteen generations of ancestors and to keep away restless spirits on the darkest night before Amavasya, which is why Bhoot Chaturdashi is often called Bengal's own Halloween.

Earlier in the day, families eat choddo shaak, a dish of fourteen leafy greens such as neem, palta, shushni, kalmi, hinche, pui, sorshe and ol leaves, traditionally believed to protect health as the season changes. Children are kept indoors after dark in many homes.

Kali Puja night: how Kolkata celebrates

1. Evening: homes are lit with diyas, candles and fairy lights, and rangoli (alpana) is drawn at the door. Many Bengali households keep Dipanwita Lakshmi Puja, sending away Alakshmi (misfortune) and welcoming Lakshmi, before the Kali Puja.
2. Night: Kali is worshipped at Nishita with red hibiscus (joba) garlands, 108 lamps, bhog of khichuri, labra, fried items and sweets, and in many homes and temples a fast until the puja ends. Tantric rites are performed in some traditional households and temples.
3. Pandal hopping: thousands of barowari (community) pujas set up pandals and idols across the city. People visit them through the night after the puja.
4. Burrabazar and the business community: Marwari and Gujarati families perform Diwali Lakshmi-Ganesh puja and Chopda Pujan on the same evening, inside the 5:20 PM – 7:19 PM muhurat.

Immersion: Kolkata Police guidance reported by KTV Bangla on 4 November 2026 says Kali idols must be immersed between 10 and 12 November, with no DJs or sound crackers in immersion processions. Loudspeakers at pujas are allowed only from 7 AM to 11 AM and 6 PM to 10 PM.

For the meaning of Kali Puja on Diwali night, see Kali Puja on Diwali night explained and Diwali in West Bengal: the power of Kali Puja.

Temples to visit in Kolkata

• Kalighat Kali Temple: one of the Shakti Peethas and Kolkata's most famous Kali temple; expect very long queues through Kali Puja night.
• Dakshineswar Kali Temple: Rani Rashmoni's temple of Bhavatarini on the Hooghly, where Sri Ramakrishna served as priest; huge crowds on Kali Puja.
• Belur Math: the Ramakrishna Mission headquarters across the river, which holds a Kali Puja on the Amavasya night.
• Thanthania Kalibari, College Street: an old Siddheswari Kali temple in north Kolkata.
• Firingi Kalibari, Bowbazar: the Kali temple linked with the Portuguese-descended poet Antony Firingee.
• Lake Kalibari, Southern Avenue: a popular south Kolkata Kali temple.
• Adyapeath, near Dakshineswar: the temple of Adya Ma.

Temples are busiest from evening until after midnight on Sunday. Check each temple's notice for darshan and puja timings, and go early if you are taking children or older relatives.

Kali Puja pandals in and around Kolkata

Kolkata's Kali Puja is a barowari festival too. Well-known pujas are held in north and central Kolkata, around Girish Park and College Street, and the suburbs have their own famous traditions: Barasat, whose themed pandals are often compared with Kolkata's Durga Puja, Naihati, home of the towering Boro Ma, and Barrackpore. Expect road diversions and crowds near the big pujas from Sunday evening until the immersions.

Crackers in Kolkata: the 2026 rules

On 29 October 2026 the West Bengal DGP and Home Secretary announced the state's guidelines at Nabanna (reported by IANS):

• Kali Puja and Diwali: crackers only from 8 PM to 10 PM.
• Chhath Puja: crackers only from 6 AM to 8 AM.
• Green crackers only. Conventional crackers remain banned.
• Noise limits: 125 decibels for sound-emitting crackers, 90 decibels for other varieties.
• No crackers within 100 metres of hospitals and old-age homes.
• Lanterns: a Fire Department licence is mandatory for paper lanterns.
• Report violations through the state helpline; legal action will follow violations.

Kolkata Police have been seizing banned crackers ahead of Kali Puja. If you live in a high-rise, watch the smoke and follow your housing society's rules. More details and earlier years are on our Kolkata firecracker rules 2026 page.

Kolkata Metro on Kali Puja

According to a PTI report of 6 November 2026, Kolkata Metro is running extended services on Sunday, 8 November:

• Blue Line: services start at about 8 AM; the last train from Dakshineswar to Shahid Khudiram leaves at 10:40 PM, and from Shahid Khudiram to Dakshineswar at 11 PM.
• Green Line: first trains from about 8 AM; last trains at 11 PM from both Howrah Maidan and Salt Lake Sector V.

The metro is the easiest way to reach Dakshineswar (Blue Line terminus) and Kalighat (Kalighat station). Check Metro Railway Kolkata's notices for any last-minute changes.

Bhai Phonta and after

• Bhai Phonta, Wednesday 11 November: sisters place a phonta of sandalwood, kajal and curd on their brothers' foreheads, recite the traditional rhyme for their long life, and serve a feast. See Bhai Phonta 2026.
• Chhath Puja: Friday 13 to Monday 16 November, with the evening Sandhya Arghya on Sunday, 15 November at the Hooghly ghats. See Chhath Puja 2026.

Practical tips

• Weather: early November in Kolkata is warm and humid by day, around 20–31 °C, with pleasant evenings.
• Air quality: the air usually worsens on Kali Puja night. Keep children, older relatives and anyone with asthma indoors during heavy bursting.
• Crowds: pandals and temples are packed after 7 PM; use the metro, keep valuables close and fix a meeting point with your family.
• Safety: keep diyas and candles away from curtains and pandal decorations, and keep water and sand ready if you burst crackers.

More Diwali 2026 guides

• Diwali 2026 in Delhi
• Diwali 2026 in Mumbai
• Diwali 2026 in Pune
• Diwali 2026 in Assam and the Northeast
• Diwali 2026 state-wise in India

Browse every guide on our Diwali 2026 hub.

Frequently asked questions

When is Kali Puja 2026 in Kolkata?

On the night of Sunday, 8 November 2026, the same day as Diwali. The Nishita puja window in Kolkata is about 10:55 PM to 11:46 PM IST.

When is Bhoot Chaturdashi 2026?

On the evening of Saturday, 7 November 2026, when the Chaturdashi tithi is in force. Fourteen lamps are lit and fourteen greens are eaten.

What are the cracker timings in Kolkata for Kali Puja 2026?

Green crackers only, from 8 PM to 10 PM on Kali Puja and Diwali night, under the West Bengal government's guidelines of 29 October 2026. For Chhath, the window is 6 AM to 8 AM.

When is Bhai Phonta 2026?

Wednesday, 11 November 2026.

Is the Kolkata Metro running late on Kali Puja?

Yes. On Sunday, 8 November 2026 the last Blue Line trains leave at 10:40 PM from Dakshineswar and 11 PM from Shahid Khudiram, and the last Green Line trains at 11 PM, according to PTI.