What is Purnima?
Purnima is the full moon day — the 15th tithi of the waxing (Shukla) fortnight, when the Moon is fully illuminated opposite the Sun. It is highly auspicious for worship, fasting (vrat), charity and many festivals, and several Purnimas (such as Guru Purnima and Kartik Purnima) are major observances.
Each date above is the day on which Purnima prevails at sunrise (the udaya-tithi rule), derived from the exact full moon computed from real astronomy at the Ujjain reference — so it matches the traditional Panchang.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Purnima?
- Purnima is the full moon day — the 15th tithi of the waxing (Shukla) fortnight, when the Moon is fully illuminated opposite the Sun. It is highly auspicious for worship, fasting (vrat), charity and many festivals, and several Purnimas (such as Guru Purnima and Kartik Purnima) are major observances.
- How are the Purnima dates calculated?
- Each date is the day on which Purnima (the full moon tithi) prevails at sunrise — the classical udaya-tithi rule. We find the exact full moon instant from a real astronomical ephemeris and then pick the correct calendar date, computed at the Ujjain reference. Nothing is approximated by a generic table.
- How many Purnima days are there in a year?
- There are usually 12 — one in each lunar month — and occasionally 13 in a year with an extra (adhika) month.
- What is done on Purnima?
- Purnima is observed with fasting, Satyanarayan puja, charity and bathing in sacred rivers. Several full moons are festivals in their own right — Guru Purnima, Sharad Purnima, Kartik Purnima and Holika Dahan among them.
- When is the next Purnima in 2026?
- All Purnima dates for 2026 are listed above with their weekdays; the next one is the first upcoming date in the list.