Kajari Purnima or Kajri Purnima, also known as Kajili Poornima or Kajli Poornima, is observed on the same day as Raksha Bandhan or Shravan Purnima. In 2026, Kajari Purnima date is August 28.
Kajari Purnima is celebrated in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. Kajili Purnima is an important festival for farmers and agricultural communities.
The celebrations of Kajari Purnima begin on the Kajari Navami, Shravan Shukla Navami. On Kajli Navami day, women go to fields and bring clay in leaves. The place around the puja room is cleaned and sanctified with cow dung. With rice flour rangoli patterns are designed. Drawing of rangoli patterns or designs is referred as ‘Navami. After doing all these, the clay in the leaf is worshipped.
The puja is continued for seven days till Shravan Purnima or Kajari Poornima day. On the Kajari Purnima, in the evening the concluding puja is performed. The performers of the Vrata make out a procession carrying the clay leaves on their heads. They go to a pond and immerse them in that water body. Women observe fasting during the day and worship for good health and good future of their children.
Kajli Purnima is an important festival for farmers and farming communities. On this day, farmers worship Goddess Bhagwati and offer special recipes as naivedya to please her. They seek blessing from Goddess Bhagwati for a good crop in coming year.
The 7-Day Ritual
Unlike many single-day festivals, the observances for Kajari Purnima span a full week, led primarily by women who are blessed with sons.
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Kajari Navami (The Beginning): The preparations start on the ninth day after the Shravana Amavasya (new moon). Women go to the fields to collect soil in leaf cups. They sow barley or wheat seeds in these cups, symbolizing new life and agricultural fertility.
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The Dark Room: These leaf cups are placed in a specially designated dark room that has been ritually purified with cow dung and mud. Sunlight and fresh air are blocked out to allow the seeds to germinate in the dark.
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Sacred Rangolis: The area around the cups is decorated with traditional rangolis made from a rice water solution. The motifs drawn are highly specific and traditional, mandatory figures include a house, a child in a cradle, a mongoose, and a woman holding a pitcher.
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Daily Worship: For the next seven days, the women worship these sprouting leaf cups daily.
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Kajari Purnima (The Culmination): On the full moon evening, the women observe a strict fast. They place the leaf cups—now holding sprouted barley—on their heads and walk together in a vibrant procession to a nearby river, pond, or water body. The cups are then gently immersed in the water with prayers to Goddess Bhagwati for a bountiful harvest and the protection of their children.