Puri: With the almanacs in Odisha mentioning different dates for Kali Puja and Diwali celebration, a confusion has emerged over the exact dates of the two festivals.
While some almanacs mention that Diwali and Kali Puja would be celebrated on October 31, others state that Kali Puja will be performed on October 31 and Diwali on November 1.
As per practice, the dates and ‘muhurt’ (time) of starting any puja are calculated as per astronomical movements of stars and planets. This time is decided as per the sunrise and sunset and not English calendar.
Harishankar Mishra, an almanac analyst, said the confusion has emerged as ‘Amabasya’ (new moon day) starts at 3.45 pm on October 31. “Since we calculate the day as per sunrise, this particular day has been extended by near 10 hours,” he said.
However, Mishra opined that Kali Puja would be performed on this day as the muhurt continues till sunrise of next sunrise. Similarly, since the new moon day will end at dawn next day i.e. November 1, Payag Sraddha and Diwali will be performed on this day, he added.
“We will celebrate Diwali on November 1 and Kali Puja on October 31. There should be no confusion here. But some almanacs are misleading the people by mentioning different dates of the two festivals,” he said.
Besides, all the Shakti shrines in the state, including Dakhina Kali temple in Puri ,will perform Kali Puja on October 31.
In some parts of India, particularly northern and western regions, sun sets later than Odisha. While in Odisha, the sunset takes place at 6.22 pm, it occurs after 7 pm in those parts. So, the people in those parts are celebrating Diwali on October 31, Mishra said.