Nishita Kala
The middle watch of the night.
The eighth of fifteen muhurtas of the night — roughly 24 minutes either side of the midpoint between sunset and sunrise. It governs Maha Shivaratri and Krishna Janmashtami.
What Nishita Kala governs
These are decided at the middle of the night, so the civil day chosen is often not the one carrying the tithi at sunrise.
Recurring vrats
Annual festivals
- Kojagari Lakshmi Puja The full-moon night five days after the immersion, kept in Bengal as the household Lakshmi puja and in Maharashtra as Kojagiri. Households stay awake; rice-flour alpana is drawn at the threshold and the Goddess's footprints traced towards the house.
- Krishna Janmashtami The birth of Krishna at midnight in the prison at Mathura. Kept with a fast through the day, worship at midnight, and in the west of India the dahi-handi the following day.
- Maha Shivaratri The great night of Shiva. Kept with a day-long fast, an all-night vigil in four watches, and abhisheka — the pouring of water, milk, honey and other substances over the Shiva linga.