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Kharchi Puja is a century-old traditional festival of Tripura that is celebrated with great enthusiasm and faith.
It is performed annually on Ashtami, the eighth day of the waxing lunar fortnight (Shukla Paksha) in the month of Ashad, which typically falls in July. In 2026, Kharchi Puja falls on July 21.
Being a local festival of Tripura, the puja includes the worship of Chaturdasha Devata and extends for a week. It is mainly celebrated in the Chaturdasha Devata Temple, Agartala.
The puja indicates cleansing, regeneration, elimination of sins in the past, and welcoming a novel spiritual power.
The festival includes significant rituals, communal feasts, traditional music, and people’s strong faith.
It represents a unique combination of Hindu beliefs and tribal practices, thus being a very exceptional celebration.
With 99Pandit, let’s gain more insight into Kharchi Puja 2026. We will discuss its significance, history, major deity, and the rituals done during the festival.
Kharchi Puja Date in 2026: The next year, the Kharchi Puja will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
Duration of the festival: The time period of the puja is seven days, during which different rituals are done, like offering and sacred baths.
How the festival date is decided: From older days, the Kharchi puja is observed on the eighth day (Ashtami) on the Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashad as per the Hindu calendar.
Kharchi Puja is a popular type of puja in Tripura that is a combination of both Hindu and Tripura culture.
Sources differ on the exact origin of the name. Some trace “Kharchi” to the Tripuri word khya, meaning “earth” tying it directly to the earth-purification ritual at the festival’s centre. Others connect it to “Khar” (impurity) and “chi” (cleaning). The precise etymology is not settled, but every account agrees the festival is fundamentally about purification. The puja itself worships Mother Earth and the fourteen deities, regarded as guardians of Tripura and its people.
It is a seven-day ritual that includes the bathing of the deities, the purification rites marking the end of Mother Earth’s menstrual period (Ama Pechi), and offerings of prayer.
On the main festive day, the fourteen deities are taken to the river “Saidra” by members of Chantai. The gods are bathed with holy water and then return to the Chaturdasha Devata temple.
The thing that makes it a more beautiful and popular festival is the way it beautifully blends tribal community tradition with Hindu practices.
Kharchi Puja represents purification, peace, and the bond between devotees and the divine power.
Deity Name | Brahmanic Equivalent | Role |
| Hara | Shiva | The destroyer and protector |
Uma | Durga | Goddess of Strength |
| Hari | Vishnu | Preserver of the Universe |
Ma | Lakshmi | Goddess of wealth |
| Bani | Saraswati | Goddess of knowledge |
Kumara | Kartikeya | God of War |
| Ganapa | Ganesh | God of wisdom |
Biddhi | Brahma | Creator of the Universe |
| Kha | Prithvi | Mother of Earth |
Abdhi | Samudra | God of Ocean |
| Ganga | Ganga | The river Ganges |
Sekhi | Agni | God of fire |
| Kama | Kamdeva | God of love |
Himadri | Himavat | Himalayan Mountain |
Note: some sources list the fourteenth ocean-associated deity as Varuna rather than Samudra, regional accounts of the Chaturdasha Devata vary slightly, and this is one of the points where they differ.
For people of Tripura, Kharchi Puja is an essential festival in both cultural and
spiritual terms.
Here’s what the festival represents:
At its essence, Kharchi Puja revolves around purification. For this reason, the bathing of Chaturdasha Devata is regarded as the elimination of past faults, impurities, and rebirth of nature and human life. It establishes harmony, equilibrium, and reinforces the community.
Chaturdasha Devata, the fourteen prime deities of puja, are said to be guardians of the people and land of Tripura.
Conducting prayers and offerings to them during puja gives devotees celestial grace, prosperity, and protection against evil energy.
Kharchi puja is different due to the way it combines the tribal traditions with Hindu ceremonies.
Such puja show the cultural diversity of Tripura and show how a single festival unites the different customs.
Kharchi puja is not only an event but also a festival that brings different communities together.
All people, including locals and neighbours, gather together so that they can celebrate fairs, prayers, and food. The festival unites people closer and strengthens their relationships.
It is a celebration with a touch of Tripura’s culture. Their age-old traditions carried through the Kharchi Puja provide deeper meaning about their customs and preserve the roots of their culture by passing it from generation to generation.
The Chaturdash Devta Temple plays a great role in the Kharchi Puja. It is a Hindu temple located in Agartala and built in 1761 by King Krishna Manikya. Inside the temple, there are fourteen deities, also collectively called Chaturdasha Devta.
These deities are ceremoniously worshipped during the Kharchi Puja festival and are commonly known as Chaudah Devata Mandir.
The main attraction of the temple is its fourteen major deities and the celebration held during the Kharchi Puja.
It was the age-old tradition started by the King of Tripura and is still carried forward by the people of Tripura.
Thousands of devotees visit this temple every year to be part of the Kharchi festive celebration.
It is one of the popular temples where thousands of devotees visit annually to celebrate the Kharchi festival.
Being a seven-day festival, the Kharchi Puja includes various rituals and traditions. Below we have mentioned some of them:
The ceremonial bath of the fourteen gods is the main ritual of the whole puja. Being done on the first day, the idols of god are taken from the inner sanctum to the river and are cleaned. This act represents purification and removal of sins.
After the deities are brought back to the temple, the tribal rituals are done by the royal priest of Tripura.
As part of customs, sacrifice is also done of animals such as he-goats, pigeons, and chickens.
Other than that, offerings like fruits, flowers, and sweets are also offered by devotees to seek their blessings.
Other than offering and prayers, the puja also includes Tripura community traditional dances, folk music, and devotional songs.
People dress up in different attire and share mythological stories related to the temple and festival.
People from all religions and castes become a part of the Kharchi festival. They often prepare community events and offer various types of food to all the visitors. That’s how the temple makes tribal cultural identity more popular.
Here are some travel tips that you can consider:
Kharchi Puja is not just a carried forward tradition but a festival displaying a blend of two different customs and Tripura’s tradition.
From holy baths to fourteen deities to cleaning Mother Earth after Ama Pechi, the festival holds various rituals that make it really unique from others.
In a world where customs are often lost, Kharchi Puja shows how a tradition can be kept alive and celebrated generation after generation. Kharchi Puja will be conducted again on July 21, 2026, when the doors of the Chaturdasha Devata Temple open once more for devotees.
The puja is not only about honouring the fourteen guardian deities but also about renewing the bond between the land and its people. If you are marking this festival for a family member from Tripura, or want a puja performed in this tradition wherever you are, 99Pandit’s pandit-booking service can help you arrange one with a priest familiar with regional practice, reach out through the site or WhatsApp to check availability around the festival dates.
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The Kharchi Puja is a popularly celebrated festival of Tripura. During this festival, the fourteen deities with Mother Earth are given a holy bath and worshipped. It represents the purification of the earth and the removal of past sins.
As per the Hindu calendar, Kharchi Puja is celebrated on the 8th day of the Shukla Paksha (new moon) in the month of Ashad. The festival occurs annually in July and will be celebrated again on July 21 in 2026.
Kharchi Puja has deep meaning in both cultural and religious ways. Performing the puja is stated to purify the Earth and represent renewal of nature and human life. Not only that, the festival also reinforces ties between community members and maintains their traditions.
Built in 1761, Chaturdasha Devata Temple is a place where the Kharchi Puja is mainly organized. During the festival, all fourteen deities are given a holy bath and worshipped for seven days.
Kharchi Puja is a seven-day festival that includes different rituals and the customs of the Tripura people. From starting with offering a sacred bath to the deities to fairs and offering animals such as he-goats, chicken, and folk music till the last date, the festival is unique in itself.
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