Kojagiri Purnima, also known as Sharad Purnima, falls on the full moon day of Ashwin month as per Hindu calendar. This day usually occurs in October. It is a harvest festival and marks the end of monsoon.
On this day, Hindus worship and pray to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. So, this day is also known as Kojagari Lakshmi Puja.
There is a belief that on this full moon day Goddess Lakshmi goes around from place to place asking "Ko jagrati?" meaning "Who is awake?". Thus the name of this day came to be Kojagiri Purnima.
On this day, Earth and Moon are close to each other and there is a belief that this moonlight provides medicinal benefits. Thus the tradition of keeping a sweet dish in the moonlight and having it by midnight.
There is another reason for having a sweet dish like masala dudh or kheer on this day. Coolants are good for controlling pitta dosha which rises in this season of October heat.
Enjoy this Kojagiri Purnima with tasty masala milk flavoured with nutritious dry fruits and kesar. Link to the full, step-by-step recipe of Masala Milk given below.