Festival · Shiva and Vishnu

Kartik Purnima

The full moon of Kartika, among the holiest of the year. Varanasi lights its ghats for Dev Deepawali, and it marks Shiva’s victory over Tripurasura.

Kartik Purnima 2026
Tuesday 24 November 2026
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Tuesday 24 November 2026

Purnima tithi

Begins
11:43 pm, 23 Nov
Ends
8:23 pm
Sunrise
6:51 am
Sunset
5:25 pm
Moonrise
5:01 pm
Moonset
Not this day

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

Puja times

For New Delhi, Tuesday 24 November 2026

Deep daan

5:25 pm to 8:06 pm

Moonrise
5:01 pm
Sunset
5:25 pm
Purnima begins
11:43 pm, 23 Nov
Purnima ends
8:23 pm

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

  • Take a holy dip at dawn
  • Light lamps at a river or temple
  • Give to charity

What it remembers

Kartik Purnima is the full moon that closes the holy month of Kartika. It is Tripurari Purnima, the night Shiva destroyed the three cities of Tripurasura, and the night the gods are said to come down to the Ganga at Kashi, which is why Varanasi lights every ghat for Dev Deepawali. Lamps are set afloat on rivers and lit at temples across India.

Shiva and the three cities

The asura Tripurasura ruled three flying cities of gold, silver and iron that could be destroyed only by a single arrow when they came into line. On this full moon Shiva loosed that arrow, and the gods lit lamps in joy. The night is called Tripurari Purnima, and Shiva is Tripurari, the enemy of the three cities.

Dev Deepawali at Kashi

Tradition says that on this night the gods come down to bathe in the Ganga at Varanasi. The city answers with its own Diwali of the gods: lakhs of earthen lamps along the ghats from Assi to Raj Ghat, and the river aarti at Dashashwamedh kept on a grand scale.

Vishnu as the fish

Many hold that Vishnu took his first avatar, Matsya, the fish, on this day, to save Manu and the seeds of life from the great flood. Kartika is Vishnu’s month, and its full moon ends a month of dawn baths and lamp offerings in his name.

The end of Kartik snan

Through Kartika devotees bathe in rivers before dawn and light a lamp under the tulsi plant or at the river each evening. The month’s vows end on this full moon with a last bath, deep daan and gifts to the poor, which is why the day is counted among the holiest for charity.

Guru Nanak’s birthday

For Sikhs the same full moon is Guru Nanak Jayanti, the birthday of the first Guru, kept with the reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, processions and langar. Gurdwaras and homes are lit the way temples are, so in Punjab the whole night glows.

Deep daan at the river

The heart of the day is the bath at dawn and the lamps at dusk. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.

  1. Bathe before sunrise, in a river or at home with a few drops of Ganga water added, and offer water to the rising sun.
  2. Visit a temple of Shiva or Vishnu in the morning. Many keep a fast through the day, breaking it after the lamps are lit.
  3. Give to the poor: food, clothes or grain. Charity on this day is held to carry the merit of the whole month.
  4. Prepare the lamps: earthen diyas with ghee or oil, set on leaf boats or in small baskets with flowers.
  5. At the deep daan time after sunset, light the lamps at the river, pond or temple and set them afloat, or place them under the tulsi plant and at the doorstep.
  6. Offer prayers to Shiva as Tripurari and to Vishnu, and sit for the river aarti if there is one near you.
  7. Look for the full moon as it rises, and keep a lamp burning at home through the evening.

What you need

  • Earthen diyas, ghee or oil, and cotton wicks
  • Small leaf boats or baskets to float the lamps
  • Flowers, rice, kumkum and a little Ganga water
  • Fruit and sweets to offer and to share
  • Food, grain or clothes to give away

Across India

Varanasi

Dev Deepawali: the ghats lit with lakhs of lamps, the Ganga aarti on a grand scale, and the river full of floating lights.

Rajasthan

The Pushkar fair ends on this full moon with a bath in Pushkar lake, the one place with a great temple of Brahma.

Odisha

Boita Bandana: before dawn families float small boats of banana stem or paper with lamps, remembering the old sea trade to Bali and Java. Bali Jatra opens at Cuttack.

Bihar

The Sonepur mela, one of Asia’s largest cattle fairs, opens at the meeting of the Ganga and Gandak with a holy bath at dawn.

Punjab

Guru Nanak Jayanti, the Gurpurab: Akhand Path, nagar kirtan processions and langar, with homes and gurdwaras lit.

Tamil Nadu and Kerala

Karthigai Deepam falls on the Krittika nakshatra of the same month, usually a little later. Rows of oil lamps light every home, and a great beacon is lit on Arunachala at Tiruvannamalai.

When it falls

Purnima of Kartika. Kept on the day this tithi holds at sunrise.

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Kartik Purnima in the coming years

New Delhi, India time

  1. 2026Tuesday 24 November 2026
  2. 2027Sunday 14 November 2027
  3. 2028Thursday 2 November 2028

Questions

When is Kartik Purnima in 2026?

Tuesday 24 November 2026, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Kartik Purnima fall?

Purnima of Kartika. Kept on the day this tithi holds at sunrise.

How is Kartik Purnima kept?

Families take a holy dip at dawn, light lamps at a river or temple and give to charity. Customs vary by region and family.

Who is honoured on Kartik Purnima?

Shiva and Vishnu. The full moon of Kartika, among the holiest of the year. Varanasi lights its ghats for Dev Deepawali, and it marks Shiva’s victory over Tripurasura.

Is Dev Deepawali the same as Kartik Purnima?

Yes. Dev Deepawali is Varanasi’s name for the night, the Diwali of the gods, kept on Kartik Purnima fifteen days after Diwali. The lamps along the ghats are the city’s form of the deep daan that families keep everywhere on this full moon.

When should the lamps be lit?

In Pradosh Kaal, the first part of the night after sunset, while the Purnima tithi still holds. The page shows the deep daan time worked out for your city.

Is Karthigai Deepam the same day?

Not usually. Karthigai Deepam in Tamil Nadu and Kerala is set by the Krittika nakshatra in the same month, so it often falls a few days after Kartik Purnima, and some years on the same day.

Related

All festivals and vrats →