Kartik Purnima 2026: Date, Dev Deepawali in Varanasi, Tripuri Purnima Vidhi & Significance

Quick Answer (Summary) Kartik Purnima 2026 falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026 — the full-moon day of the holy month of Kartik. It is observed as Tripuri Purnima (Lord Shiva's victory over the demon Tripurasura), as Dev Deepawali, the "Diwali of the gods," and — for Sikhs — as Guru Nanak Jayanti. Purnima tithi runs from 11:42 PM on November 23 to 8:23 PM on November 24 (IST). In Varanasi, all 84 ghats light up with lakhs of diyas after sunset. Devotees take the sacred Kartik Snan (holy bath) at dawn, observe a day-long fast, and perform deep daan (lamp offerings) in the evening.

Kartik Purnima 2026: Date & Timings

Event	Date & Time (IST)
Kartik Purnima date	Tuesday, November 24, 2026
Purnima tithi begins	Monday, Nov 23, 11:42 PM
Purnima tithi ends	Tuesday, Nov 24, 8:23 PM
Moonrise (Nov 24)	~4:56 PM (varies by city)
Kartik Snan (holy bath)	Before sunrise, Nov 24 — Brahma Muhurta is ideal
Deep daan / Dev Deepawali lamps	After sunset, Nov 24

Timings are Drik Panchang-based and shift slightly by city. Confirm the exact tithi on SanatanTools' Daily Panchang before scheduling rituals.

A note on dates: an overwhelming majority of panchang sources place Kartik Purnima on November 24, 2026. A small number of listings give November 26 — this comes from differing tithi-calculation conventions. Since the tithi clearly spans the night of Nov 23–24 and moonrise falls on the evening of Nov 24, the November 24 observance is the safe choice, followed by most North Indian families and by Varanasi's Dev Deepawali celebrations.

What Is Kartik Purnima?

Kartik Purnima is the full-moon day (Shukla Paksha Purnima) of the month of Kartik, widely considered the holiest month of the Hindu year. It goes by several names, each carrying a layer of meaning:

Tripuri / Tripurari Purnima — the day Lord Shiva, as Tripurari ("destroyer of Tripura"), defeated the demon Tripurasura.
Dev Deepawali / Dev Diwali — the "Diwali of the gods," celebrated most famously in Varanasi.
Karthika Pournami — the South Indian name, marked by rows of lamps in homes and temples.

Roughly a fortnight after the main Diwali (November 8, 2026), Kartik Purnima is the grand finale of the festival season — the month of lamps closes with its brightest night.

The Legend: Shiva's Victory Over Tripurasura

The story behind the name Tripuri Purnima comes from the Shiva Purana. Three demon brothers — Vidyunmali, Tarakaksha and Viryavana — performed such severe penance that Lord Brahma granted them an extraordinary boon: three impregnable flying cities (Tripura) made of gold, silver and iron, which could only be destroyed when they aligned in a single straight line — an event occurring once in a thousand years.

Fortified in their invincible cities, the demons terrorised the three worlds. The gods, powerless, turned to Shiva. On the full moon of Kartik, the moment of alignment arrived. Shiva took the form of the cosmic warrior: the earth became his chariot, the sun and moon its wheels, Mount Meru his bow, the serpent Vasuki the bowstring — and Lord Vishnu himself became the arrow. With a single shot, the three cities burned to ash.

The gods lit lamps across the heavens in celebration. That is why, on this night, the entire world lights lamps — it is the Dev Deepawali, the gods' own festival of lights, commemorating the triumph of light over darkness. The day also honours Vishnu's Matsya (fish) avatar, believed to have appeared on this same tithi, and Vaishnavas regard it as the night of Radha–Krishna's Raslila.

Dev Deepawali in Varanasi: The Diwali of the Gods

While all of India celebrates Diwali, Varanasi — Kashi — reserves its grandest illumination for Dev Deepawali. Fifteen days after Diwali, on Kartik Purnima, the belief is that the gods themselves descend to earth to bathe in the Ganga and celebrate along its banks.

The spectacle is genuinely unmatched: the steps of all 84 ghats, from Ravidas Ghat at the southern end to Rajghat, are lit with more than a million earthen diyas in honour of Mother Ganga. Houses are decorated with oil lamps, processions of adorned deities move through the old city's lanes, and small leaf-and-flower boats carrying lit lamps are floated onto the river. The grand Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat is performed with special scale and ceremony.

The tradition of lighting the ghats on this day was started in 1991 at Dashashwamedh Ghat by Pandit Kishori Raman Dubey (Babu Maharaj) — barely three decades old, yet it now defines the city's identity.

Dev Deepawali 2026 in Varanasi: preparations are bigger than ever this year — reports put the plan at roughly 11 lakh diyas, including about 1 lakh eco-friendly diyas made from cow dung, cleaner ghats, a laser show, and green fireworks. The Ganga Mahotsav (November 20–23, 2026) serves as the cultural prelude, with four evenings of classical music and dance on the northern ghats. If you plan to visit, book accommodation months ahead — and know that the pre-dawn Kartik Snan (4:30–5:30 AM, by diya-light on near-empty ghats) is as extraordinary as the evening spectacle, without the evening's crowds.

Kartik Purnima Across Traditions

What makes this purnima rare is that it belongs to four communities at once:

Shaiva: Tripuri Purnima — Shiva's victory; temples perform Ekadasa Rudrabhishekam and stay lit through the night.
Vaishnava: the culmination of the month-long Kartik vrata; Matsya Jayanti; the final day for Tulsi Vivah rituals; many observe the Satyanarayan vratam on this evening.
Sikh: Guru Nanak Jayanti (Gurpurab) — the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji (born 1469; the 557th in 2026). Gurudwaras hold akhand path, langars and nagar kirtan processions.
Jain: the pilgrimage season to Palitana and Shri Shatrunjaya opens on this day; devotees begin the barefoot climb of the sacred hill.
South India: as Karthika Pournami / Karthigai Deepam, homes and temples are lined with rows of oil lamps; the tradition celebrates Lord Kartikeya's association with the lamp of knowledge.

Kartik Purnima Vrat & Vidhi: How to Observe

1. Kartik Snan — the holy bath (dawn)

Wake in Brahma Muhurta and take the ritual bath. The ideal is a sacred river — Ganga, Yamuna, Saryu or Pushkar Lake — but at home, adding a few drops of Gangajal to the bath water carries the same intent. The bath on Kartik Purnima is said to carry the merit of many yagyas; a dip in the Ganga is believed to wash away sins and open the path to liberation.

2. The fast (sunrise to moonrise)

Devotees observe a day-long fast in honour of Shiva and Vishnu. The common form is phalahar — fruits, milk, water — breaking it after moonrise (~4:56 PM on Nov 24). Those observing the Satyanarayan vrat fast until the evening katha is complete.

3. Puja & mantra

Offer white flowers, milk sweets, sandalwood and tulsi to Vishnu/Lakshmi; in Shiva temples, bilva leaves and water abhishek are traditional.
Chant: "Om Namah Shivaya" and "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya" — both are the day's principal mantras.
Evening: read or hear the Tripurasura-vadh katha; Shiva temples conduct Ekadasa Rudrabhishekam.

4. Deep daan — the lamp offering (evening, the heart of the day)

Light lamps in large numbers: at the tulsi plant, the doorway, the puja place, temples and — ideally — a riverbank. One beautiful tradition is lighting 365 wicks, one for each day of the coming year. Floating leaf-boats with lit diyas on water (jal-deep-daan) is the day's signature act of devotion.

5. Daan (charity)

Giving food, warm clothes, sesame-oil lamps and dakshina to the needy and to Brahmins on Kartik Purnima is considered to multiply merit many times over.

Puja Samagri Checklist

Image or idol of Lord Shiva and/or Lord Vishnu–Lakshmi
Bilva leaves, white flowers, marigolds, garlands
Tulsi leaves (for Vishnu), sandalwood paste, kumkum, akshat
Panchamrit, Gangajal, fruits and sweets for naivedya
Many ghee or oil diyas (plan for 365 if following that tradition), camphor, incense
Sesame oil lamps and food/clothes for daan
New or clean clothes (white/yellow traditionally), aarti thali and bell

Where the Festival Comes Alive: Regional Highlights

Place	What happens on Kartik Purnima 2026
Varanasi (Kashi)	Dev Deepawali — lakhs of diyas on all 84 ghats; Ganga Aarti; laser show; green fireworks
Pushkar (Rajasthan)	Pushkar Fair (Nov 17–24, 2026) closes; holy dip in Pushkar Lake; prayers at the rare Brahma Temple
Haridwar & Prayagraj	Massive Kartik Snan congregations on the Ganga banks
Ayodhya	Diya rows along the Saryu ghats
Gurudwaras everywhere	Guru Nanak Jayanti — akhand path, langar, nagar kirtan
Tamil Nadu & Kerala	Karthigai Deepam — rows of lamps in homes and temples
Palitana (Gujarat)	Jain pilgrimage season opens on Shri Shatrunjaya hill

The Pushkar Fair deserves a special mention: beginning around November 17, the eight-day camel fair — one of the world's largest livestock fairs — builds from trading and folk competitions to its spiritual climax on Kartik Purnima itself, when pilgrims take the holy dip in Pushkar Lake and the fair disperses.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Kartik Purnima in 2026? Tuesday, November 24, 2026. Purnima tithi begins 11:42 PM on Nov 23 and ends 8:23 PM on Nov 24 (IST). A few listings say Nov 26 — the vast majority of panchangs observe it on Nov 24.

What is the difference between Diwali and Dev Deepawali? Diwali (Nov 8, 2026) celebrates Rama's return to Ayodhya and Lakshmi puja. Dev Deepawali, fifteen days later on Kartik Purnima, celebrates Shiva's victory over Tripurasura — it is the "Diwali of the gods," centred on Varanasi's ghats.

What is Kartik Snan? The sacred ritual bath taken before sunrise on Kartik Purnima, ideally in a holy river. It is considered the most meritorious bath of the year — a single dip is said to equal many yagyas in spiritual merit.

What should I light on Kartik Purnima? As many diyas as you can — at home, at a temple, and near water. The tradition of 365 wicks (one per day of the year) and floating diyas on water are the day's signature deep daan.

Is Kartik Purnima also Guru Nanak Jayanti? Yes. In 2026, Guru Nanak Dev Ji's 557th birth anniversary (Gurpurab) falls on the same day — Tuesday, November 24.

Can I do the fast if I have health issues? Yes — the phalahar (fruit/milk) form is the common observance, and those with medical conditions should observe a modified fast. The spirit of the vrat matters more than its severity; consult your doctor and family tradition.

What mantra should I chant? Om Namah Shivaya for Shiva and Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya for Vishnu — both deities are honoured on this day.

Planning the festival season? Check the Daily Panchang for exact tithi timings in your city, find shubh muhurats for the wedding season with the Muhurat Finder, or explore how the full moon touches your own chart with the free Kundli tool — and try asking the AI Astrologer about the month ahead.