About Kartik Purnima
Kartik Purnima, the full-moon day closing the sacred month of Kartik, is celebrated as Dev Deepawali ("Diwali of the gods") in Varanasi, where the ghats of the Ganges are lit with hundreds of thousands of lamps. The same day marks Tripurotsav, commemorating Shiva's victory over the demon Tripurasura, and is also observed by Sikhs as the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
Significance
The day layers multiple traditions onto a single full moon — Shaiva (Tripurotsav), Vaishnava (Tulsi worship season), and Sikh (Guru Nanak's birth) — reflecting how India's festival calendar often converges rather than divides.
History & story
Dev Deepawali began as a local Varanasi tradition believed to celebrate the gods' own celebration of Shiva's victory over Tripurasura by descending to bathe in the Ganges and lighting lamps on its banks.
Muhurat (2026)
Pradosh kaal (evening twilight) is the primary window for lamp-lighting and holy bathing along riverbanks.
Rituals & observances
- ◆Lighting lamps along riverghats (Dev Deepawali)
- ◆Holy bathing (snan) in sacred rivers
- ◆Tulsi puja
- ◆Donations and charity
- ◆Sikh Gurpurab celebrations for Guru Nanak
Regional variations
Varanasi's Dev Deepawali is the most visually spectacular observance nationally; Pushkar (Rajasthan) holds its famous Pushkar Mela and holy dip around this date; Punjab and Sikh communities worldwide mark it as Guru Nanak Jayanti.
Kartik Purnima — every year
The date shifts each year on the Gregorian calendar because it follows the Hindu lunar-solar cycle.