Kartik Purnima and Dev Diwali 2026: Date, Purnima Time and Dev Deepawali Muhurat

Kartik Purnima, the full Moon of Kartika, closes what many Hindus count as the holiest month of the year. People bathe in the Ganga and other rivers before dawn (Kartik snan), give to those in need, and light lamps in the evening at temples, on river banks and beside the tulsi plant. In Varanasi the same evening is Dev Diwali, or Dev Deepawali, the Diwali of the gods, when the ghats along the river are lined with lamps. In 2026 Kartik Purnima is on Tuesday 24 November 2026 in India, and the Dev Diwali lamps are lit that evening.

Two rules: the morning bath and the evening lamps

Kartik Purnima, the day of the bath and of giving, is the civil day on which Purnima is running at sunrise. If it is running at two sunrises, the first is taken; if at none (it can begin after one sunrise and end before the next), the day on which it covers most of the daylight.

Dev Diwali is the evening on which Purnima is running in Pradosh, the first fifth of the night after sunset, because that is when the lamps are lit. If Purnima is running in the Pradosh of two evenings, the evening with more of it is taken. The lamp muhurat in the table is that Pradosh, cut to the hours Purnima runs. Where Purnima misses the Pradosh of both evenings, the table gives the Kartik Purnima day and the tithi hours instead.

In 2026 Purnima runs from 11:42 pm on Monday 23 November to 8:23 pm on Tuesday 24 November, Indian time, so the morning bath and the evening lamps fall on the same day.

When Dev Diwali comes the evening before

When Purnima begins in the morning or afternoon, its first evening can come before its first sunrise. In 2027 Purnima runs from 9:55 am on Saturday 13 November to 8:55 am on Sunday 14 November in India, so Dev Diwali is on Saturday 13 November 2027 and Kartik Purnima on Sunday 14 November 2027 (New Delhi). Our dates agree with Drik Panchang’s for Kartik Purnima in New Delhi and for Dev Deepawali in Varanasi in 2026 and 2027, and Drik’s Varanasi lamp muhurat for 2026 is within a minute of ours.

Tripurari Purnima and the lamps of Kashi

The tradition links the day to Shiva’s victory over the demon Tripurasura, which is why it is also called Tripurari Purnima, and says the gods come down to bathe in the Ganga at Kashi and celebrate with lamps. Today the Dev Diwali evening in Varanasi draws very large crowds to the ghats.

Kartik snan, lamps and the end of the month

Many people who have bathed before dawn through the month of Kartika complete the practice on this morning. Lamps are floated on rivers and lit at temples and at the tulsi plant, and the fair at Pushkar is held around this full Moon. Many Sikhs mark the Gurpurab of Guru Nanak on Kartik Purnima; the date is fixed each year by Sikh bodies, so please check with your gurdwara.

If you go to a river, follow the local rules for bathing and crowds, and take care with children near the water. A lamp lit at home with a prayer is a full observance.

Frequently asked questions