Shiva (Tripurari) · Vishnu
Kartik Purnima · Dev Deepawali
The gods' own Diwali — a million lamps on Kashi's ghats.
Tithi: Kartik Purnima
In the simplest words
The brightest full moon of the year — riverbanks glow with thousands of lamps, and in Kashi the gods themselves are said to come down for Dev Deepawali.
The story & purpose
On this full moon Shiva destroyed the triple cities of Tripurasura, and the devas lit lamps in Kashi to celebrate — a Diwali of the gods, kept to this night on the ghats of Varanasi. Snan at the sacred rivers carries the month's full merit.
For Vaishnavas the same moon closes the month-long Kartik vrat, and for Sikhs it is Guru Nanak's birth full moon: one night carrying three rivers of devotion.
What is done
Kartik snan
The month's culminating river bath.
Deep daan
Lamps floated on the rivers and lit on ghats.
Best timings
Snan at brahma-muhurat; deep daan at pradosh.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition — for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
Bhishma Panchak — the five-day vrat kept from Kartik Shukla Ekadashi — ends on this purnima.
Pushkar's great fair peaks on this full moon.
Tamil Nadu's Karthigai Deepam — the hill-lamp lit at Tiruvannamalai — falls on the Krittika day of the Tamil month Karthigai: usually this same full moon (24 Nov 2026), but a month later in some years (11 Dec 2027).