Festival · 2026
Karthigai Deepam 2026 — Tuesday, 24 November 2026
Karthigai Deepam is the Tamil festival of lamps, when homes are lined with clay lamps at dusk and a great flame is lit on the summit of the Arunachala hill.
In 2026
Tuesday, 24 November 2026
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:50 AM / 5:24 PM
- Sunset
- 5:24 PM
| Nakshatra span | 2:02 AM – 11:25 PM |
|---|
Rule: Krittika nakshatra in the Tamil solar month Karthigai (Sun in sidereal Scorpio), on the day Krittika prevails at sunset, when the lamps are lit; if it is current at no sunset, the day it holds at sunrise.
In 2027
Sunday, 12 December 2027
- Sunrise / sunset
- 7:03 AM / 5:25 PM
- Sunset
- 5:25 PM
| Nakshatra span | 11 Dec, 5:38 PM – 4:42 PM |
|---|
Rule: Krittika nakshatra in the Tamil solar month Karthigai (Sun in sidereal Scorpio), on the day Krittika prevails at sunset, when the lamps are lit; if it is current at no sunset, the day it holds at sunrise.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Karthigai Deepam?
Karthigai Deepam is one of the oldest festivals of Tamil Nadu, mentioned in early Tamil literature as a festival of lamps. It is kept in the Tamil solar month of Karthigai, when the Sun is in sidereal Scorpio, on the day the Moon is in the nakshatra Krittika, known in Tamil as Karthigai. Because Krittika lies close to where the full moon falls in this season, the festival usually comes on or near the full moon.
Its central story is that of Shiva as the column of fire. Brahma and Vishnu, the tellings say, disputed which of them was greater, and a pillar of light without beginning or end appeared between them. Vishnu, as a boar, dug down to find its base and Brahma, as a swan, flew up to find its top, and neither could. Shiva then revealed himself from the pillar, the Lingodbhava form. The hill of Arunachala at Tiruvannamalai is held to be that pillar of fire in the form of a mountain, and the lamp on its summit recalls it.
The festival is also dear to devotees of Murugan, since the six Krittika mothers nursed the infant Skanda, who is therefore called Karthikeya. In homes across Tamil Nadu women draw kolam at the doorstep and place rows of agal vilakku, small clay lamps, along the threshold, walls, windows and courtyard. Sweets such as pori urundai, balls of puffed rice bound with jaggery, and appam are prepared and offered.
At the Arunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai the festival is the climax of a ten-day celebration. Before dawn on the day, the Bharani Deepam is lit inside the temple from a single flame into five lamps. At dusk, as the Ardhanarishvara form of Shiva is brought out, the Maha Deepam is lit in a large cauldron on the top of the hill and is seen for many kilometres around. It burns for several days, and many devotees walk the circuit of the hill, the girivalam.
How it is observed
- Kolam is drawn at the doorstep and rows of clay agal lamps are lit at dusk along the threshold, walls and courtyard.
- Many keep a fast through the day and break it after lighting the lamps in the evening.
- Pori urundai, appam, adai and other sweets are prepared and offered.
- At Tiruvannamalai the Bharani Deepam is lit before dawn in the temple and the Maha Deepam at dusk on the hill.
- Devotees walk the girivalam, the circuit around the Arunachala hill, often barefoot.
- In front of many Shiva and Murugan temples a tall bonfire of dried palm leaves, the chokkapanai, is lit in the evening.
How the date is fixed
Karthigai Deepam is fixed by a nakshatra and a solar month, not by a tithi. The Sun must be in the Tamil solar month of Karthigai, that is, in sidereal Scorpio, and the Moon must be in the nakshatra Krittika. Because the lamps are lit at dusk, the day is the one on which Krittika is present at sunset; if Krittika is current at no sunset in that month (it can begin just after one sunset and end before the next), the day on which it holds at sunrise is taken. The date usually falls on or within a day of the full moon of the lunar month Kartika or Margashirsha, depending on how the solar and lunar months line up that year.
Where practice differs
Tiruvannamalai is the heart of the festival, and the temple announces its own day for the Maha Deepam, which almost always matches the Krittika evening shown here. Tamil almanacs such as the Vakya and the Thirukanitha panchangams can differ by a day, since they compute the nakshatra differently. Some Vaishnava temples in Tamil Nadu keep their lamp festival on the following day. In Kerala the same Krittika is Thrikkarthika, when lamps are lit at dusk, especially in Devi temples and homes. In Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka the great lamp day of the season is usually Karthika Pournami, the full moon, rather than the nakshatra.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Is Karthigai Deepam the same as Kartik Purnima?
Not exactly. Karthigai Deepam is fixed by the Krittika nakshatra in the Tamil month of Karthigai, while Kartik Purnima is a tithi. They often fall on the same day or a day apart, but they are reckoned differently.
What is the difference between Bharani Deepam and Maha Deepam?
At Tiruvannamalai the Bharani Deepam is lit inside the temple before dawn on the festival day, and the Maha Deepam is lit on the summit of the Arunachala hill at dusk the same day.
How many lamps should be lit at home?
There is no fixed number. Families light as many clay lamps as they can along the threshold, walls, windows and courtyard, and many keep a pair of lamps at the entrance.
Why is Karthigai Deepam linked to Murugan?
Murugan was nursed by the six Krittika mothers and is called Karthikeya after them. So the Krittika festival is also celebrated in Murugan temples, including the six abodes.