Festival · 2026
Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) 2026 — Sunday, 8 November 2026
Narak Chaturdashi, the day before Diwali, begins with an oil bath before dawn and ends with the first lamps of the festival.
In 2026
Sunday, 8 November 2026
- Tithi
- Krishna Chaturdashi: 7 Nov, 10:48 AM – 8 Nov, 11:28 AM
- Lunar month
- Kartika (purnimanta) / Ashvin (amanta)
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:38 AM / 5:31 PM
| Abhyanga snan (arunodaya to sunrise) | 5:02 AM – 6:38 AM |
|---|
- Kali Chaudas: 7 November 2026
Rule: Ashvin Krishna Chaturdashi (amanta) current at arunodaya, 4 ghatis (96 minutes) before sunrise, when the abhyanga snan is taken; if on both mornings, the first.
In 2027
Thursday, 28 October 2027
- Tithi
- Krishna Chaturdashi: 27 Oct, 10:50 PM – 28 Oct, 8:48 PM
- Lunar month
- Kartika (purnimanta) / Ashvin (amanta)
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:29 AM / 5:39 PM
| Abhyanga snan (arunodaya to sunrise) | 4:53 AM – 6:29 AM |
|---|
- Kali Chaudas: 27 October 2027
Rule: Ashvin Krishna Chaturdashi (amanta) current at arunodaya, 4 ghatis (96 minutes) before sunrise, when the abhyanga snan is taken; if on both mornings, the first.
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 Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali)?
Narak Chaturdashi is the fourteenth day of the waning moon just before the new moon of Diwali. It is the second of the five days of the festival, coming after Dhanteras, and in much of north India it is simply called Choti Diwali, the small Diwali. Its name comes from Narakasura, a demon king of the old Puranic stories, whose defeat the day remembers.
The story most often told is that Narakasura, who ruled from Pragjyotishpura, had grown arrogant, seized the earrings of Aditi, the mother of the gods, and held thousands of young women captive. Krishna went against him with Satyabhama, defeated him in battle and set the captives free. Many tellings add that Narakasura asked, as he fell, that his death be remembered with light, and that people bathe and celebrate on this day. The pre-dawn bath and the lamps are read as the clearing away of what is dark and heavy before the great night of Lakshmi.
The central act of the day is the abhyang snan: before sunrise the body is rubbed with sesame oil and a paste of gram flour, turmeric and herbs, and then bathed. Older manuals of dharma describe this bath in the last part of the night, when the waning moon has just risen, and many families still wake in the dark for it. In Rajasthan and Gujarat the same morning is known as Roop Chaudas, a day for care of the body and a fresh, clean look before the festival.
In the evening a lamp is lit for Yama, the lord of death, usually a four-wicked clay lamp placed facing south outside the house. It is a quiet prayer for the long life of the family rather than a rite of fear. After it, small lamps go up on doorsteps, windows and walls, and the house begins to look as it will on Diwali night.
How it is observed
- Family members wake before dawn and take the abhyang snan, rubbing sesame oil and an ubtan of gram flour and turmeric on the body before bathing.
- In some homes a sprig of the apamarga plant is passed around the body during the bath, as older manuals describe.
- New or freshly washed clothes are worn, and the house gets its last cleaning before Diwali.
- In the evening a four-wicked lamp for Yama is placed outside, facing south, with a prayer for the family’s long life.
- Rows of small lamps are lit on doorsteps, windows and the courtyard, and sweets are shared with neighbours.
- In Goa large effigies of Narakasura are made by neighbourhoods and burned in the early hours before the bath.
How the date is fixed
Narak Chaturdashi is Kartika Krishna Chaturdashi in the north, which is Ashvin Krishna Chaturdashi in amanta calendars; it is the same night either way. The day is fixed by the morning bath: it is the day on which Chaturdashi is present in the arunodaya, the 96 minutes before sunrise, when the waning moon is already up, because the abhyang snan belongs to that pre-dawn time. In the published almanacs this is often the same day as the Lakshmi Puja of Diwali, and many families call it Choti Diwali. In Gujarat, Kali Chaudas is kept on the night Chaturdashi is current at midnight, usually the night before; that date is shown above as well.
Where practice differs
In Tamil Nadu and much of the south, this pre-dawn oil bath is Deepavali itself: the festival is kept on the Naraka Chaturdashi morning, often called Ganga snanam, with new clothes, sweets and crackers, and not on the new-moon night. In Maharashtra and Goa the day begins very early, and in Goa with the burning of Narakasura effigies. Gujarat calls the day Kali Chaudas, when many families pray to Kali or Hanuman, while Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat call the morning Roop Chaudas. In Bengal the same tithi is Bhoot Chaturdashi, the night before Kali Puja, when fourteen lamps are lit for the ancestors and fourteen kinds of greens are eaten. Some northern traditions, notably in Ayodhya, also keep Hanuman Jayanti on this Chaturdashi.
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 Narak Chaturdashi the same as Choti Diwali?
Yes. In north India the day before the main Diwali night is called Choti Diwali, and it is the same tithi as Narak Chaturdashi. The name changes by region: Roop Chaudas in Rajasthan, Kali Chaudas in Gujarat, Bhoot Chaturdashi in Bengal.
When should the abhyang snan be taken?
Before sunrise, in the last part of the night while Chaturdashi is present, ideally in the arunodaya period. The bath window for the year and place you choose is shown above.
Why is a lamp lit for Yama on this day?
The lamp for Yama, placed outside and facing south, is a prayer for the long life of the household. Many families light it on Dhanteras evening, and others on the evening of Narak Chaturdashi; both customs are old.
Why do the bath and the evening lamps sometimes fall on different days?
The bath needs Chaturdashi before dawn, while the lamps need it at dusk. When Chaturdashi begins in the afternoon, it covers that evening and the next morning, so the lamps come on the first day and the bath on the second.