Shiva panchakshari mantra
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Meaning: Om, salutation to Shiva. The words namah shivaya come from the Shri Rudram of the Yajurveda.
When and how: While offering water, milk and bel leaves at dusk, 11 or 108 times.
Shukla paksha · Kartika · amanta reckoning
When is Dev Diwali 2026?
Tue, 24 Nov
Dev Diwali 2026 is on Tuesday, 24 November. In Varanasi the Dev Diwali muhurat is 5:08 PM to 7:46 PM.
2027: Saturday, 13 November 2027
Dev Diwali muhurat
5:08 PM – 7:46 PM
Also called Dev Deepawali, Dev Deepavali. Those are the same observance and the same date, so they share this page rather than competing with it from a second URL.
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Tuesday, 24 November 2026
Dev Diwali is not a Gregorian date. It is Shukla paksha tithi 15 of Kartika in the amanta reckoning, and the Gregorian day it lands on moves by up to a month between years because twelve lunations fall about eleven days short of a solar year.
- Tithi
- Purnima, Shukla paksha
- Lunar month
- Kartika (amanta)
- Tithi begins
- 23 Nov, 11:43 PM
- Tithi ends
- 24 Nov, 8:23 PM
- Decided at
- Pradosh (just after sunset)
- Pradosh in Varanasi
- 24 Nov, 6:20 PM
Pradosh in Varanasi falls at 6:20 PM on that day, and that is the instant the tithi has to be running at for the day to carry the observance. It is computed for this city rather than assumed, because it is what decides the date.
The two instants above are the astronomy and are not in dispute. The day is an interpretation of them: this observance is decided at pradosh, so it belongs to the day whose pradosh the tithi carries — not simply to the day the tithi begins.
Dev Diwali (Dev Deepawali) is the festival of lamps the gods are said to keep on Kartika Purnima, celebrated above all in Varanasi, where the ghats of the Ganga are lit with lakhs of diyas at dusk. It falls on the full moon of Kartika, about two weeks after Diwali.
- Its date is decided at pradosh, the evening twilight, because the lamps are lit then: it is the evening on which Purnima is running. Kartik Purnima's snan is dated by the Purnima at sunrise instead, so when Purnima begins during the day the two fall on consecutive dates.
- This rule gives Drik Panchang's Dev Diwali date in every year from 2016 to 2029; the year table above shows the next ones.
- Choose Varanasi in the city list to see the evening's times there; the date is the same across North India in almost every year.
- The day also remembers Shiva's victory over Tripurasura, which is why it is called Tripurari Purnima.
Dev Diwali, or Dev Deepawali, the Diwali of the gods, is kept on the evening of Kartik Purnima, a fortnight after Diwali, when the ghats of Varanasi are lit with lakhs of lamps for Shiva's victory over the three cities of the asuras and for the Ganga. In Varanasi it falls on Tuesday, 24 November 2026, and the evening lamp muhurat, pradosh kaal while Purnima runs, is: 5:08 PM to 7:46 PM.
| Muhurat | Time in Varanasi | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Dev Diwali pradosh muhurat | 5:08 PM to 7:46 PMPradosh kaal on Kartika Purnima, while Purnima runs. | Pradosh kaal, the first part of the night after sunset, while Purnima runs: the window in which the lamps are lit at home, at temples and on the ghats, and in which Varanasi's Ganga aarti is held. It is why Dev Diwali is dated by the evening Purnima holds. |
| Sunset | 5:08 PMThe upper edge of the Sun leaving the horizon. | The first lamps are lit at dusk in Varanasi; on the ghats the lighting begins as the Sun goes down. |
| Pradosh Kaal | 5:08 PM to 7:46 PMFrom sunset for three night muhurtas (a fifth of the night). | The whole evening window after sunset, before it is cut to Purnima. The aarti, the lighting of the rows of lamps and the deepdaan on the water all fall inside it. |
| Moonrise | 4:40 PMThe first moonrise after this sunrise and before the next. | The full moon rises around dusk; many offer arghya to it after the lamps are lit. |
Auspicious windows that day
| Window | Time in Varanasi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Abhijit Muhurat | 11:23 AM to 12:06 PM | Auspicious |
| Amrit Kaal | 9:17 PM to 10:42 PM | Most Auspicious |
| Brahma Muhurat | 4:35 AM to 5:28 AM | Auspicious |
Windows usually worked around
These are the spans classical muhurta sets aside for beginnings. They are descriptions of a convention, not warnings: the observance is kept on its day regardless, and nothing here needs to be bought, corrected or remedied.
| Window | Time in Varanasi |
|---|---|
| Rahu Kaal | 2:26 PM to 3:47 PM |
| Yamaganda Kaal | 9:02 AM to 10:23 AM |
| Durmuhurta First | 8:30 AM to 9:13 AM |
| Varjyam | 12:43 PM to 2:09 PM |
Every time above is computed for Varanasi around Tuesday, 24 November 2026, from the sunrise, sunset and the positions of the Sun and Moon for this city. The Vedic day runs sunrise to sunrise, so a window whose clock time falls after midnight still belongs to the evening before; a time on another date carries that date.
A bath and a clean house
Bathe in the morning, in the Ganga or a river if you safely can, or at home with a few drops of Ganga jal in the water. The Kartik Purnima snan has its own day and time on the Kartik Purnima page. Clean the house and the entrance.
Rangoli and lamps
Make a rangoli at the door and prepare clay lamps with ghee or oil and cotton wicks: 11, 21, 51 or more, as you wish.
Shiva puja at dusk
At the start of the muhurat, offer water, milk and bel leaves to the Shivling or Shiva's picture, chanting Om Namah Shivaya, in remembrance of his victory over Tripura.
Honour the Ganga
At a river, offer flowers and a lamp to the water. At home, set a kalash of water with a little Ganga jal on the altar and worship it as the Ganga with roli, flowers and a lamp, chanting the Ganga mantra.
Light the first lamp
Light one ghee lamp before the deity with folded hands, saying Shubham karoti kalyanam, and from it light the rest.
Lamps through the house
Place lamps at the main door, the tulsi, the windows, the balcony or terrace and the boundary wall, and at the nearest temple.
Deepdaan on the water
If you are near a river or pond, float lamps in leaf cups or flour-dough lamps, never in plastic or thermocol, standing well back from the edge.
Aarti
Sing the Ganga aarti, Om Jai Gange Mata, or the aarti your family sings for Shiva, and end with Karpuragauram.
Prasad and the full moon
Offer sweets and fruit, share the prasad, and offer water to the full moon. Keep the lamps safe until they burn out.
- Clay lamps 11, 21, 51 or more; there is no fixed number.
- Ghee, mustard or sesame oil and cotton wicks Ghee for the lamp before the deity, oil for the rest.
- Leaf cups or flour-dough lamps For floating on water; never plastic or thermocol.
- Shivling or Shiva's picture For the dusk puja.
- Bel leaves, milk and water For Shiva.
- Ganga jal and a kalash To worship the Ganga at home, and for the bath.
- Flowers and marigold garlands For the deity, the water and the door.
- Roli, sandalwood and akshat For tilak and the puja.
- Rangoli colours or rice flour For the entrance.
- Incense and camphor For the aarti.
- Aarti plate and bell For the Ganga or Shiva aarti.
- Sweets and fruit For the naivedya and prasad.
- Tulsi leaves For the tulsi lamp and Vishnu's offering.
- Mauli (kalava) For the kalash and the wrist.
- A long lighter or a taper To light rows of lamps without leaning over them.
- A bucket of water or sand Safety, with many lamps burning.
Karpuragauram
कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं संसारसारं भुजगेन्द्रहारम् ।
सदा वसन्तं हृदयारविन्दे भवं भवानीसहितं नमामि ॥
Karpuragauram karunavataram samsarasaram bhujagendraharam
Sada vasantam hridayaravinde bhavam bhavanisahitam namami
Meaning: I bow to Shiva, white as camphor, compassion incarnate, the essence of the world, who wears the king of serpents as a garland, who ever dwells in the lotus of the heart, together with Bhavani.
When and how: A traditional verse sung at the close of an aarti; no scriptural source for it has been confirmed. Sing it once after the aarti.
Ganga mantra
ॐ नमो गङ्गायै विश्वरूपिण्यै नारायण्यै नमो नमः
Om Namo Gangayai Vishvarupinyai Narayanyai Namo Namah
Meaning: Om, salutation to Ganga, whose form is the universe, who is Narayani: salutation again and again.
When and how: While offering flowers and a lamp to the river, or to the kalash of Ganga jal at home, 11 times.
Lamp verse (Shubham karoti)
शुभं करोति कल्याणमारोग्यं धनसम्पदा ।
शत्रुबुद्धिविनाशाय दीपज्योतिर्नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Shubham karoti kalyanam arogyam dhana-sampada
Shatru-buddhi-vinashaya dipa-jyotir namo'stu te
Meaning: Salutation to you, light of the lamp, which brings what is auspicious and good, health and plenty, and destroys hostile thoughts.
When and how: Said once as you light the first lamp, before lighting the rows.
Aarti Ganga Aarti: Om Jai Gange Mata the full text
ॐ जय गंगे माता, श्री जय गंगे माता।
जो नर तुमको ध्याता, मनवांछित फल पाता॥
चंद्र सी जोत तुम्हारी, जल निर्मल आता।
शरण पड़ें जो तेरी, सो नर तर जाता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता॥
पुत्र सगर के तारे, सब जग को ज्ञाता।
कृपा दृष्टि तुम्हारी, त्रिभुवन सुख दाता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता॥
एक ही बार जो तेरी, शरणागति आता।
यम की त्रास मिटा कर, परमगति पाता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता॥
आरती मात तुम्हारी, जो जन नित्य गाता।
दास वही सहज में, मुक्ति को पाता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता, श्री जय गंगे माता।
जो नर तुमको ध्याता, मनवांछित फल पाता॥
ॐ जय गंगे माता, श्री जय गंगे माता॥
Om jai Gange Mata, Shri jai Gange Mata.
Jo nar tumko dhyata, manvanchhit phal pata.
Chandra si jot tumhari, jal nirmal aata.
Sharan paden jo teri, so nar tar jata.
Om jai Gange Mata.
Putra Sagar ke tare, sab jag ko gyata.
Kripa drishti tumhari, tribhuvan sukh data.
Om jai Gange Mata.
Ek hi baar jo teri, sharanagati aata.
Yam ki traas mita kar, paramgati pata.
Om jai Gange Mata.
Aarti maat tumhari, jo jan nitya gata.
Das vahi sahaj mein, mukti ko pata.
Om jai Gange Mata.
Om jai Gange Mata, Shri jai Gange Mata.
Jo nar tumko dhyata, manvanchhit phal pata.
Om jai Gange Mata, Shri jai Gange Mata.
Text as it is commonly sung. This aarti is not in the Gita Press Aarti Sangrah; the printed Aarti Chalisa Sangrah linked here reads 'jyoti' for 'jot', 'sab jag ki gyata' for 'sab jag ko gyata', 'matu' for 'maat' and 'nit' for 'nitya'. Printed text
The katha
The Shiva Purana tells of Tripura, three flying cities of gold, silver and iron that the asura sons of Tarakasura won from Brahma, with the boon that they could fall only to a single arrow when all three stood in one line. From those cities they tormented the gods and the worlds.
Shiva rode out on a chariot made of the earth, with the Sun and the Moon as its wheels and Brahma as charioteer, Mount Meru as his bow and Vishnu himself as the arrow. When the three cities came into one line he destroyed them with a single shot, and became Tripurari, the enemy of Tripura. Tradition places the victory on the full moon of Kartika.
The gods, it is said, came down to Kashi, Shiva's own city, to bathe in the Ganga and celebrate with lamps on that full moon, a fortnight after the Diwali of humans. So the evening is called Dev Deepawali, the Diwali of the gods, and Kashi still lights its ghats for them.
Why it is kept
Dev Diwali joins three things on one evening: Shiva's victory over Tripura, the Ganga, and the lamps of Kartika, whose month-long deepdaan reaches its height on this full moon. In Varanasi more than eighty ghats, from Assi to Raj Ghat, are lined with lamps, the Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh draws vast crowds, and the river carries thousands of floating lamps.
For households everywhere it is a second, quieter Diwali: lamps at the door, the tulsi and the temple, worship of Shiva and the Ganga, and charity at the close of Kartika. It shares its full moon with Kartik Purnima's snan and with Guru Nanak Jayanti, though in some years it falls on the evening before them.
Lamps for Shiva and the Ganga
Light a ghee lamp before Shiva and one at the water or for a kalash of Ganga jal in the muhurat. Tradition counts lamps offered in Kartika among the most meritorious gifts of the year.
Deepdaan at a temple
Give lamps and ghee or oil to a temple for its evening lighting, a simple way to share in the festival wherever you live.
Bel leaves for Tripurari
Offer three-leafed bel leaves with water to the Shivling, chanting Om Namah Shivaya.
Keep the river clean
Float only leaf or flour lamps, take your plastic home, and if you can, give time or money to clean a ghat or a pond. Respect for the Ganga is itself part of the day.
Charity at the close of Kartika
Give grain, a blanket or a meal to someone in need; the charity of this full moon is praised in the Kartika-mahatmya.
A lamp at the tulsi
Light the last of Kartika's evening tulsi lamps and offer water to the tulsi.
Do
- Light lamps in the evening muhurat, at the door, the tulsi, the temple and, if you can, the water.
- Worship Shiva with water and bel leaves, and honour the Ganga.
- Use clay lamps and float only leaf or flour lamps.
- In Varanasi, reach the ghats early, keep children close and agree on a meeting point.
- Board only boats that are not overloaded, and follow the boatman's and police instructions.
- Keep a bucket of water or sand near the rows of lamps.
Don't
- Do not float plastic or thermocol lamps; they foul the river.
- Do not crowd the edge of the ghat steps or lean over the water to place lamps.
- Do not leave lamps burning unattended near cloth, curtains or dry leaves.
- Do not burst crackers near lamps, crowds or animals.
- Do not eat meat or drink alcohol on the day; it is kept sattvik.
- Do not quarrel or speak harshly on the festival evening.
By region
- Varanasi
- The heart of Dev Deepawali: lamps on more than eighty ghats from Assi to Raj Ghat, the Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh, the old stone lamp-tower at Panchganga Ghat lit, fireworks and music on the river. The city's cultural programmes often run for several days before the full moon.
- Other ghats on the Ganga
- Prayagraj, Haridwar and Rishikesh light their ghats and hold special Ganga aartis on the same evening.
- Gujarat
- This full moon is Dev Diwali in Gujarat too, with lamps at temples; the lighting at Santram Mandir in Nadiad is especially well known.
- Tamil Nadu
- Karthigai Deepam is the south's own festival of lamps, on the Krittika nakshatra of the solar month Karthigai, so it can fall a few weeks after Dev Diwali.
- Sikh community
- The same full moon is Guru Nanak Jayanti, when gurdwaras are illuminated; it has its own page.
Bhog, prasad and fasting food
- Sweets and fruit Offered to Shiva and the Ganga and shared as prasad.
- Kheer A festive sweet for the evening, after the lamps.
- Banarasi festival food In Varanasi, malaiyyo, the winter milk-froth sweet, appears in the lanes as the cold season begins.
- A sattvik meal Simple vegetarian food without onion and garlic for the day.
Two years back, this year, and two ahead. Past years are kept rather than dropped so you can check the engine against a calendar you already have.
| Year | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Friday, 15 November 2024 | past |
| 2025 | Wednesday, 5 November 2025 | past |
| 2026This year | Tuesday, 24 November 2026 | upcoming |
| 2027 | Saturday, 13 November 2027 | upcoming |
| 2028 | Wednesday, 1 November 2028 | upcoming |
Every row is computed for Varanasi from the same ephemeris, not looked up. Sunrise decides which day a tithi names, and sunrise differs across India by more than an hour, so a date computed for Delhi can be a day out elsewhere.
There is no single authority that settles a Hindu festival date, and the divergence is genuine rather than sloppy. Three causes account for almost all of it.
- A tithi rarely starts at sunrise. One that is running at the deciding moment on two days — or on none — is claimed by both days under different rules.
- Month reckoning. North India runs purnimanta, the south and west amanta. The same dark fortnight carries different month names in the two, so an observance defined as "krishna X of month Y" can land a full lunation apart.
- Which moment decides. Most vratas belong to the day whose sunrise carries the tithi, but not all: this one is decided at pradosh. Almanacs that apply the sunrise rule to everything move several festivals by a day.
So this page shows its working. If your pandit or your family almanac gives a different day, the instants above will usually show you exactly why — and that is more useful than a date asserted without one.
Common questions
When is Dev Diwali?
In Varanasi, Dev Diwali 2026 is on Tuesday, 24 November 2026, the evening of the Kartika full moon. Purnima runs 11:42 PM (23 Nov) to 8:23 PM, and Dev Diwali is kept on the evening it holds. That is why, in some years, it falls a day before the date given for Kartik Purnima's snan.
Why does another calendar give a different Dev Diwali date?
Three honest reasons. The tithi can be running at the deciding moment on two days or on none. North India reckons the month purnimanta and the south and west amanta, which names the same krishna fortnight differently. And almanacs differ on which moment of the day decides an observance. The instants above are the astronomy; the day is an interpretation of them.
What is the Dev Diwali muhurat in Varanasi?
The lamps are lit in pradosh kaal, the first part of the night after sunset, while Purnima runs. In Varanasi the Dev Diwali muhurat is: 5:08 PM to 7:46 PM. Light the first lamp before the deity at the start of it, and the rows of lamps after.
Why is Dev Diwali celebrated?
Tradition holds that on the full moon of Kartika Shiva destroyed Tripura, the three cities of the asuras, with a single arrow, and that the gods came down to Kashi to bathe in the Ganga and celebrate with lamps. Dev Deepawali, the Diwali of the gods, remembers that, honours the Ganga and crowns the month of Kartika's lamps.
What happens at Dev Diwali in Varanasi?
At dusk lakhs of clay lamps are lit along more than eighty ghats from Assi to Raj Ghat, the Ganga aarti is performed at Dashashwamedh Ghat, thousands of lamps float on the river, and there is music and fireworks over the water. Boats on the Ganga give the best view, and the ghats fill hours before sunset.
What is the difference between Diwali and Dev Diwali?
Diwali is on the new moon that North Indian calendars call Kartika Amavasya (Ashwin Amavasya in the amanta calendar), when Lakshmi is worshipped at home with Ganesh. Dev Diwali comes a fortnight later on the Kartika full moon, when lamps are lit for Shiva's victory over Tripura and for the Ganga, above all on the ghats of Varanasi. Tradition calls the first the Diwali of humans and the second the Diwali of the gods.
Are Dev Diwali and Kartik Purnima the same day?
They share the full moon of Kartika but are decided at different times of day: Kartik Purnima's snan by the morning Purnima holds at sunrise, Dev Diwali by the evening it holds. Usually that is the same date; when Purnima ends before the evening, Dev Diwali falls on the evening before. Each page computes its own day for your city.
Are Dev Diwali and Tulsi Vivah the same?
No. Tulsi Vivah is the wedding of the tulsi to Vishnu as the Shaligram, usually on Kartika Shukla Dwadashi, the day after Dev Uthani Ekadashi, and its season runs up to Kartik Purnima. Dev Diwali is the festival of lamps on the Kartik Purnima evening itself, at the very end of that season.
How can Dev Diwali be celebrated at home?
Bathe in the morning with a little Ganga jal in the water, clean the house and make a rangoli. At dusk worship Shiva with water and bel leaves, honour the Ganga with a kalash of Ganga jal, light the first lamp with Shubham karoti and then lamps at the door, the tulsi, the windows and the terrace, sing the aarti and share prasad.
How many diyas should be lit on Dev Diwali?
There is no fixed number. Families light 11, 21, 51 or 108 lamps, or simply as many as the house needs: always one before the deity, one at the main door and one at the tulsi, then the windows, terrace and boundary wall. A few lamps lit with care count for more than many left untended.
Where is Dev Diwali celebrated besides Varanasi?
Prayagraj, Haridwar and Rishikesh light their ghats on the same evening, temples across North India hold deepdaan, and Gujarat calls this full moon Dev Diwali, with temple lamps such as those at Santram Mandir in Nadiad. Households everywhere light lamps at home.
How should I plan a visit to Dev Diwali in Varanasi?
Book a boat or a ghat-side room well in advance, since the city fills up. Reach the ghats by afternoon, because roads near the river close to vehicles, travel light, keep children close, and board only boats that are not overloaded. Check the local administration's advisories for the year before you go.
Which mantra is chanted on Dev Diwali?
Om Namah Shivaya for Shiva, Om Namo Gangayai Vishvarupinyai Narayanyai Namo Namah for the Ganga, Shubham karoti kalyanam when lighting the first lamp, and Karpuragauram at the end of the aarti. The texts and their meanings are in the mantra section.
Which aarti is sung on Dev Diwali?
On the ghats it is the Ganga aarti, and at home many sing Om Jai Gange Mata or their family's Shiva aarti, ending with Karpuragauram. The full text of Om Jai Gange Mata is given above.
Is Dev Diwali on Ekadashi?
No. Dev Diwali is on the Kartika full moon. The Ekadashi a few days earlier is Dev Uthani Ekadashi, when Vishnu wakes and many homes also light lamps, and some people loosely call those lamps Dev Diwali; local calendars follow their own usage, but the lamps of Kashi are on the full moon.