Dev Deepawali (Dev Diwali) 2026 is on Tuesday, November 24, 2026 in Varanasi and all of India, and in the UK. In the United States and Canada it is on Monday, November 23.
Dev Deepawali, the Diwali of the gods, is Kartika Purnima, the full moon of the lunar month Kartika. It is famed above all for the ghats of Varanasi, Kashi, where lamps are lit all along the banks of the Ganga and the whole riverfront glows for the evening Ganga Aarti. At dusk, homes and temples everywhere light rows of lamps in honour of the devas.
The same full moon has more than one name. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana it is kept as Karthika Deepotsavam, the festival of lamps of Kartika, and our pages also name it Tripurari Purnima. It falls in the holy month of Kartika, a month many households keep with daily lamp lighting and bathing in a holy river.
A prayer for the lamp
Many families say this verse as they light the lamp:
Dīpajyotiḥ parabrahma dīpajyotir janārdanaḥ, dīpo haratu me pāpaṃ dīpajyotir namo'stute.
"The light of the lamp is the Supreme Brahman, the light of the lamp is Janardana (Vishnu); may this lamp remove my sins: salutations to the light of the lamp."
Bhishma Panchaka and the Kartika full moon
For those who keep Bhishma Panchaka, the five day vow of Kartika, the vow ends close to this full moon; its own page gives the exact days for your city. The Skanda Purana tells how the vow got its name. Bhishma, son of King Shantanu, lay on a bed of arrows in the time of the Pandavas. Lying there, he spoke at length about the duties of kings, about the path to freedom of the soul, and about giving gifts, while the five Pandava brothers and Lord Krishna sat and listened.
On the eleventh day of the bright half of Kartika, Bhishma asked for water. Arjuna, swift as an arrow, brought him water of the holy Ganga, and Bhishma's body was refreshed. Then Lord Krishna, full of joy, said to him: "You are truly blessed, Bhishma. Because your body was satisfied today, let all people offer water to you and honour you, from this day until the full moon day. Let them keep this vow, named Bhishma Panchaka, with all their heart."
The Purana says that those who cannot keep the whole month long Kartika vow may keep these five days and gain its merit. The Padma Purana and the Bhavishya Purana tell the same in short.
Dev Deepawali 2026, city by city
Click your city for the full page, with sunrise, sunset and the panchang of the day.
India (Tuesday, November 24)
- Varanasi (Kashi), Uttar Pradesh: Tuesday, November 24
- Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: Tuesday, November 24
- Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Tuesday, November 24
- Delhi, India: Tuesday, November 24
- Patna, Bihar: Tuesday, November 24
- Jaipur, Rajasthan: Tuesday, November 24
- Mumbai, Maharashtra: Tuesday, November 24
- Ahmedabad, Gujarat: Tuesday, November 24
- Kolkata, West Bengal: Tuesday, November 24
- Hyderabad, Telangana: Tuesday, November 24
- Bangalore, Karnataka: Tuesday, November 24
- Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Tuesday, November 24
United States (Monday, November 23)
- New York City, New York: Monday, November 23
- Jersey City, New Jersey: Monday, November 23
- Boston, Massachusetts: Monday, November 23
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Monday, November 23
- Arlington, Virginia: Monday, November 23
- Atlanta, Georgia: Monday, November 23
- Chicago, Illinois: Monday, November 23
- Dallas, Texas: Monday, November 23
- Houston, Texas: Monday, November 23
- Phoenix, Arizona: Monday, November 23
- Los Angeles, California: Monday, November 23
- San Francisco, California: Monday, November 23
- San Jose, California: Monday, November 23
- Seattle, Washington: Monday, November 23
Canada (Monday, November 23)
- Toronto, Ontario: Monday, November 23
- Mississauga, Ontario: Monday, November 23
- Calgary, Alberta: Monday, November 23
- Vancouver, British Columbia: Monday, November 23
United Kingdom (Tuesday, November 24)
- London, England: Tuesday, November 24
- Birmingham, England: Tuesday, November 24
- Manchester, England: Tuesday, November 24
Your city is not here? Open mypanchang.com/devdiwali.php and choose your city. In Hindi: देव दीपावली · In Telugu: కార్తీక దీపోత్సవం
For the full sankalpa for any day and your city: mypanchang.com/sankalpa
May the light of every lamp you offer remove all darkness from your home, and may the devas bless your whole family. Wishing you a blessed Dev Deepawali and Kartika Purnima.
Pundit Mahesh Shastri
www.mypanchang.com
