Skip to main content
Lamp-lit ghat steps reflected in the Ganga at dusk for Dev Diwali

Dev Diwali

Lord Shiva

This year
Tue, 24 Nov 2026
in 171 days
Major festival Major
🔗 The same night is also observed as Rash Purnima →
Dev Diwali 2026 falls on Tuesday, 24 November 2026, the full-moon day (Purnima) of the month of Kartik — about fifteen days after Diwali itself. Often called the "Diwali of the gods," it is the day the deities are believed to come down to bathe in the Ganga, and it is kept above all in Varanasi, where the stone ghats are lined with thousands of oil lamps at dusk. Because it follows the Hindu lunar calendar, the Gregorian date shifts each year, usually falling in November.

When it falls

The date shifts because it tracks the moon, not the Gregorian calendar.

2024 Nov 15
Fri
2025 Nov 5
Wed
2026 Nov 24
Tue
2027 Nov 14
Sun
2028 Nov 2
Thu
2029 Nov 21
Wed

Calculated for India (IST) using precise Panchang astronomy. Dates can shift by a day at locations far to the east or west.

Significance & story

Dev Diwali means the "Diwali of the gods." Where the better-known Diwali is a festival of people and homes, this one belongs to the deities: tradition holds that on the Kartik full moon the gods descend to earth to bathe in the Ganga at Kashi (Varanasi), and the city lights lamps to welcome them. It falls on Kartik Purnima, the bright full moon fifteen days after Diwali, and closes the lamp-lit season that began with that festival.

The day is also called Tripurari Purnima, after the story that gives it its weight. The demon Tripurasura had won control of three fortified cities — collectively Tripura — and grown impossible to defeat. Shiva destroyed all three with a single arrow, and the gods lit lamps in relief and thanksgiving at his victory. This is why the day is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and why light, rather than feasting, is the central act: the lamps mark both the welcome of the gods and the celebration of a battle won.

The same Kartik full moon carries other observances layered onto it — it is kept as Guru Nanak's birth anniversary by Sikhs, and as a major bathing day on the Ganga for pilgrims. So the date is shared, but in the Dev Diwali sense the focus stays on Shiva, on the river, and on the act of offering light at dusk.

Rituals & observance

How Dev Diwali is kept:

  • The defining sight is the lighting of lamps (deepdaan) along the river — earthen diyas placed in long rows down the ghats and steps at dusk, and small leaf-boats of light floated out onto the water.
  • A holy dip in the Ganga (or another sacred river) at dawn on the Kartik full moon is considered especially meritorious; many fast or eat lightly through the day until the bathing and worship are done.
  • In Varanasi the evening centres on a grand Ganga aarti performed in unison across the main ghats, with conch, bells, and rows of priests waving lamps to the river.
  • Shiva is worshipped through the day, in keeping with the festival's link to his victory as Tripurari; temples and homes keep lamps burning into the night.
  • Households and temples light lamps at their doorways and on rooftops, much as at Diwali, extending the season of light by a fortnight.
  • Charity and offering — giving food, lamps, or alms — are traditional on this full moon, treated as a day when such acts carry added merit.

Regional variations

Varanasi (Kashi)
This is the heartland of Dev Diwali. The crescent of stone ghats along the Ganga is lit end to end with lakhs of earthen lamps, and a synchronised Ganga aarti draws large crowds from the riverbank and from boats on the water. The scale and setting here are what the festival is best known for.
Gujarat & among traders
Kept as Dev Diwali on Kartik Sud Poonam, closing the run of days that began at Diwali and the Gujarati new year. Lamps are lit at home and temples, and the full moon is observed as an auspicious day for worship and charity.
Punjab & Sikh tradition
The same Kartik full moon is observed as Gurpurab, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak — a distinct observance that shares the date rather than the Dev Diwali story.
How this date is determined

Observed on the full-moon day (Purnima) of Kartik (Shukla paksha), reckoned by sunrise (udaya tithi).

Dates are computed to astronomical precision (NASA/JPL ephemeris), in line with traditional panchang.

Frequently asked

What date is Dev Diwali in 2026?
Dev Diwali 2026 is on Tuesday, 24 November 2026 — the full-moon day of Kartik, about fifteen days after Diwali.
Why is it called Dev Diwali?
Dev Diwali means the "Diwali of the gods." Tradition holds that on this Kartik full moon the deities descend to earth to bathe in the Ganga, so the river ghats are lit with lamps to welcome them — a Diwali kept for the gods rather than for the home.
How is Dev Diwali different from Diwali?
Diwali falls on the Kartik new moon and is a festival of homes, Lakshmi worship, and family. Dev Diwali falls on the Kartik full moon fifteen days later, is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and centres on lighting lamps along the river — most famously the ghats of Varanasi.
Why does the date of Dev Diwali change every year?
It follows the Hindu lunar calendar, falling on Purnima (the full moon) of the month of Kartik. Because lunar months do not line up with the Gregorian year, the date shifts each year, usually landing in November.
What is Tripurari Purnima?
It is another name for the same day. It recalls the story of Shiva destroying the three cities (Tripura) of the demon Tripurasura with a single arrow; the gods lit lamps in thanksgiving, which is one of the reasons light is the day's central offering.

Related festivals

Rash Purnima
Nov 24

Plan around it

Panchang Choghadiya muhurat Festival calendar Your Kundli