Kartik Purnima 2026: Date, Snan Muhurat, Dev Diwali Puja Vidhi, Rashi-Wise Effects & Remedies
The Full Moon That Closes the Holiest Month - Snan, Deep Daan and the Diwali of the Gods
Kartik Purnima 2026 falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026 - the full moon that closes Kartik, the month Vedic tradition treats as the most spiritually potent of the year. It is the foremost bathing day in the Hindu calendar, celebrated as Dev Diwali (Dev Deepawali), the Diwali of the gods, and as Tripuri Purnima, the day Lord Shiva vanquished the demon Tripurasura. Pilgrims gather before dawn for Kartik Snan, float lamps on water at dusk for deep daan, and give in charity, because the merit of every act performed on this Kartik Purnima tithi is held to multiply many times over. For Rajasthan the day carries a second meaning: this is when the sacred lake at Pushkar, a short drive from Ajmer, draws its largest gathering of the year. This guide covers the date and tithi, snan and puja vidhi, the astrology of the Kartik full moon, effects for all 12 rashis, and remedies.
Kartik Purnima 2026: Date, Tithi & Key Details
The question asked first every year is "Kartik Purnima 2026 kab hai?" - and the answer is Tuesday, November 24, 2026. The festival is fixed to the Purnima (full moon) tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha, the lunar month closing the Chaturmas season. Because a tithi is measured by the angular relationship between the Sun and the Moon rather than by the clock, it does not begin at midnight: the tithi opens late on the night of November 23 and runs through November 24, which is why vrat, snan and daan are all observed on November 24. The exact minute it begins and ends shifts from city to city, as does the Brahma Muhurat window, so check the panchang for your own location.
Kartik Purnima 2026 - Key Details at a Glance
Kartik Purnima 2026 Date
Tuesday, November 24, 2026
Tithi
Purnima, Shukla Paksha of Kartik Month
Also Known As
Dev Diwali, Dev Deepawali, Tripuri Purnima
Snan Muhurat
Brahma Muhurat, before sunrise (city-specific)
Core Observances
Kartik Snan, Deep Daan, Vrat, Daan, Satyanarayan Katha
Sun & Moon Positions
Sun in Vrishchik (Scorpio), full Moon in Vrishabh (Taurus)
* The Purnima tithi opens late on November 23 and closes on November 24, 2026. The precise begin and end times, the Brahma Muhurat snan window, sunrise and moonrise all vary by city, and follow Lahiri (sidereal) ayanamsha and IST. For your exact window, check Panchangai.in.
Why Kartik Purnima Is the Most Sacred Full Moon of the Year
Every Purnima carries weight in Vedic practice, but the Kartik full moon sits at the top of the list. Kartik is the month in which Lord Vishnu is said to wake from his four-month rest, reopening the calendar for weddings and new ventures, and in which Tulsi is worshipped daily and lamps are lit at doorways and river steps for thirty consecutive evenings. Kartik Purnima seals all of it.
The astronomy underneath explains the rituals rather than merely decorating them. A Purnima occurs when the Moon stands opposite the Sun, fully lit from the Earth. On Kartik Purnima the Sun travels through Vrishchik (Scorpio), the sign of depth and hidden matters, placing the full Moon in Vrishabh (Taurus), the sign of stability and nourishment. The month itself is named after Krittika, the nakshatra marking this region of the sky. The result is a night when the mind, which the Moon governs, is at its most exposed while the Sun lights up what was buried.
Kartik Snan: The Holiest Bath
A pre-dawn dip in a river, lake or tirth is the most purifying bath of the year. Those who cannot reach a sacred water body add Ganga jal at home and bathe during Brahma Muhurat, which tradition treats as equivalent in intent.
Deep Daan: The Gift of Light
At dusk, lamps are floated on water or lined along ghats, courtyards and doorways. Deep daan is the signature ritual of Dev Diwali. Offering light is understood as offering clarity, and is prescribed for dissolving negativity and for the peace of ancestors.
The Moon at Full Strength
Chandra rules the mind, emotions and memory, and on a full moon it is at maximum brightness. Japa and sankalpa are amplified, and so is emotional reactivity, which is why the day is kept deliberately quiet.
Daan: Charity That Compounds
Giving is the core instruction, not an optional extra. Food, ghee, blankets and warm clothing given today are said to carry multiplied merit. The tradition is practical: the festival arrives as North Indian winter sets in, when such gifts matter most.
Dev Diwali & Tripuri Purnima: The Stories Behind the Day
Kartik Purnima carries several names because several traditions claim it, and they point at the same instruction. The Dev Diwali or Dev Deepawali name comes from the belief that the gods celebrate their own Diwali on this full moon, descending to the ghats to be greeted with lamps. Where the Diwali of Kartik Amavasya is a household festival of wealth and light indoors, Dev Diwali is its public, riverside counterpart: the same gift of light, offered outward to the water rather than inward to the home. The Amavasya half of the picture is in our Diwali and Dhanteras guide.
The Tripuri Purnima or Tripurari Purnima name belongs to the Shaiva stream. On this full moon Lord Shiva is said to have destroyed Tripurasura, the demon who ruled the three worlds from three impregnable fortresses of gold, silver and iron. The three cities are read as body, speech and mind, and Shiva's single arrow as the undivided attention that dissolves all three at once. This is why Shiva temples are lit as brightly as Vishnu temples, and why a Rudra Abhishek on this day is considered especially fruitful. A third strand belongs to Kartikeya, after whom the month is often said to be named, and a fourth to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, whose birth anniversary the Sikh community observes as Prakash Parv. One full moon, four traditions, one shared gesture.
Pushkar Snan on Kartik Purnima: The Ajmer Connection
For anyone in or near Ajmer, Kartik Purnima is not an abstract entry in a calendar - it happens fifteen kilometres away, at scale. Pushkar, set in the Aravalli hills, holds the only significant temple to Lord Brahma in the world, and its lake is believed to have formed where a lotus fell from Brahma's hands. Tradition holds that Brahma performed his yajna here on Kartik Purnima, which makes a dip in the lake on this day the most meritorious snan of the Kartik calendar, named in the same breath as the Ganga at Varanasi and Haridwar.
The gathering builds over the preceding days. The Pushkar fair traditionally runs from Dev Uthani Ekadashi - observed in 2026 on November 20 or 21 depending on tradition, the Smarta and Vaishnava streams differing by a day - through to Kartik Purnima on November 24, when the snan peaks. Official fair dates are announced each year by the district administration, so confirm them locally before planning travel. If you are travelling for the ritual rather than the fair, arrive the previous evening: the ghats fill long before sunrise.
Pushkar is also the traditional destination for ancestral rites in this region. Pind daan and tarpan at the ghats on this full moon are held to be unusually effective for those carrying ancestral affliction in the chart, and the evening's deep daan doubles as an offering to the departed. Our guide to Pushkar puja and Pitra Dosh nivaran explains which ghat ritual addresses which affliction.
Kartik Snan, Deep Daan & Puja Vidhi: Step by Step
The day has a simple ritual spine - bathe before dawn, give during the day, offer light at dusk - and can be observed at home without a priest. Confirm your local Brahma Muhurat and moonrise timings first.
Snan and Sankalpa
Wake during Brahma Muhurat, roughly an hour and a half before sunrise, and bathe facing east - at a tirth if you can reach one, at home with Ganga jal, tulsi and a pinch of sesame if you cannot. Take a sankalpa stating your intention, and begin the vrat: either a nirjala fast or, far more commonly, phalahar on fruit and milk, avoiding grains, onion and garlic.
Surya Arghya at Sunrise
Face east at sunrise and offer arghya, pouring water from a copper vessel through cupped palms while it catches the light. Add a few grains of rice and a red flower, and chant "Om Ghrini Suryaya Namah" eleven times.
Set Up the Puja Sthan
Place a chowki in the northeast corner under a clean yellow or red cloth. Set images of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva on it, with a kalash topped by mango leaves and a coconut behind. Add tulsi, a ghee lamp, incense, fruit and raw milk.
Main Puja and Katha
Offer water, flowers, kumkum, akshata and naivedya in turn. Chant "Om Namah Shivaya" and recite the Vishnu Sahasranama, or read the Satyanarayan Katha aloud. Conclude with aarti.
Daan Before Dusk
Give before you receive. Distribute food, ghee, blankets, warm clothing or sesame to those who need them, and feed a cow if you can. Anna daan, the gift of food, is the most highly regarded charity of the day.
Deep Daan and Moon Darshan
Light earthen diyas with ghee or sesame oil and offer them at water, at the tulsi plant, at the doorway and under a peepal tree. The classical count is eleven, though one lamp offered with full attention counts for more than eleven offered absently. After moonrise, offer raw milk with rice and sugar to the full Moon and chant "Om Som Somaya Namah" eleven or twenty-one times. Break the vrat only after this.
Kartik Purnima 2026: Effects on All 12 Rashis
On November 24, 2026 the full Moon rises in Vrishabh (Taurus), opposite the Sun in Vrishchik. Counted from your Moon sign (Chandra Rashi) it lands in a different house for each rashi, and that house tells you which part of life this Purnima lights up:
Mesh (Aries)
Full moon in your 2nd house. Family, savings and speech are lit up. A good Purnima for settling a money matter at home and watching your words. Offer anna daan and ghee.
Vrishabh (Taurus)
Full moon in your 1st house - the most personal impact. Emotions run high, and clarity about yourself arrives with them. The snan benefits you most. Keep the day quiet; offer white flowers and raw milk.
Mithun (Gemini)
Full moon in your 12th house. A Purnima for release, not acquisition. Expenses and disturbed sleep are possible; retreat is favoured. Deep daan on flowing water suits you.
Karka (Cancer)
Full moon in your 11th house. Gains, friendships and long-held wishes are highlighted, and as a Moon-ruled rashi you feel every Purnima keenly. Observe in company, not alone.
Simha (Leo)
Full moon in your 10th house. Career and public standing come into the light. Light a ghee lamp at your workplace; donate wheat and jaggery.
Kanya (Virgo)
Full moon in your 9th house. Dharma, fortune, teachers and pilgrimage are activated - the best placement for travelling to a tirth. A Pushkar or river snan is especially fruitful.
Tula (Libra)
Full moon in your 8th house. Hidden matters, joint finances and ancestral threads surface. Handle old dues calmly. Tarpan and a lamp for departed elders fit best.
Vrishchik (Scorpio)
Full moon in your 7th house, Sun in your 1st. Marriage and partnership are in direct focus. Observe the vrat with your spouse, and avoid reopening an old argument tonight.
Dhanu (Sagittarius)
Full moon in your 6th house. Health, routine, debt and workplace friction are highlighted. A good day to begin a health correction. Donate sesame.
Makar (Capricorn)
Full moon in your 5th house. Children, education, devotion and creative work are lit up. Perform the puja with your children present; offer a lamp for their studies.
Kumbh (Aquarius)
Full moon in your 4th house. Home, mother, property and inner peace are in focus. The domestic observance matters more than the public one here.
Meen (Pisces)
Full moon in your 3rd house. Siblings, courage, short journeys and communication are activated. A favourable Purnima for mending a rift with a sibling.
One caution: the house a full moon occupies from your Moon sign is a single layer of a larger picture. Your Lagna, the strength of natal Chandra and the running Dasha together decide how strongly this lands, which is why two people of the same rashi experience the same full moon differently.
Kartik Purnima Remedies, Daan & the Start of Wedding Season
Because the Moon is at maximum strength and Kartik is closing, remedies on this Purnima aim at the mind, at ancestral peace, and at what was left unfinished. None need expense or expertise:
Chandra Remedies for Mental Peace
Offer raw milk mixed with rice and sugar to the full Moon after moonrise, then chant "Om Som Somaya Namah" or "Om Chandraya Namah" 108 times. Donate white items - rice, milk, sugar, white cloth - and wear white. This is the year's most direct remedy for an afflicted Moon, disturbed sleep or a restless mind. On gemstones: pearl (moti) should be worn only after expert consultation, since the Moon's condition differs in every chart.
Deep Daan for Ancestral Peace
Float or place eleven lamps at a water body at dusk with the intention of ancestral peace, chanting "Om Pitrabhyo Namah". Feed a cow or a person in need in the name of your departed elders. Those who suspect ancestral affliction in the chart should read our guide to Pitra Dosh nivaran at Pushkar.
Shiva and Vishnu Worship
Because the day belongs to both traditions, an abhishek on the Shivling with milk, water and bel patra pairs naturally with a tulsi offering and the Vishnu Sahasranama. Chant "Om Namah Shivaya" through the day; it needs no ritual scaffolding. A formal Rudra Abhishek is the fuller form.
Lakshmi and Navgraha Balance
Kartik closes the wealth-focused half of the festive season, and chanting "Om Shreem Mahalakshmiyei Namah" before the evening lamp extends that thread to the full moon. Where several planets rather than the Moon alone are causing difficulty, a Navgraha Shanti Pooja treats the whole planetary cabinet.
Kartik Purnima has one more practical consequence. Dev Uthani Ekadashi, days earlier, reopens the calendar for weddings after the Chaturmas pause, and the weeks that follow are among the busiest of the North Indian wedding season. Our guide on marriage timing and shadi kab hogi explains how the 7th house, Venus, Jupiter and the running Dasha decide when a marriage materialises, and why a favourable muhurat still has to be checked against both charts.
Purnima Puja at Home
Want the vidhi done properly rather than approximately? We help you plan the snan, daan and deep daan around your city's timings.
Ask Now →Pushkar Snan & Pitra Rites
Planning the snan at Pushkar, or pind daan and tarpan at the ghats? Read what each rite addresses in our Pushkar guide first.
Ask Now →Wedding Season Muhurat
The marriage calendar reopens with Dev Uthani Ekadashi. Get your date checked against both charts, not a general list.
Book Consultation →Kartik Purnima Special: Personalised Full Moon Reading
A rashi column tells you where the full moon falls. A chart reading tells you what it will actually do:
- House-Wise Impact: Which life area the Vrishabh full moon activates from both your Moon sign and your Lagna
- Chandra Strength Check: Natal Moon placement, affliction and Dasha status - the real deciders of how sensitive this Purnima makes you
- Ancestral Indications: Whether your chart shows the affliction Pushkar pitra rites address
- Personalised Remedies: Mantras, daan and lamp offerings matched to your chart, not a generic list
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Kartik Purnima 2026 kab hai?
Kartik Purnima 2026 falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026. The Purnima tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha opens late on November 23 and closes on November 24, so snan, vrat and deep daan are all observed on November 24. Exact tithi and Brahma Muhurat timings differ by city - check Panchangai.in.
Q: Is Kartik Purnima the same as Dev Diwali?
Yes. Dev Diwali, Dev Deepawali and Tripuri Purnima are all names for Kartik Purnima, the same full moon day. Dev Diwali refers to the belief that the gods celebrate their own Diwali on this night, while Tripuri Purnima commemorates Shiva's victory over Tripurasura. It is distinct from Diwali itself, which falls on the Kartik Amavasya covered in our Diwali and Dhanteras guide.
Q: What is the correct snan muhurat on Kartik Purnima?
The traditional window is Brahma Muhurat, roughly the last hour and a half before sunrise, with the bath completed before the Sun is fully up. Because sunrise differs across Ajmer, Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai, no single set of clock times is valid everywhere and we deliberately do not publish one. Look up your city's exact Brahma Muhurat on Panchangai.in.
Q: Can I observe Kartik Purnima if I cannot reach a river or tirth?
Yes, and most people do. Add a little Ganga jal, tulsi leaves and a pinch of sesame to your bathing water, bathe during Brahma Muhurat facing east, and take the same sankalpa you would at a ghat. Light your deep daan lamps at the tulsi plant, the doorway or under a peepal tree instead of on water.
Q: Which rashis are most affected by the Kartik Purnima 2026 full moon?
Vrishabh (Taurus) feels it most directly, since the full Moon rises in its own sign, in the 1st house. Vrishchik (Scorpio) has it in the 7th with the Sun in the 1st, putting partnership in focus, and Moon-ruled Karka (Cancer) feels every Purnima keenly. Kanya (Virgo) gets the 9th house placement that favours pilgrimage. The real answer depends on your natal Moon, Lagna and running Dasha rather than rashi alone.
Q: What are the best remedies to perform on Kartik Purnima?
Bathe during Brahma Muhurat, offer arghya to the Sun, give anna daan and warm clothing, and offer lamps at dusk. Chant "Om Namah Shivaya" through the day and "Om Som Somaya Namah" after moonrise while offering raw milk to the full Moon. Add "Om Pitrabhyo Namah" if the lamps are for departed elders. Pearl (moti) only after expert consultation. A Navgraha Shanti Pooja covers the Moon alongside all nine planets.
Kartik Purnima 2026 Personalised Reading
See where the November 24 full moon falls in your chart, which daan and remedies suit your Moon, and how the reopening wedding calendar touches your timeline.
