Kartik Purnima 2026: Date, Timings, Significance and Rituals

One of the holiest full moons of the Hindu year, Kartik Purnima brings together the worship of Vishnu, Shiva and the sacred rivers and it is a great day of pilgrimage and bathing at holy sites across India, including the coast of Dwarka. This guide, from the team behind Somnath Dwarka Tour Package, a unit of Experience My India, covers the Kartik Purnima 2026 date and timings, its significance and rituals, the festivals it coincides with and how it is observed in Dwarka and Gujarat. Whether you keep the day at home with a lamp and a prayer or travel to a sacred river or the sea for the Kartik snan, it is a festival of light and renewal that closes the holiest month of the Hindu year. For more, see our festivals section.

When is Kartik Purnima 2026?

Kartik Purnima 2026 falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, the full moon day of the Hindu month of Kartik. As the Purnima tithi is present at dawn on this day, the sacred bath and the main rituals are observed on the morning of November 24. The key timings, in New Delhi time, are:

Because the festival follows the lunar tithi, the timings can shift by a little for other cities and for readers abroad, so check your local panchang for the exact times at your location. The pre-dawn holy bath is considered especially auspicious and many devotees try to reach a sacred river or the sea or at least a temple tank, before sunrise on the morning of November 24 to take the Kartik snan at the most sacred hour.

Kartik Purnima 2026 at a glance

Significance of Kartik Purnima

Kartik Purnima marks the end of Kartik, considered the holiest of all the lunar months and the conclusion of the Chaturmas, the four-month period during which Lord Vishnu is believed to sleep. On this day Vishnu awakens fully, making it a deeply auspicious time for worship, bathing and charity. The scriptures attach great merit to acts of devotion on this full moon and a single sacred dip or lamp offered on Kartik Purnima is said to wash away the sins of the whole year. It is a day of light, purification and spiritual renewal, celebrated across India and Nepal by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains alike. The Puranas single out Kartik as the month dearest to Vishnu and its full moon as the crescendo of a month of devotion, which is why so many pilgrims plan their most important observances for this day.

The deities honoured on Kartik Purnima

Kartik Purnima honours several deities at once, which is a large part of its unique spiritual power:

• Lord Vishnu: as the full moon that ends his four-month Chaturmas sleep, closing the month held dearest to him and linked to his Matsya or fish, incarnation, who is said to have carried the Vedas safely through the great deluge.

• Lord Shiva as Tripurari: on this day Shiva is believed to have destroyed the demon Tripurasura and his three flying cities, earning the name Tripurari, which is why the day is also called Tripuri Purnima.

• The sacred Ganga: the holy rivers, above all the Ganga, are worshipped and a bath in them or in any sacred water, is central to the festival and believed to grant merit equal to great sacrifices.

Festivals that coincide with Kartik Purnima

Kartik Purnima 2026 is shared with several major observances on the same day, which adds to its importance and its crowds at holy sites:

• Dev Deepawali: the Diwali of the gods, celebrated grandly on the ghats of Varanasi, when thousands of earthen lamps light up the steps of the Ganga in one of India's most beautiful sights.

• Guru Nanak Jayanti: also called Gurpurab, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, a gazetted public holiday marked with Akhand Path, Nagar Kirtan processions and langar.

• Jain Deva Diwali: some Jain traditions observe this day with lamp-lighting and worship, remembering Lord Mahavira.

Main rituals of Kartik Purnima

The festival is centred on three great acts of merit:

• Kartik snan: taking a holy bath in a sacred river, lake or the sea at dawn or invoking the Ganga in home water, believed to bring immense spiritual merit and to purify the devotee of a year's accumulated sins.

• Deep daan: lighting earthen lamps, often 5, 11 or 365 in number, near rivers, temples or under the Tulsi plant and floating them on the water as an offering of light to the gods.

• Charity or daan: donating food, clothes, warm garments and essentials to the needy, an act of great merit on this holy day.

Many devotees also fast, perform the Satyanarayan Puja, worship Tulsi as the Tulsi Vivah period concludes and read the Vishnu or Satyanarayan katha. Together, the bath, the lamps and the charity make Kartik Purnima a complete act of devotion, engaging body, spirit and community and leaving the devotee spiritually renewed for the season ahead.

Kartik Purnima in Dwarka and Gujarat

Kartik Purnima holds special meaning on the Krishna coast. At Dwarka, devotees gather at the sacred Gomti Ghat to take the holy Kartik snan in the Gomti before darshan at the Dwarkadhish temple, a deeply auspicious act on this day. As the festival marks the end of the Chaturmas and the awakening of Vishnu, it is especially meaningful in the city of Lord Krishna, where the whole month of Kartik is kept with great devotion. On the Shiva side, the day's Tripurari significance resonates at Somnath, the first Jyotirlinga, where devotees offer prayers and lamps and take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. Fairs and bathing gatherings are also held at pilgrimage sites across Gujarat, making Kartik Purnima a wonderful time to visit the state's holy coast and Experience My India can plan a trip to take in the festival at its most sacred settings.

How to observe Kartik Purnima at home

You can observe Kartik Purnima at home with simple, heartfelt rituals:

• Wake before dawn and take a bath, adding a little Ganga water or invoking the sacred rivers if you cannot reach one, as the pre-sunrise Kartik snan carries the greatest merit.

• Worship Lord Vishnu or Satyanarayan and Lord Shiva, offering flowers, incense and a lamp.

• Light earthen lamps or diyas, in the evening near a water body, a temple or under the Tulsi plant.

• Perform the Tulsi puja, as the Tulsi Vivah period concludes around this Purnima.

• Give charity or daan, of food, clothes or warm garments to those in need.

• Observe a fast if you wish and read the Satyanarayan katha with your family.

Other names for Kartik Purnima

Kartik Purnima is known by several names, reflecting its many meanings. It is called Tripuri Purnima or Tripurari Purnima for Shiva's victory over Tripurasura, Dev Deepawali for the gods' festival of lights at Varanasi and Kartik Poornima for the closing of the holy month. In Sikhism it is Guru Nanak Jayanti or Gurpurab and in some Jain traditions it is a Deva Diwali. The day is also linked to the peak of the great Pushkar fair in Rajasthan, when the holy dip in Pushkar Lake draws its largest crowd of the year. Across all these names, the shared spirit is one of light, bathing and the cleansing of the soul, which is why the day is cherished by so many faiths and regions across India.

Tips for Kartik Purnima 2026

A few pointers to make the day meaningful:

• Take the holy bath at dawn, the most auspicious time for the Kartik snan.

• Light lamps in the evening near water, a temple or the Tulsi plant for the deep daan ritual.

• Give charity of food, clothes or warm garments to those in need, as the winter season sets in.

• If visiting Dwarka, take the Kartik snan in the Gomti at Gomti Ghat before your temple darshan.

• Check your local panchang for the exact bathing and puja timings in your own city, as they vary.

• Expect large crowds at the holy sites and book travel and stays well ahead if you plan a pilgrimage for the day.

Plan a Kartik Purnima pilgrimage

Experience My India can plan a trip to the holy coast around Kartik Purnima or any time. Take the Kartik snan at Dwarka's Gomti Ghat, visit Bet Dwarka and the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga and continue to Somnath. Plan the season with the best time to visit Dwarka, use our how to reach Dwarka guide, book Somnath Dwarka hotels and let a Somnath Dwarka taxi service handle the travel so you can focus on the darshan.

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Plan your festival trip

Experience My India can arrange a trip to the holy coast around Kartik Purnima. Browse more travel guides, message us on WhatsApp or call +91 73006 20809.