Also known as: Dev Deepawali, Tripuri Purnima, Tripurari Purnima, Guru Nanak Jayanti (Gurpurab), Boita Bandana · Observed: Across India, especially Varanasi, Pushkar, Odisha and the Telugu states
Significance of Kartika Purnima
The full moon of Kartika is considered the holiest full moon of the year and the culmination of the sacred month of Kartika, during which devotees take early morning baths, light lamps and keep vows. Bathing in a sacred river at dawn on this day, giving charity and lighting lamps are believed to bring merit equal to that of many sacrifices. The festival is shared by Shaivas and Vaishnavas, and by Sikhs and Jains, each with their own reasons for its sanctity.
For Sikhs, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, is traditionally celebrated on Kartika Purnima as Gurpurab, so the two observances coincide.
Legends of the Day
The day is called Tripuri or Tripurari Purnima because, according to the Puranas, Lord Shiva destroyed the three flying cities of the asura Tripurasura with a single arrow on this day. The gods celebrated by lighting lamps, which is remembered in Varanasi as Dev Deepawali, the Diwali of the gods. Vaishnavas recall that Vishnu took his first avatara, Matsya the fish, on this day to save Manu and the Vedas from the great deluge. In Pushkar, the full moon closes the Kartika fair, and bathing in the Pushkar lake, sacred to Brahma, is especially meritorious. The day also ends the Tulasi Vivah season that begins on Prabodhini Ekadashi.
How Kartika Purnima Is Celebrated
In Varanasi, the ghats along the Ganga are lit with lakhs of earthen lamps at dusk for Dev Deepawali, and a grand Ganga aarti is performed. Pilgrims bathe at Prayagraj, Haridwar, Garhmukteshwar and Sonepur, where a famous cattle fair is held. In the Telugu states, Kartika Pournami is a major day of Shiva worship, with lamps of 365 wicks lit in temples, Satyanarayana vratam in homes, and deepams floated on rivers. In Tamil Nadu, the nearby Karthigai Deepam is celebrated with rows of lamps and the great beacon on Arunachala hill at Tiruvannamalai.
In Odisha, Boita Bandana recalls the ancient sea voyages of Kalinga's merchants: before dawn people float small boats of banana bark carrying lamps and betel on rivers and the sea. Jains begin the yatra to the hill of Shatrunjaya at Palitana, which reopens after the monsoon. Sikhs hold processions, kirtan and langar, and gurdwaras are illuminated.
How the Date Is Determined
Kartika Purnima is the full moon tithi of the lunar month Kartika, about fifteen days after Diwali. The festival is fixed on the day when Purnima prevails, with the holy bath taken at dawn and the lamp festivities at dusk. Tamil Karthigai Deepam follows a different rule, being tied to Krittika nakshatra in the solar month of Karthigai, so it usually falls on or near this full moon but not always on the same day.
Rituals and customs
- Holy bath at dawn in a sacred river
- Lighting lamps at dusk and floating them on water
- Dev Deepawali on the ghats of Varanasi
- Shiva worship and 365-wick lamps in Telugu temples
- Boita Bandana boat floating in Odisha
- Gurpurab processions and langar for Guru Nanak Jayanti