Dev Diwali 2023 — mypanchang.com

Dev Diwali

Dev Diwali — also called Kartika Deepotsavam — is the full moon (Purnima) of the lunar month Kartika, observed as the day the gods themselves are believed to descend to earth and celebrate their own festival of lights. Where Diwali marks the return of Sri Rama to Ayodhya, Dev Diwali is imagined as the devas' own Diwali — 'Diwali of the Gods'.

The festival is most famously celebrated on the ghats of Varanasi, where thousands of oil lamps (diyas) are lit along the banks of the Ganga, turning the riverfront into a shimmering field of light for the evening Ganga Aarti. The tradition is also linked to Tripurari Purnima, commemorating Lord Shiva's destruction of the demon Tripurasura, and to the completion of the Kartika-masa vrata observed through the month by many households.

Homes and temples light rows of lamps at dusk, and many devotees take a ceremonial bath in a sacred river, offer lamps at the water's edge, and visit Shiva and Vishnu temples decorated for the occasion.

दीपज्योतिः परब्रह्म दीपज्योतिर्जनार्दनः। दीपो हरतु मे पापं दीपज्योतिर्नमोऽस्तुते॥

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."

— Traditional Deepa Jyoti invocation

Tradition & Practice

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Deepotsavam at Sayankala

Lamps are lit at sayankala — dusk, the last part of the day — marking the moment the devas are said to arrive for their own festival of lights.

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Varanasi Ganga Aarti

The ghats of Varanasi are famed for their Dev Deepawali celebration, with lakhs of diyas lining the Ganga during the evening aarti.

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Tripurari Purnima

The same day is also observed as Tripurari Purnima, marking Lord Shiva's victory over the demon Tripurasura.

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Kartika Masa Vrata

Dev Diwali falls on the culminating day of Kartika masa, a month many households observe with daily lamp-lighting and river bathing.

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