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Kartik maas 2026. The month of lamps.

Kartik is held to be the holiest month of the year, most dear to Bhagwan Vishnu and Krishna. It is the month of Diwali, of a diya lit every evening, and of a small daily practice kept for the whole month.

Kartik 2026 dates

In the North Indian (purnimanta) calendar, Kartik maas runs from Tuesday 27 October to Tuesday 24 November 2026, from the day after Sharad Purnima to Kartik Purnima. In Gujarat, Maharashtra and South India (amanta calendar), the month begins after Diwali instead. The festivals fall on the same days either way.

Dates are for India; muhurat times change by city, so check a local panchang for puja timings.

What people do in Kartik

Deep daan: a diya every evening

The best-known Kartik practice is lighting a ghee or oil diya every evening, at the tulsi plant, in the home mandir, at a temple or by a river. In many Krishna bhakti homes the lamp is offered to Damodar (child Krishna) while singing the Damodarashtakam.

Tulsi puja

Tulsi is watered and worshipped daily through the month, with a diya at her base in the evening. The month's tulsi puja ends with Tulsi vivah around Dev Uthani Ekadashi.

Kartik snan

Many people bathe before sunrise through the month, in a river where they can, and at home otherwise.

Naam jap

Kartik is a natural month for a jap sankalp, because it has a clear start and end. Keep one mala of your ishta's naam every day for the 29 days, at the same time each day: om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, hare krishna, ram, or the naam your family keeps. On Diwali night, add a mala of the Lakshmi mantra.

Satvik food

Many families keep satvik food for the month, and some give up onion and garlic until Kartik Purnima. Follow your own family's practice.

A simple Kartik sankalp

  1. On 27 October, decide your naam and your time (just after sunrise or at sandhya both work).
  2. Each day, light a diya, then take one mala of 108.
  3. On Diwali night, a mala of om shreem mahalakshmyai namah after the Lakshmi puja.
  4. On Dev Uthani Ekadashi and Kartik Purnima, keep an extra mala if you can.

Missed a day? Pick it up the next day. Kartik is about coming back to the diya, not about a perfect record.

Counters for the month

Questions

When does Kartik maas start in 2026?

Tuesday 27 October 2026 in the North Indian calendar, ending on Kartik Purnima, Tuesday 24 November. In the amanta calendar used in Gujarat, Maharashtra and the South, it begins after Diwali.

Why is Kartik so important?

It is considered the month most dear to Vishnu and Krishna. Diwali, Dev Uthani Ekadashi and Kartik Purnima all fall in it, and daily deep daan, tulsi puja and jap are kept through the month.

What should I do every day in Kartik?

Light a diya in the evening, water the tulsi, and keep a small daily jap, such as one mala of 108. Keep what you can do every day for the whole month.

Is there an app?

Japoji is the app version, with one difference: it puts the naam in front of Instagram and YouTube, so you take 11 naam before you scroll. Android first, iPhone soon. Join the waitlist.

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