About Narak Chaturdashi
Narak Chaturdashi is the fourteenth lunar day of the dark fortnight that ends in Diwali's new moon, and in 2026 north Indian calendars mark it as Choti Diwali on Saturday, 7 November 2026. Families take an oil bath before sunrise and light a few lamps at dusk, remembering Krishna's victory over the asura Narakasura. In Tamil Nadu and much of the south, that dawn bath is Deepavali itself.
Naraka was an asura king, and Chaturdashi is the fourteenth day of a lunar fortnight, so the name points to the day he was killed. The word naraka also means hell, and many families read the day's two rituals, a bath before dawn and a lamp for Yama at dusk, as protection from it. In the north the day is simply Choti Diwali, the small Diwali: a few lamps on the evening before the main night, not the whole house lit.
It falls between Dhanteras and the Lakshmi Puja night of Diwali, and each region keeps it under its own name.
The story of Narakasura
The Bhagavata Purana (book 10, chapter 59) tells it this way. Naraka, also called Bhauma because he was the son of Bhumi, the earth goddess, ruled from Pragjyotishapura. He had taken the earrings of Aditi, mother of the gods, carried off Varuna's umbrella and held sixteen thousand princesses captive. Krishna flew there on Garuda with his wife Satyabhama and cut off Naraka's head with his discus. Bhumi then returned Aditi's earrings.
Many homes tell a different ending. In that version Naraka can be killed only by his mother, and Satyabhama, taken to be Bhumi born again, strikes the blow herself. As he dies, Naraka asks that his death be remembered with lamps. The Bhagavata does not have Satyabhama strike, but the retelling is loved, so go with the version your friend grew up with.
Goa acts the story out. Neighbourhood groups spend weeks building papier-mâché Narakasur effigies, some three storeys tall, packed with crackers and burnt before dawn, with prize money in lakhs for the best. After the bath, families in Goa and Maharashtra crush a small bitter fruit called karit under the left heel, standing in for the asura.
The bath before sunrise
The ritual nearly every region shares is abhyanga snan, an oil bath taken in the dark. Drik Panchang's rule is that it is done after moonrise but before sunrise, while the Chaturdashi tithi is still running.
- Oil firstWarm sesame oil is massaged into the hair and body. In many Tamil homes the eldest puts oil on everyone's head.
- UbtanA paste of besan and haldi, sometimes with sandalwood, is rubbed on to lift the oil. This is the roop, or glow, in the name Roop Chaudas.
- Bath in the darkA full bath before sunrise, in some homes with neem or chirchita leaves steeped in the water.
- New clothes and the first lampsThen new clothes, a short puja, water offered to the rising sun, and in the south the first crackers of Deepavali.
In Tamil homes the morning greeting is "Ganga snanam aacha?", meaning "Have you had your Ganga bath?" It comes from the belief that the Ganga is present in all water at that hour, so a bucket at home counts as a dip in the river.
Same tithi, different names
| Where | What it is called | What the day looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh | Choti Diwali, Narak Chaudas | A few diyas at dusk, and the Yam ka diya: one mustard-oil lamp at the main door, facing south, against untimely death. Some families light it on Dhanteras instead. |
| Rajasthan and Malwa | Roop Chaudas, Roop Chaturdashi | The ubtan and pre-dawn bath are the heart of the day, a getting-ready for Diwali. |
| Gujarat | Kali Chaudas | Prayers to Hanuman and Mahakali for protection, crowds at Ahmedabad's Bhadrakali temple, and in some families rites at midnight. Many avoid cutting hair or nails. |
| Maharashtra and Goa | Narak Chaturdashi | The first day of Diwali: abhyanga snan, the karit, poha dishes, and Goa's Narakasur effigies. |
| Karnataka | Naraka Chaturdashi | Deepavali begins with the oil bath and runs to Bali Padyami. The state usually lists it as a general holiday. |
| Tamil Nadu | Deepavali | This morning is the festival itself: the oil bath, new clothes, crackers at dawn and sweets for neighbours. |
| West Bengal | Bhoot Chaturdashi | Fourteen clay lamps, choddo prodip, for fourteen generations of ancestors, and a dish of fourteen greens, choddo shaak. Kali Puja follows at the new moon. |
Kali Chaudas is not quite Narak Chaturdashi. It is fixed by the tithi at midnight, and Drik Panchang warns that it can fall a day before the bath. Hanuman Puja during Diwali is kept on the same night.
How the date is worked out
The day is Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi, the fourteenth of the waning moon. North Indian calendars, which end months on the full moon, call the month Kartik. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and the Telugu states end months on the new moon and call the same fortnight Ashvin. The date is the same; only the month name differs.
Each ritual needs the tithi at a different hour. The bath needs it at dawn, Kali Chaudas at midnight, and Choti Diwali's lamps go up on the evening before Lakshmi Puja. So the three can land on one date or spread over two. When Chaturdashi begins late in the morning, the evening lamps and Kali Chaudas fall on one day, and the dawn bath slips to the next morning, the same day as Lakshmi Puja.
That is what happened in 2025. Chaturdashi ran from the afternoon of 19 October to the afternoon of 20 October. The north lit Choti Diwali lamps on the 19th, bathed on the morning of the 20th and did Lakshmi Puja that evening. Tamil Nadu kept Deepavali on the 20th. A calendar that shows Narak Chaturdashi and Diwali on the same date is not wrong. It is tracking the bath.
What to write
Send it early, because the day starts before sunrise. "Happy Choti Diwali" suits north Indian friends, "Happy Deepavali" suits Tamil and Kannada friends this morning, and Gujarati friends often say "Happy Kali Chaudas". For Bengali friends, mention the lamps and save your big wish for Kali Puja.
Happy Choti Diwali, Maa and Papa. I'm up early and I've done the ubtan, so please don't call to check. Light the Yam diya at the door for me tonight.
Ganga snanam aacha? Happy Deepavali to you and the family. Save me some of the sweets, and go easy on the crackers before six.
Happy Kali Chaudas. May Hanumanji keep you and your family safe this year, and may the new year after Diwali start well.
Lighting the choddo prodip tonight? Thinking of your family and the ones the lamps are for. And Shubho Kali Pujo in advance.
Happy Narak Chaturdashi. Send me a picture of your ward's Narakasur before it goes up in smoke.
Wishing you a happy Choti Diwali. Hope the next few days bring rest, good food and very little email.
Thinking of you all this week. No festive wishes from me this year, just love, and I'm here whenever you want company.
Two things to avoid. Roop Chaudas is about rest and care, so skip any joke about someone's looks or skin colour. And many Hindu families do not celebrate the first Diwali after a death; a quiet note reads better than "Happy Choti Diwali". The week carries on with Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj.
- Chaturdashi
- The fourteenth lunar day of a fortnight
- Abhyanga snan
- The oil massage and bath taken before sunrise
- Ubtan
- A paste of gram flour, turmeric and sometimes sandalwood used in the bath
- Karit
- A small bitter wild melon crushed underfoot in Maharashtra and Goa
- Yam ka diya
- A lamp for Yama, god of death, placed at the door facing south
- Choddo prodip
- The fourteen lamps lit in Bengali homes on Bhoot Chaturdashi
- Nishita kaal
- The midnight window that decides the date of Kali Chaudas
How to wish someone on Narak Chaturdashi
A good Choti Diwali wish is short and sent early, because the day starts in the dark with the oil bath. Name what the family is actually doing: the ubtan, the first diyas, the Narakasur effigy in Goa, the fourteen lamps in a Bengali home. For Tamil and Kannada friends this morning is Deepavali, so wish them Happy Deepavali. Keep Roop Chaudas wishes about rest and care rather than looks, and send a quiet note to a family in its first year of mourning.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is Narak Chaturdashi in 2026 and 2027?
Narak Chaturdashi is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 10 days earlier than in 2026.
- 2026may vary by location
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is Narak Chaturdashi in 2026?
Narak Chaturdashi 2026 falls on Saturday, 7 November 2026. The exact date can vary by location and local calendar, so confirm with your community.
Why is it called Choti Diwali?
Choti Diwali means "small Diwali" because it is the evening before the main Diwali night, when families light only a few lamps instead of the whole house. It falls on Chaturdashi, the fourteenth lunar day, a day before the new moon of Lakshmi Puja.
Is Choti Diwali the same as Narak Chaturdashi and Kali Chaudas?
They share the same lunar day but are not always on the same date. Narak Chaturdashi's oil bath needs the tithi at dawn, Kali Chaudas needs it at midnight, and Choti Diwali's lamps are lit on the evening before Lakshmi Puja, so in some years the bath falls a day after the other two.
Why do people bathe before sunrise on Narak Chaturdashi?
The abhyanga snan, an oil massage followed by a bath, is done after moonrise but before sunrise while the Chaturdashi tithi is running. It marks the killing of Narakasura, and the name gives a second reading: many families believe the day's rituals keep them from naraka, or hell.
Why do Tamil Nadu and south India celebrate Deepavali on Naraka Chaturdashi?
In Tamil Nadu and much of the south, Deepavali is the morning of Naraka Chaturdashi, when Krishna is said to have killed Narakasura, and it begins with the pre-dawn oil bath. The north's main celebration is the Lakshmi Puja evening that follows, though in some years both fall on the same date.
What is the Yama diya lit on Choti Diwali?
The Yam ka diya is a single lamp, usually mustard oil in a clay diya, set at the main door with its flame facing south, the direction of Yama, god of death. It is lit at dusk with a prayer that no one in the household dies an untimely death. Some families light it on Dhanteras instead.
What should I write in a Choti Diwali message?
Keep it short and personal, and send it in the morning: mention the oil bath, the first diyas or the plans for the next night. For Tamil or Kannada friends, say "Happy Deepavali", since this morning is their main festival day.
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