Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali)

The Day Before the Main Night

Naraka Chaturdashi falls on the fourteenth lunar day (chaturdashi) of the dark fortnight of Kartik, usually the day before Lakshmi Puja. In North India it is known as Choti Diwali ("little Diwali"), Roop Chaudas or Roop Chaturdashi; in Gujarat and western India it is Kali Chaudas. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka it is celebrated as Deepavali itself, and is the most important day of the festival there.

The Story of Narakasura

According to the Bhagavata Purana (canto 10, chapter 59), Narakasura (also called Bhaumasura), the son of the Earth goddess, ruled Pragjyotishapura. He seized the earrings of Aditi, mother of the gods, and held sixteen thousand princesses captive. Krishna rode Garuda with Satyabhama, an incarnation of the Earth goddess Bhudevi in the tradition, defeated the demon and freed the captives. Legend has it that Krishna bathed in oil in the pre-dawn hour after the battle, which is why the day is marked with a ritual bath at that time.

What Happens

• Abhyanga snan. The main rite is a bath before sunrise, in which sesame oil and a paste (ubtan) of gram flour and turmeric are rubbed on the body. The Skanda Purana says that on this day Lakshmi dwells in oil and the Ganga in water; the bath is believed to remove the fear of naraka (hell). A twig of the apamarga plant is traditionally circled over the head in the bath.
• Offerings to Yama. After the bath, water is offered to Yama (tarpana) using his fourteen names. In the evening, a lamp is lit outside the house for Yama, and further lamps are placed in the kitchen, the cowshed and under sacred trees.
• New clothes, sweets and fireworks. Families put on new clothes, share sweets, light the first lamps of the festival and play with fireworks.
• Kali Chaudas night. In Gujarat and parts of western India, the night is given to Hanuman and to protection from negative forces; devotees light lamps and make midnight offerings.

A Day That Shifts

The oil bath must be taken while the Chaturdashi tithi is in force at dawn, which in some years pushes the observance onto the same day as Lakshmi Puja. In 2026, the tithi runs from late morning on 7 November to late morning on 8 November, so Naraka Chaturdashi (the dawn bath) falls on 8 November, the same day as Lakshmi Puja, and the night of 7 November is Kali Chaudas. In 2027 it falls on 28 October.

This is also why Sri Lanka's public holiday for Deepavali can fall a day before North India's Lakshmi Puja: the Tamil observance follows the Naraka Chaturdashi morning.

Where to See It

In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka the day is Deepavali itself, and in Maharashtra it is the day of the abhyang snan before sunrise. In both, the celebrations start in the dark hours before dawn.

Visitor Tips

The bath and the first fireworks happen before dawn; if you are staying with a family, expect an early start. Wear new or clean clothes, and carry a small gift of sweets for a host.