Kartik Purnima

Kartik Purnima falls on the fifteenth lunar day — the full moon (purnima) — of the Hindu month of Kartik, usually in November. It is one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar: a day of sacred bathing, lamp offerings and devotion all along the Ganges. In Varanasi, and uniquely in Varanasi, this night is celebrated as Dev Deepawali— literally the “Diwali of the Gods,” held roughly fifteen days after Diwali itself.

A River of a Million Lamps

As dusk falls on Kartik Purnima, the people of Varanasi light over a million earthen diyas along all 84 ghats, from Assi Ghat to Rajghat. Great synchronised aartis are performed at Dashashwamedh, Rajendra Prasad and Assi ghats; conches sound, temple bells ring, and the steps, shrines and riverfront dissolve into a single unbroken constellation of light mirrored on the dark water. It is believed the gods themselves come down to bathe in the Ganga on this night.

The Rituals of the Day

• Ganga Snan — a sacred dawn dip in the Ganges, believed to cleanse and bless.
• Deep Daan — the offering of lit lamps to the river at dusk.
• Ganga Aarti — the grand ceremonial fire worship performed at the ghats.
• Akash Deep — sky lamps raised on tall bamboo poles for the ancestors and the gods.
• Sky Lanterns & Fireworks — the celebratory finale over the river.

Kartik Purnima is sacred across faiths and traditions — it is also observed as Tripurari Purnima, the birth of Lord Kartikeya, and Guru Nanak Jayanti — making it a rare night of shared devotion on the banks of the Ganges.

How Akashganga Celebrates It

Akashganga is built entirely around this one extraordinary night. Guests witness Dev Deepawali not from a crowded public ghat but from the river itself — aboard a private cruise that departs from Ramnagar Fort's own ghat, gliding past the illuminated riverfront before the evening closes with a release of sky lanterns and fireworks.