🪔 Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) 2026
Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi — the second day of Deepotsav; the pre-dawn oil bath (Roop Chaudas), the Yama lamp at dusk and diyas all through the house.
Narak Chaturdashi falls on the Chaturdashi of the Krishna Paksha of Kartik — usually the day before Lakshmi Puja, the second day of the five-day festival of lamps. North India calls it Choti Diwali, Rajasthan Roop Chaudas (Roop Chaturdashi), Gujarat Kali Chaudas and Bengal Bhoot Chaturdashi; in Tamil Nadu and much of South India, Deepavali itself is celebrated on this morning with the ritual oil bath. The day remembers Lord Krishna's slaying of the demon king Narakasura — the victory of light over tyranny and darkness.
The festival has two main observances, and each follows its own timing rule: (1) the Choti Diwali evening rite of Yama Deepdaan is done in Pradosh Kaal, on the day when Chaturdashi prevails after sunset; (2) the Abhyang Snan (oil-and-ubtan bath) is taken before sunrise, in Arunodaya, on the morning when Chaturdashi prevails at dawn. So in some years the bath falls on the next morning — the same day as Lakshmi Puja in the evening. Check the date table on this page and the city-wise page for your city's exact day and time; the vidhi, samagri, katha and regional customs follow below.
Significance — why this vrat
The slaying of Narakasura: Narakasura (also called Bhaumasura), the tyrant king of Pragjyotishpur, tormented the gods, seized the earrings of Aditi, mother of the gods, and held sixteen thousand princesses captive (16,100 in some texts). Krishna, with Satyabhama at his side, killed him and set them all free. The pre-dawn auspicious bath and the lighting of lamps celebrate this victory — the 'Narak' in the name points to freedom both from Narakasura and from the fear of naraka (hell).
Yama Tarpan and Yama Deepdaan: the scriptures also make this Chaturdashi a day for honouring Yamraj. A Yama tarpan after the morning bath, and a four-faced lamp facing south at the door in the evening, are offered so that the family stays protected from untimely death and the fear of naraka. Many homes light the Yama lamp on Dhanteras, many on Choti Diwali and some on both days — follow your own family custom.
Roop Chaudas and other forms: the pre-dawn massage with sesame oil and bath with ubtan is for health and radiance — a practice that readies the body for the onset of winter and matches the Ayurvedic tradition of abhyanga. Some traditions, especially in parts of North India, observe Hanuman Jayanti and Hanuman puja on this day; Gujarat worships Mahakali on the night of Kali Chaudas, and Bengal lights 14 lamps and eats 14 greens for the ancestors on Bhoot Chaturdashi.
Puja vidhi (step by step)
The day's vidhi has two parts — the pre-dawn bath and the evening lamp offering. In a year when the two fall on different days, check the table and follow it.
- Rise before sunrise, in Arunodaya; massage the whole body with sesame oil (abhyang) — especially the head, ears, navel and soles. In Maharashtra and South India the senior woman of the house applies oil to the heads of family members.
- After the oil, apply ubtan — gram flour or barley flour, turmeric, sandalwood powder and a little milk or curd; in Maharashtra ready-made 'utane' is sold for the day. Leave it on for a while and rub it off gently.
- An old custom during the bath is to wave a twig of apamarg (chirchita / prickly chaff-flower) three times over the head — 'Sitaloshtha-samayukta sakantaka-dalanvita, hara papam apamarga bhramyamanah punah punah'; many homes simply add its leaves to the bath water.
- Bathe with warm water and put on clean or new clothes; apply a tilak and bow to Lord Krishna. In Maharashtra and Goa, after the bath, a small bitter fruit called karit (chirate) is crushed underfoot — a symbol of Narakasura's defeat.
- Yama Tarpan: facing south, offer handfuls of water mixed with a few black sesame seeds while reciting the fourteen names of Yamraj — 'Yamaya Dharmarajaya Mrityave chantakaya cha, Vaivasvataya Kalaya Sarvabhutakshayaya cha, Audumbaraya Dadhnaya Nilaya Parameshthine, Vrikodaraya Chitraya Chitraguptaya vai namah'; then fold your hands and bow.
- Yama Deepdaan in the evening Pradosh Kaal: a four-faced lamp of dough or clay with mustard or sesame oil and four wicks; place it outside the main door, at the threshold, facing south, and pray for the family's well-being and long life.
- Then light diyas in every corner of the house, the kitchen, the water place, the Tulsi, the courtyard and the door — 14 lamps in many homes (the number of the Chaturdashi); in Bengal, 14 lamps (choddo prodeep) in the dark corners of the house.
- Families whose custom it is do Hanuman puja in the evening or at night (sindoor chola, Hanuman Chalisa, boondi laddoo as bhog), or, as in Gujarat, worship Mahakali or the family goddess on Kali Chaudas; distribute prasad after the aarti and prepare for the next day's Lakshmi Puja.
📿 How to do Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — detailed vidhi, samagri checklist & rules →
Puja samagri checklist
Most of these items come with your Dhanteras-Diwali shopping; keep the bath items ready the night before — there is no time to search for them at dawn.
- Sesame oil — for the massage (mustard oil in many homes)
- Ubtan — gram/barley flour, turmeric, sandalwood powder, milk or curd (or ready-made utane)
- A twig or leaves of apamarg (chirchita) — if available
- Clean or new clothes, towel, warm water for the bath
- A copper lota for tarpan, black sesame seeds, water, kusha grass (if available)
- Four-faced lamp of dough or clay for the Yama lamp, four wicks, oil
- Earthen diyas (14 or more), ghee/oil, cotton wicks
- Roli, akshat, turmeric, flower garland, incense, camphor, aarti thali
- A picture of Lord Krishna; for those whose custom it is, a picture of Hanuman ji or Mahakali, sindoor, jasmine oil
- Bhog — sweets, fruit, kheel-batasha; faral in Maharashtra, choddo shaak in Bengal
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Open panchang →Vrat katha (the story)
Narakasura, son of Bhudevi (the Earth goddess), had been granted a boon, but drunk on power he turned into a tyrant — he attacked heaven, snatched the earrings of Aditi, mother of the gods, and imprisoned sixteen thousand daughters of many kings in his city of Pragjyotishpur. At the plea of Indra, Krishna rode there on Garuda with Satyabhama.
📖 Read the full Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) vrat katha →
Narak Chaturdashi bhog and food
A fast is not compulsory on Narak Chaturdashi — it is a day of the ritual bath, the lamp offering and Diwali preparations; but some homes linked to Hanuman puja or the Rantideva katha keep a day fast. The food varies greatly from region to region.
- Bengal: choddo shaak on Bhoot Chaturdashi — a dish of fourteen leafy greens such as neem and mustard, eaten at lunch
- Maharashtra: the first faral after the abhyang snan — chakli, karanji, shankarpali, chivda, besan laddoo, anarse
- Tamil Nadu: Deepavali marundhu (a digestive lehiyam of dry ginger, ajwain, jaggery and ghee) after the oil bath, followed by sweets
- Gujarat: urad dal vadas on Kali Chaudas — in many homes both as bhog and at the meal
- North India: Diwali sweets (gujiya, laddoo, barfi), boondi laddoo or churma for Hanuman ji; a simple sattvik meal in the evening
Regional customs
One Chaturdashi — in one place it is Choti Diwali, in another Deepavali itself; here a day of beauty and the bath, there a night for the ancestors and Mahakali.
A custom, tale, song or dish heard from your grandmother — 2-4 lines; after reading we add it on this page with your region's name (the phone is never shown — only to ask you back).
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✅ Do
- Take the sesame-oil massage and ubtan bath before sunrise, in Arunodaya — check the table for the bath day
- After the bath, face south for the Yama tarpan or at least a bow, and remember Lord Krishna
- Do place the south-facing four-faced Yama lamp at the door in the evening Pradosh Kaal
- Light diyas in the dark corners, kitchen, water place and at the Tulsi — so the house is bright before the next day's Lakshmi Puja
- Give food or clothes to someone in need during the day — the message of the Rantideva katha
❌ Don't
- Sleeping past sunrise on this morning — dawn is the time for the abhyang snan
- Stepping over, moving or putting out the Yama lamp; placing it facing any direction other than south
- Throwing the spent diyas into the garbage the next morning — once cool, place them respectfully under a tree or in the soil, or wash and reuse them
- Leaving curtains or cloth near burning lamps, or children alone with crackers
- Being swayed by fear-mongering rituals in the name of Kali Chaudas or Bhoot Chaturdashi — it is a day of worship and remembering the ancestors
Frequently asked questions
When is Narak Chaturdashi in 2026? Why can Choti Diwali and the Abhyang Snan fall on different days?
The table above gives this year's Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi dates from panchang calculations. Choti Diwali (Yama Deepdaan) is on the day when Chaturdashi prevails in Pradosh Kaal, while the Abhyang Snan is taken on the morning when Chaturdashi prevails at Arunodaya (before sunrise). Because the tithi's length varies, these can fall on two different days — the bath is then on the morning of Lakshmi Puja day; see the five-day dates for your city on the Diwali city-wise page (e.g. /en/vrat/diwali/lucknow).
How is Yama Deepdaan done?
In the evening Pradosh Kaal, take a four-faced lamp of dough or clay, fill it with oil, set four wicks and place it outside the main door facing south. Fold your hands and pray to Yamraj for the family's protection and long life; let the lamp burn out on its own — do not step over it or move it.
Why is ubtan applied on Roop Chaudas?
The Roop Chaudas bath stands for cleansing and radiance of the body — the oil massage nourishes skin and joints before winter, and an ubtan of gram flour, turmeric and sandalwood lifts away dirt and cleans the skin. Traditionally this dawn bath is seen as release from the fear of naraka and as preparing body and mind for the whole festival of lamps.
Is this Deepavali itself in South India?
Yes — in Tamil Nadu and much of South India, the morning of Naraka Chaturdashi is Deepavali: the pre-dawn oil bath, new clothes, crackers and sweets all happen on this day. The Amavasya evening Lakshmi Puja is not as central there as in the North, though in Karnataka and many trading families Lakshmi puja is also done on the Amavasya.
What are Kali Chaudas and Bhoot Chaturdashi?
In Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan this Chaturdashi is called Kali Chaudas — Mahakali, Hanuman ji or the family goddess is worshipped at night to keep negativity away from the home. In Bengal it is Bhoot Chaturdashi — 14 lamps are lit in memory of the ancestors and 14 kinds of greens are eaten; Kali Puja follows on the Amavasya.
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⚠️ This description follows traditional vidhi and folk belief; your own family custom and your priest's advice come first. The day and time of the bath and the lamp offering can vary by city — verify with your city's panchang or the city-wise page on this site.
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