The mountain · The great festival

Karthigai Deepam 2026 at Tiruvannamalai

On Tuesday, 24 November 2026, a great beacon of fire is lit on the summit of Arunachala, and the hill that is said to be fire cooled into stone blazes again for all to see. The complete guide to the date, the timings, the ten-day festival, its meaning ~ and an honest word about the millions who come.

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Of all the days in Tiruvannamalai's year, none compares to Karthigai Deepam. On this one night, at dusk, a vast flame is kindled on the very summit of Arunachala ~ visible for tens of kilometres across the plain ~ and for a few days the cooled column of fire that is the hill is allowed to be, once more, exactly what the ancient legend says it is: the infinite light of Shiva. The town's population multiplies into the millions; the Girivalam path becomes a single unbroken river of pilgrims walking through the night; and the whole of Tiruvannamalai gives itself over to the festival of light.

When is Karthigai Deepam 2026?

Karthigai Deepam 2026 falls on Tuesday, 24 November 2026 ~ the day the Maha Deepam is lit on the summit. The festival follows the Tamil month of Karthigai, and the main day is the full moon (Pournami) when the Krittika (Karthigai) star is in alignment. The previous day, Monday 23 November, is Bharani Deepam. Because Tamil festival dates follow the lunar-solar calendar rather than the Gregorian one, the date shifts each year ~ so always confirm against the temple's official calendar before finalising travel.

The Maha Deepam ~ the great beacon

The single most iconic moment of the festival takes place at dusk on the main day, on the summit of the hill. A vast copper cauldron ~ several feet across ~ is filled with around 3,500 kilograms of ghee and a thick, stitched cloth wick, carried up the mountain in advance. At sunset, around six in the evening, the priests light it, and as the flame leaps up, the hundreds of thousands gathered below cry out to Arunachala. The Maha Deepam burns brightly through the night and for days afterward, visible, it is said, for some thirty-five kilometres around. In that moment the meaning of the whole place is made visible: the hill is fire, and here is the fire.

The meaning: fire, and the legend of the hill

Karthigai Deepam is an ancient festival ~ among the oldest recorded in Tamil culture, referred to in Sangam-era literature going back two thousand years and more, where it is simply called the Peruvizha, “the great festival.” Across Tamil homes it is a festival of rows of oil lamps, lit at dusk against the darkness. But at Arunachala it carries a meaning found nowhere else, because here it re-enacts the very legend of the hill.

In that legend, Shiva appeared as an infinite column of fire to humble the pride of Brahma and Vishnu, then cooled that unbearable fire into the form of the hill so that people could approach and worship him. On Karthigai Deepam, the Maha Deepam on the summit is that original column of fire, kindled again ~ the cooled mountain permitted, for one night, to blaze as the pillar of light it truly is. To watch the flame catch on the summit, knowing the story, is to watch a two-thousand-year-old myth made briefly, literally visible.

The ten-day festival: the Brahmotsavam

The Maha Deepam is the climax of a great ten-day festival, the Karthigai Brahmotsavam, held at the Arunachaleswarar temple ~ in 2026, running from around 15 to 24 November. Through these days the temple holds a continuous round of ceremonies, and the deities are carried out each day on a succession of ornate mounts (vahanas) and great wooden temple cars (ther) through streets thick with devotees. The town fills steadily, day by day, toward the Deepam night.

Schedule dates are indicative, based on the ten-day Brahmotsavam pattern; the temple publishes the detailed daily programme closer to the festival. Confirm against the official Arunachaleswarar temple (HR&CE) schedule.

Girivalam on the Deepam night

On the night of the Maha Deepam, hundreds of thousands ~ on the greatest years, more ~ walk the fourteen-kilometre Girivalam around the base of the hill, the great flame burning on the summit above them the whole way. It is one of the most powerful collective acts of devotion you can witness anywhere. It is also, on that night, an extraordinarily crowded and demanding walk. If you undertake it, go prepared: carry water, keep valuables secure and minimal, wear comfortable clothing, and be ready for a slow, dense, shoulder-to-shoulder passage that may take far longer than the usual three to five hours.

The honest warning: the crowds, and booking

Now the caution, given plainly because it is the part most guides underplay. Karthigai Deepam draws enormous crowds ~ reports cite around three million pilgrims. The consequences are real: accommodation near the temple and the hill is booked out months in advance and prices soar; the roads and the town become severely congested; moving anywhere takes hours; and everything ~ darshan, the walk, simply getting from place to place ~ is done amid vast crowds.

And the honest alternative, for those who want it: if what you long for is a quiet, contemplative Arunachala, Karthigai Deepam is precisely the time to stay away. Come a week or two before or after instead, when the hill is calm and the walk is nearly empty. Both the festival and the quiet are worth having; they are simply not the same visit. For choosing your timing, see our guide to the best time to visit Tiruvannamalai.

Last updated 1 October 2026. The 24 November 2026 date and details are compiled from multiple current sources; always confirm against the official Arunachaleswarar temple (HR&CE) calendar before booking travel.