Dev Deepawali 2026 in Varanasi: The Date, the Ghats and Planning Your Night

Dev Deepawali 2026 in Varanasi is expected on the evening of Tuesday, 24 November, the full moon of Kartik, fifteen days after Diwali. Its name means "the Diwali of the gods": on this night the steps of the ghats along the Ganga, from Ravidas Ghat in the south to Raj Ghat in the north, are lined with lakhs of earthen lamps, and the river fills with boats. It is one of the busiest nights of the year in Varanasi, so it pays to plan where you will watch from and where you will sleep well before you travel.

Dev Deepawali 2026 at a glance

The date follows the lunar calendar, so confirm it against the district administration's announcement and your family's panchang before booking.

What happens on the night

Through the day, many pilgrims bathe in the Ganga for Kartik Purnima. In the afternoon, volunteers and local committees lay out and fill diyas on the steps of each ghat, and they are lit as the light fades. The Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh and the ghats around it is the centre of the evening, and in recent years the night has also brought cultural programmes, fireworks and light shows on the far bank. The exact programme is announced locally in the days before.

The custom is much younger than the festival: lamps were first lit for Dev Deepawali at Panchganga Ghat in 1985, and the idea spread along the riverfront until every ghat took part.

Boat or ghat?

• From a boat you see the whole line of lit ghats, which no spot on land can show. Book with a registered boatman well in advance, agree the route and timing, and accept only boats that carry life jackets and keep to the river police's limits on passengers.
• From the ghats you are among the lamps and the aarti, but Dashashwamedh, Assi and the ghats between them are packed from mid-afternoon. Pick one ghat, arrive early and stay put.
• The steps are steep and wet near the water, and diyas line the edges. Wear shoes you can walk in, and keep children and elders close with an agreed meeting point.
• Late-November nights are cool, roughly 12 to 15°C on the river. Carry a shawl and water.

Getting there

On the evening itself, vehicles are usually stopped well short of Godowlia and the old city, and the last stretch to the river is on foot. Trains and flights around the date fill early.

Where to stay for Dev Deepawali

For the night itself, the easiest base is the old city near the ghats, around Dashashwamedh, Godowlia or Assi, where you can walk to the river and back. These rooms book out first, and many are reached only through narrow lanes, so ask how far the car can come. Cantonment and the area around the railway station have more choice and parking, but expect to walk a long way, or wait, after the lamps. Pulp Hotels does not list stays in Varanasi yet; if you own a hotel or guest house there, you can list it on Pulp Hotels free, with a flat 8% commission per booking.

Kartik Purnima on the upper Ganga

If you would rather keep the full moon closer to Delhi, Haridwar holds its own Kartik Purnima snan and evening lamps at Har Ki Pauri; see our Kartik Purnima guide and verified hotels in Haridwar. For the lamps of Diwali itself, read our guide to Ayodhya Deepotsav.