Karthigai Deepam is Tamil Nadu's own major festival of lights, distinct from Diwali and, in some scholarly accounts, considered an older tradition — a full month of daily lamp-lig…
Karthigai Deepam has ancient roots in Tamil devotional tradition, referenced in early Tamil Sangam literature, with some scholars considering it to predate Diwali as a Tamil festival of lights, developing over many centuries into its present form centred particularly on Tiruvannamalai's dramatic hilltop beacon.
The festival honours Shiva's manifestation as a column of infinite light, commemorated through lamp-lighting across Tamil households throughout the month and culminating in the massive beacon lit atop Arunachala hill at Tiruvannamalai.
Tradition holds that Shiva once manifested as an infinite, formless column of light to resolve a dispute between Brahma and Vishnu over supremacy, with neither able to find its beginning or end — the Karthigai Deepam beacon atop Arunachala is understood as the physical, annual re-manifestation of that same infinite light.
Tiruvannamalai hosts the festival's single most significant celebration, with the massive hilltop beacon drawing pilgrims from across Tamil Nadu and beyond; the festival is specifically Tamil in character, distinct from the broader pan-Indian Diwali observed weeks earlier.
Households light rows of small oil lamps outside their homes each evening throughout the Tamil month of Karthigai, with the festival culminating on the Karthigai star day in a final, more elaborate night of lamp-lighting and temple celebration.
A simple lamp-lighting ritual is performed each evening at the household threshold throughout the month; at Tiruvannamalai specifically, an enormous quantity of ghee and cloth wicks are used to light and sustain the massive hilltop beacon through the night.
Homes are lined with rows of small oil lamps each evening throughout the month, building toward the climactic final night; Tiruvannamalai itself is transformed by the enormous crowds and the visible hilltop flame.
No single dish is specifically mandated, though festive sweets are commonly prepared and shared, particularly on the culminating final night of the observance.
2026 date: November 24 (Tuesday). Falls on Karthigai Pournami (full moon) in the Tamil month of Karthigai.
