Karthigai Deepam 2025 in Tiruvannamalai: Morning ritual complete

By FnF Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 03, Dec 2025, 10:03 am IST | UPDATED: 04, Dec 2025, 10:26 am IST

Devotees all over the world, celebrate Karthigai Deepam with great zeal and joy. This year's celebration in Tiruvannamalai is taking place on December 3, 2025. The night is considered to be one of the most spiritually charged nights in the Tamil calendar, especially dedicated to Lord Shiva in his infinite light form.

The festival coincides with the Krittika (Karthigai) Nakshatra, beginning on the evening of December 3 and going into the afternoon of December 4.

This window is considered cosmically powerful to light lamps and offer prayers. The grand celebrations at Arunachaleswarar Temple, Tiruvannamalai, unfold over several days-Brahmotsavam-but- but two moments define the festival. Let's get into the details:

Maha Deepam timing at Arunachaleswarar Temple

Bharani Deepam (morning light)

Around 4:00 AM
Lit inside the main sanctum
Marks the symbolic emergence of the divine flame.

Maha Deepam (evening hilltop light)

Around 6:00 PM
Lit atop Arunachala Hill
An enormous flaming cauldron that remains visible for miles.

This moment – the lighting of the hilltop flame – is what millions of devotees anticipate, whether they are in Tiruvannamalai or watching online.

Auspicious lamp lighting at home

For households, the most sacred time to light lamps is between 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM, just after sunset.
Traditionally, families place clay diyas filled with ghee or sesame oil, symbolising the removal of ignorance and the arrival of knowledge.
Homes take on a luminous, temple-like atmosphere as rows of lamps line doorways, balconies, windows and pooja rooms.

Rituals and offerings

Typical home rituals include:
Cleaning and decorating the home
Drawing kolams at the entrance
Lighting lamps in all corners of the house.
Preparing maavilakku - a rice-flour sweet with a lamp lit inside.
Chanting of prayers and devotional songs.
Families come together, sharing festive meals and showing their appreciation, which gives a sense of warmth, community, and spiritual renewal.

Why the timings matter

Karthigai Deepam is not just a festival of lamps, but it also celebrates divine light as consciousness.

The times when lamps are lit both at the temple and at home are believed to coincide with strong cosmic energies that elevate the mind and purify the surroundings.

The Maha Deepam flame rising over Arunachala during dusk reminds one of the ancient belief: light is eternal, so is the divine that we carry within us.