Quick answer: Karthika Masam 2026 (Telugu/Kannada amanta calendar) runs from 10 November to 8 December 2026. The Karthika Somavaram Mondays are 16, 23 and 30 November and 7 December, Karthika Pournami is Tuesday 24 November and the month ends with Karthika Amavasya on 8 December. British Summer Time ends on 25 October, so the whole month is on GMT. Because 2026 has an extra lunar month, everything is about three weeks later than last year.

Karthika Masam is one of the holiest months of the Hindu year, sacred to Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Kartikeya (Murugan, Subramanya). With just over a million Hindus recorded in England and Wales at the 2021 Census and temples in almost every major town, British Hindus have many ways to observe it. This guide covers the 2026 dates, how dark November evenings affect lamp lighting, Monday fasts, and temples in London, Leicester, Birmingham and across the UK.

Karthika Masam 2026 by country

By the local panchang (Drik Panchang for London), Karthika Masam 2026 begins on Monday 9 November in the UK, giving five Karthika Somavarams — 9, 16, 23 and 30 November and 7 December. Temples that follow the Indian calendar keep 10 November and four Mondays; follow your temple.

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Karthika Masam 2026: key dates for the UK

Date (UK, 2026)Observance
Sun 8 NovDiwali / Lakshmi Puja
Mon 9 NovGovardhan Puja / Bali Padyami; Gujarati New Year
Tue 10 NovKarthika Masam begins (amanta); Bhai Dooj in the UK
Mon 16 NovFirst Karthika Somavaram
Fri 20 NovDevuthani (Prabodhini) Ekadashi
Sat 21 NovTulsi Vivah
Mon 23 NovSecond Karthika Somavaram
Tue 24 NovKarthika Pournami / Kartik Purnima / Dev Deepawali
Mon 30 NovThird Karthika Somavaram
Mon 7 DecFourth Karthika Somavaram
Tue 8 DecKarthika Amavasya, end of Karthika Masam

Dates follow Drik Panchang for the UK. North Indian families on the purnimanta calendar observe Kartik from roughly 26 October to 24 November, and Chhath Puja falls on 13 to 16 November. Nagula Chavithi, important for Telugu and Kannada families, falls early in the month; check your panchangam for the UK date. For Diwali week itself, see our Diwali 2026 UK guide.

City-wise timings: sunset and the evening lamp

The single most practical fact for British Hindus in Karthika is how early it gets dark. The evening deepam is lit after local sunset. Here are sunset times on Diwali, two days before the month begins:

CitySunset on Sun 8 Nov 2026 (GMT)
London4:22 PM
Leicester4:22 PM
Birmingham4:25 PM

Sunset continues to get earlier through November and early December, so check the daily time for your town. In Scotland and northern England it is earlier still. For tithi start and end times, Ekadashi parana and any muhurat, use a panchang set to your own UK city; never take a time printed in Indian Standard Time and subtract the hours.

Mornings are dark too. Sunrise is after 7 AM through most of the month, so the traditional pre-dawn bath and puja can fit before work for most people.

What is Karthika Masam?

Karthika (Kartik) is the eighth month of the Telugu lunar calendar, named after the Krittika nakshatra. The Skanda Purana praises it for the worship of Shiva and Kartikeya; the Padma Purana describes the merit of Karthika snanam (holy bathing) and deepa daanam (offering lamps). Vaishnavas honour Vishnu as Damodara through the month and recite the Damodarashtakam.

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  • Lamp lighting every day symbolises the victory of knowledge over ignorance
  • Devotion and charity are said to bear the greatest fruit in this month
  • Shiva, Vishnu and Kartikeya are worshipped together
  • The month closes the four-month Chaturmas period with Devuthani Ekadashi

Daily practice in a British winter

Morning bath and puja

  • Wake before sunrise; put the heating on so the bathroom is warm
  • Take a warm bath or shower with prayer; a few tulsi leaves in the water are traditional if you keep a tulsi plant
  • Light a lamp at the home altar and recite a short stotram or "Om Namah Shivaya"
  • If weekdays are rushed, do a shorter version and a fuller puja at weekends

Evening deepam

  • Light lamps at the altar, front door and windowsill after sunset
  • Ghee and tea lights are sold in UK supermarkets; sesame oil, brass diyas and cotton wicks at Indian grocers and temple shops
  • In flats with fire restrictions, check your tenancy agreement and use LED diyas
  • Never leave a flame unattended; use a metal plate and keep lamps away from curtains

Karthika Somavaram: Monday fasting

According to Puranic tradition, Chandra (the Moon) was relieved of Daksha's curse by worshipping Shiva on a Karthika Monday, which is why the Somavara vratam is so cherished. In 2026 the four Mondays are 16, 23 and 30 November and 7 December. Our Karthika Somavaram 2026 guide has the full vidhi.

A routine for working Britons

  • Early morning: bath, light a ghee lamp, offer water or milk and bilva leaves (or other fresh leaves) to the Shiva linga, chant "Om Namah Shivaya" 108 times
  • During the day: water only, or fruit and milk if you are on a partial fast; mental japa in breaks
  • Evening: visit a temple for abhishekam or do a fuller home puja
  • Break the fast after sunset or once the stars are out, with a light sattvic meal offered first to Shiva

Fasting levels range from simply keeping a vegetarian diet without onion and garlic, through ekabhuktam (one meal a day) and nakta vratam (eating only after sunset), to a full water fast on Mondays and Karthika Pournami. Choose what your health allows; anyone with a medical condition should consult a doctor, and mental devotion matters more than physical austerity.

Karthika Pournami and other festival days

Devuthani Ekadashi (Friday 20 November) and Tulsi Vivah (Saturday 21 November): Vishnu wakes from his yoga nidra and is married to Tulsi. With Tulsi Vivah on a Saturday, many temples will hold a weekend celebration. See our Tulsi Vivah 2026 guide.

Karthika Pournami (Tuesday 24 November): the most important day of the month, with 365 wicks lit at home, deepotsavam at temples and, for many, a full-day fast. Book the evening off if you can. More in our Karthika Pournami 2026 guide.

Karthika Amavasya (Tuesday 8 December): the end of the month, a day for offerings to ancestors and charity.

Temples across the UK

Many UK temples hold Karthika programmes: Monday abhishekams, deepotsavam, Tulsi Vivah and Karthika Pournami pujas. Schedules are set each year, so check your temple's website, newsletter or social media for 2026 times. Well-established temples include:

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London

  • BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden: Europe's first traditional Hindu stone temple, opened in 1995
  • Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Kingsbury
  • Shri Sanatan Hindu Mandir, Wembley
  • Sri Mahalakshmi Temple, East Ham
  • London Sri Murugan Temple, Manor Park, especially meaningful in the month of Kartikeya
  • Shree Ghanapathy Temple, Wimbledon

Harrow, Brent, Redbridge and Hillingdon have some of the largest Hindu communities in the capital.

Leicester

  • Shree Hindu Temple and Community Centre, one of Leicester's oldest temples
  • BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Leicester
  • ISKCON Leicester, with Damodara month programmes
  • Many community mandirs across the city

Birmingham and the West Midlands

  • Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple, Tividale: one of the largest Hindu temples in Europe, modelled on Tirupati, with shrines to Shiva, Murugan, Padmavathi and others
  • Shree Geeta Bhawan, one of the region's earliest temples
  • BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and Sri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir
  • ISKCON Birmingham

Elsewhere in the UK

  • Manchester: Gita Bhavan Hindu Temple and temples in Bolton and across Greater Manchester
  • Southampton: Vedic Society Hindu Temple
  • Nottingham, Coventry, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Bristol, Reading, Slough and Cardiff all have active temples
  • Scotland: temples and ISKCON centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and ISKCON Scotland's Karuna Bhavan
  • Northern Ireland: the Hindu mandir and ISKCON centres in and around Belfast

Food, shopping and fasting supplies

Fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, nuts and sweet potatoes from any supermarket make sattvic cooking easy. Indian grocers in Southall, Wembley, Harrow, Leicester, Birmingham and Bradford stock sabudana, rock salt, puja items, bilva leaves when in season, vibhuti, rudraksha malas and Ganga jal. Remember that most takeaways use onion and garlic, so cook at home during the month if you are observing strictly.

  • Avoid meat, fish, eggs, alcohol and tobacco
  • Strict observers avoid onion and garlic
  • Simple meals: khichdi, dal and rice, vegetable curry, curd rice, upma, poha
  • Fast-day foods: sabudana khichdi, fruit, milk, yogurt and nuts

Balancing Karthika with British life

  • Tell your line manager in advance if you plan to fast or need to leave early on Karthika Pournami
  • Use lunch breaks for a short meditation or a temple livestream
  • Include children in evening lamp lighting, rangoli and simple shlokas
  • Donate to your temple's annadanam or a local food bank: daana is a core part of the month

Frequently asked questions

When is Karthika Masam 2026 in the UK?

In the Telugu and Kannada (amanta) calendar, Karthika Masam 2026 runs from 10 November to 8 December. In the UK the Pratipada tithi that opens the month falls on Monday 9 November (Govardhan Puja / Bali Padyami), so some UK temple calendars begin the month a day earlier; follow your temple's panchangam.

What are the Karthika Somavaram dates in 2026?

The four Karthika Mondays are 16 November, 23 November, 30 November and 7 December 2026.

When is Karthika Pournami 2026 in the UK?

Karthika Pournami (Kartik Purnima, Dev Deepawali) is on Tuesday 24 November 2026.

Does the clock change affect Karthika Masam this year?

No. British Summer Time ends on Sunday 25 October 2026, more than two weeks before Karthika begins, so the whole month is on GMT.

What time should I light the evening lamp?

Light it after your local sunset. Around the start of the month sunset is about 4:22 PM in London and Leicester and 4:25 PM in Birmingham, and it gets earlier through November. Use a panchang set to your own city rather than converting Indian times.

Editor's note (4 October 2026)

This guide has been fully revised for 2026. Dates follow Drik Panchang for the UK and sunset times are local GMT. We have removed last year's clock-change notes, temple opening hours, phone numbers and suggested donation amounts; please confirm 2026 programmes directly with your temple.