Narak Chaturdashi in Ambaji

Date and timing in this city

In Ambaji, Narak Chaturdashi falls on Saturday 7 November 2026 and on Thursday 28 October 2027. The observance belongs to Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi, the fourteenth tithi of the waning fortnight of Kartik, and the city's time zone is Asia/Kolkata.

The date above is computed for Ambaji's own sunrise, not for a single all-India reference point. Narak Chaturdashi is a sunrise-linked observance, so the tithi is read against the moment the sun rises over that location. Because the tithi begins and ends at fixed astronomical moments while sunrise shifts from place to place, the day that carries the tithi at sunrise can change as you move east or west. This is why the festival date is worked out locally rather than assumed to be uniform across the country.

Why the date can differ from India

Many published panchangams give one date for the whole of India, usually tied to a standard meridian. Ambaji's own sunrise can fall at a different point in the tithi's span than that reference, so a nearby city may list a different day for the same observance. The difference is a matter of locality and sunrise, not of disagreement about the tithi itself.

Regional reckoning also matters. Some communities follow the amanta month system and others the purnimanta; Smarta and Vaishnava practice can place certain observances differently as well. Where traditions differ, the safe approach is to follow the panchangam used in your own family or sampradaya. For anything tied to a personal chart, a qualified jyotishi is the right person to consult.

Where and how the community celebrates

Narak Chaturdashi is observed across India, and Ambaji is no exception. The day is widely known as Choti Diwali, the smaller festival that precedes Deepavali. Its deity is Krishna, and the central observance is Abhyanga snan — the oil bath, traditionally taken before sunrise or in the early morning hours.

Households often clean and prepare the home, light lamps, and mark the day with modest celebration rather than the larger festivities of the following day. Customs around the bath, the lamps and the foods prepared vary from family to family and region to region, so what is done in one home may differ from the next. In a pilgrimage town such as Ambaji, the day is kept within the same broad pan-Indian pattern, alongside whatever local and family traditions each household follows.

Practical tips

• Confirm the sunrise time for Ambaji on your chosen date, since the observance is tied to it.
• Plan the Abhyanga snan for the early morning, before sunrise where that is your family's custom.
• Use the panchangam followed by your own tradition if your sampradaya reckons the month differently.
• Treat the 2026 and 2027 dates above as the Ambaji dates; other cities may differ by a day.
• For personal chart questions, consult a qualified jyotishi rather than relying on a general date list.