Narak Chaturdashi in Coimbatore

Date and timing in this city

In Coimbatore, 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 it is dedicated to Krishna.

The dates above are computed for Coimbatore's own sunrise. Coimbatore keeps Asia/Kolkata time, so the clock reading is the same as the rest of India — but the moment the sun rises over Coimbatore is not the same as the moment it rises over Delhi, Kolkata or Mumbai. Because the tithi is reckoned against the local sunrise, the day assigned to the festival in Coimbatore follows Coimbatore's own solar day.

Narak Chaturdashi is observed as Choti Diwali, one day before the main Diwali observance in many households, and the Abhyanga snan — the oil bath — is the central rite of the morning. The snan is traditionally taken before sunrise or in the early hours, while the Chaturdashi tithi is still current at Coimbatore's sunrise.

Why the date can differ from India

Panchangams are not calculated for a single national clock. They are calculated for a place, and the place decides when the day begins. Two cities in the same time zone can therefore observe the same tithi on different Gregorian dates if the tithi begins or ends between their respective sunrises.

For Coimbatore, the date given here is the one that follows from the city's own sunrise. Readers comparing a Coimbatore date with a date printed for another region may find a difference of a day; that is expected and is not an error in either calculation. Traditions also differ on how the tithi is assigned — some follow the tithi prevailing at sunrise, others the tithi prevailing at nightfall, and North Indian and South Indian reckonings of the lunar month (amanta and purnimanta) do not always align. Where these conventions differ, families and lineages in Coimbatore follow their own inherited practice.

Where and how the community celebrates

Narak Chaturdashi is pan-India in scope, and Coimbatore keeps the observance in the home rather than at any single public site. The day is marked as Choti Diwali, with the Abhyanga snan as its centre: an early oil bath, taken before sunrise or in the small hours, followed by fresh clothes and lamps. Homes are cleaned and lit, and the day is held as a preparation for the main Diwali observance that follows.

Practical tips

• Fix your alarm to Coimbatore's sunrise, not to a general India-wide time; the snan is taken before it.
• Confirm the tithi with a local panchangam for Coimbatore, as conventions differ between traditions.
• For anything tied to your own chart — muhurta, vratam details, personal practice — consult a qualified jyotishi.
• Keep the observance simple and within your family's inherited custom.