Also known as: Choti Diwali, Roop Chaudas, Kali Chaudas, Bhoot Chaturdashi, Deepavali (South India) · Observed: Across India; the main Deepavali day in Tamil Nadu and much of the South
Significance of Naraka Chaturdashi
Naraka Chaturdashi, the second day of the Diwali festival, celebrates the destruction of the demon Narakasura and the liberation of the world from fear and darkness. In North India it is known as Choti Diwali, the little Diwali, preparing the way for the Lakshmi Puja the following evening. In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, this day itself is celebrated as Deepavali, the main festival day, with a ritual oil bath before dawn, new clothes, sweets and fireworks.
The day also has a strong association with purification. The pre-dawn bath is believed to cleanse one of sin and protect from naraka, hell, which gives the day its name.
The Legend of Narakasura
Narakasura, son of Bhudevi the earth goddess, ruled from Pragjyotishapura, often identified with present-day Assam. Made arrogant by power, he oppressed the gods, stole the earrings of Aditi, mother of the gods, and imprisoned sixteen thousand women. At the request of Indra, Krishna set out on his eagle Garuda with his wife Satyabhama, who is regarded as an incarnation of Bhudevi. In the battle Krishna was briefly struck down, and Satyabhama took up the bow and killed Narakasura. Before dying, Narakasura asked that his death be celebrated with lights and joy each year, and the freed women were given protection and honour. Krishna returned at dawn, and was bathed with fragrant oil to remove the grime of battle, the origin of the abhyanga snan.
How Naraka Chaturdashi Is Celebrated
The central ritual is abhyanga snan, a bath taken before sunrise after massaging the body with sesame oil and applying a fragrant paste of gram flour, turmeric and herbs (ubtan). In Maharashtra, people crush a bitter fruit called karit underfoot before the bath, symbolising the killing of Narakasura, and then enjoy faral, the Diwali snacks. In Tamil Nadu, the elders ask each other 'Ganga snanam aachaa?', since water on this morning is regarded as the Ganga, and the bath is followed by new clothes, Deepavali lehiyam, sweets and crackers. In Goa, giant effigies of Narakasura are made and burnt before dawn.
In Gujarat the day is Kali Chaudas, when Mahakali and Hanuman are worshipped for protection. In Bengal, it is Bhoot Chaturdashi, when fourteen lamps are lit to ward off spirits and fourteen kinds of greens are eaten. In the North it is also called Roop Chaudas, a day for beauty rituals, and a lamp is lit for Yama in the evening.
How the Date Is Determined
Naraka Chaturdashi is the Chaturdashi, the fourteenth tithi, of the dark fortnight before the Diwali new moon. In the amanta calendar this is Ashwin Krishna Chaturdashi; in the purnimanta calendar it is Kartika Krishna Chaturdashi. Because the abhyanga snan is taken before sunrise, the observance is fixed on the day when Chaturdashi prevails at arunodaya, the pre-dawn period, ideally around moonrise. As a result, Naraka Chaturdashi can occasionally fall on the same calendar day as the Diwali Lakshmi Puja.
Rituals and customs
- Abhyanga snan with sesame oil and ubtan before sunrise
- Crushing the karit fruit in Maharashtra
- Burning Narakasura effigies in Goa
- Lighting lamps and fireworks
- Kali and Hanuman worship in Gujarat
- Fourteen lamps and fourteen greens in Bengal