2002
Tuesday, 19 November 2002
In 2002 the tithi runs from 4:57 am on 19 Nov to 7:03 am on 20 Nov, so it is running at sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi) on two days, Tuesday, 19 November 2002 and Wednesday, 20 November 2002. As in most almanacs, the first is taken.
2003
Saturday, 8 November 2003
In 2003 the tithi runs from 4:13 am on 8 Nov to 6:43 am on 9 Nov, so it is running at sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi) on two days, Saturday, 8 November 2003 and Sunday, 9 November 2003. As in most almanacs, the first is taken.
How the date is fixed
Kartika Purnima falls on the full-moon day (Purnima) of the lunar month Kartika. The date is the day on which that tithi is running at sunrise (the usual rule, called udaya tithi).
About
Kartika Purnima is the full moon that ends the month of Kartika, in November. The tithi at sunrise fixes the day for the Kartika snan (bath), and the evening of the same day is Dev Deepawali at Varanasi, when the ghats are lined with lamps. It is also Tripuri Purnima, recalling Shiva's defeat of Tripura, and the Sikh community keeps Guru Nanak's birthday on this full moon. The month of Kartika bathing, begun on Sharad Purnima, ends here, and the Pushkar fair in Rajasthan culminates on this day.
How it is observed
A river bath at dawn, lamps floated or lit on the ghats at dusk, and the Satyanarayana vrat in many homes.