Kartik Purnima 2019: Religious Significance Of This Day

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Kartik Purnima is an important festival of three major communities in India. The Hindus, Jains and the Sikhs celebrate this holy day for their respective reasons. Kartik Purnima is also sometimes known as Tripuri or Tripurari Purnima. The most significant thing about Kartik Purnima is that it is a major festival for all the three communities and various legends make this festival all the more interesting. This year, the festival will be celebrated on 12 November.

To start with, Hindus take a holy bath in the river Ganga on this day and perform various other rituals to please Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Shiva. Jains take a pilgrimage to Palitana to worship Lord Mahavira after a period of four months. Sikhs celebrate the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev on the day of Kartik Purnima. Hence, the day is equally important for all three communities. Let us have a look at the significance of Kartik Purnima.

Kartik Purnima Significance For Hindus

1. The Four Months Of Chaturmasa

Kartik Purnima marks the end of the Chaturmasa period during which the Gods are believed to sleep. On the day of the Kartik Purnima the Gods are said to awaken and hence many rituals and fairs are conducted on this day. Lord Vishnu finally takes the charge of looking after the world from Lord Shiva, on Vaikuntha Chaturdashi, a day before Kartik Purnima.

2. Lord Shiva Killed The Demon Tripurasura

According to legends, Lord Shiva killed a demon named Tripurasura on the day of Kartik Purnima and so people light lamps to celebrate his victory. This celebration by lighting lamps is known as Dev Deepawali and is celebrated on a huge scale in the holy city of Varanasi.

3. Tulsi Plant Is Worshipped

On the day of Kartik Purnima, Goddess Tulsi is worshipped. People light lamps and worship the Tulsi plant for better health and prosperity. Many fairs like the Pushkar Mela in Rajasthan and other parts are also conducted on the day of Kartik Purnima.

Significance For Jains

Kartik Purnima is an important day for the Jains as well. Thousands of Jain pilgrims flock to the foothills of the Shatrunjay hills of Palitana on this day to undertake the auspicious journey. This is an extremely significant journey for the Jain pilgrims. The doors of the temple of Lord Adinath open after a period of four months. So, there is a huge gathering of devotees to worship their Lord. One has to cover a distance of 216 km on foot through mountainous regions to worship Lord Adinath in his temple which is situated on the top of the hill.

Significance For Sikhs

Kartik Purnima is also a very auspicious day for the Sikhs. Sikhs celebrate the birthday of the founder of their religion and their first Guru, Nanak Dev on this day. This day is known as Gurpurab and it is one of the major festivals of the Sikhs.
India is a land of diversity. Yet the unity of culture of this land remains unchanged. We can witness the celebration of three different faiths on a single day. Thus, Kartik Purnima is a major Indian festival which marks the unity of these three faiths.