Quick answer: Tuesday 8 December 2026 is Day 29 of Karthika Masam in India. The tithi is Amavasya (began 4:12 AM IST today) until 6:21 AM IST on Wed 9 Dec, then Shukla Pratipada of Margasira (Drik Panchang, IST). It is Karthika Amavasya, the last day of Karthika Masam. Light the evening deepam at local sunset: 5:42 PM IST in Hyderabad (Drik Panchang); times for 12 more cities are below. Today's reading is Karthika Puranam Chapter 29, and many families also read Chapter 30.

Karthika Masam 2026 (amanta) began on Tuesday 10 November in India (a day earlier, on Monday 9 November, in the USA, UK and Canada) and ends today, Tuesday 8 December. Full dates are in our Karthika Masam 2026 guide and the day-by-day calendar.

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Sunrise, sunset and deepam time by city (Day 29)

Light the deepam at sunset in your city. Hyderabad times are from Drik Panchang's day page. Times marked 'calculated (approx.)' use the standard sunrise equation because Drik Panchang's page for that city and date was not available to us; on the dates we could check they matched Drik within a minute. Indian cities are for Tuesday 8 December. For cities abroad, the date shown is the local day on which Amavasya is running at sunrise, and a note is added where the local panchang differs.

  • Hyderabad: sunrise 6:34 AM, sunset 5:42 PM IST
  • Vijayawada: sunrise 6:23 AM, sunset 5:34 PM IST, calculated (approx.); Amavasya ends at 6:21 AM IST on Wed 9 Dec, only minutes before Vijayawada's calculated sunrise that day
  • Bengaluru: sunrise 6:29 AM, sunset 5:53 PM IST, calculated (approx.)
  • Chennai: sunrise 6:19 AM, sunset 5:42 PM IST, calculated (approx.); Amavasya ends at 6:21 AM IST on Wed 9 Dec, within a minute or two of Chennai's calculated sunrise that day. Check your local panchang
  • New Delhi: sunrise 7:01 AM, sunset 5:24 PM IST, calculated (approx.)
  • Mumbai: sunrise 6:59 AM, sunset 6:00 PM IST, calculated (approx.)
  • New York: sunrise 7:07 AM, sunset 4:28 PM EST, calculated (approx.) (Tue 8 Dec)
  • Dallas: sunrise 7:17 AM, sunset 5:21 PM CST, calculated (approx.) (Tue 8 Dec)
  • San Jose: sunrise 7:09 AM, sunset 4:49 PM PST, calculated (approx.) (Tue 8 Dec)
  • London: sunrise 7:52 AM, sunset 3:52 PM GMT, calculated (approx.) (Tue 8 Dec)
  • Toronto: sunrise 7:38 AM, sunset 4:40 PM EST, calculated (approx.) (Tue 8 Dec)
  • Dubai: sunrise 6:52 AM, sunset 5:30 PM GST, calculated (approx.) (Tue 8 Dec)
  • Sydney: sunrise 5:37 AM, sunset 7:56 PM AEDT, calculated (approx.) (Tue 8 Dec). Chaturdashi is at sunrise here on Tue 8 Dec; Amavasya is at sunrise on Wed 9 Dec. Check your city's panchang
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For other cities, check your city's panchang. Country guides: USA, UK, Canada, UAE, Australia.

Today's tithi and nakshatra

  • Tithi: Amavasya (began 4:12 AM IST today) until 6:21 AM IST on Wed 9 Dec, then Shukla Pratipada of Margasira.
  • Nakshatra: Anuradha until 6:16 PM IST, then Jyeshtha (until 9:00 PM IST on Wed 9 Dec).
  • Paksha and month: Krishna Paksha, Kartika (amanta).

A tithi changes at the same moment everywhere in the world. Only the clock time differs. When Amavasya ends in your time zone:

  • New York and Toronto: Amavasya ends 7:51 PM EST on Tue 8 Dec
  • Dallas: 6:51 PM CST on Tue 8 Dec
  • San Jose: 4:51 PM PST on Tue 8 Dec
  • London: 12:51 AM GMT on Wed 9 Dec
  • Dubai: 4:51 AM GST on Wed 9 Dec
  • Sydney: 11:51 AM AEDT on Wed 9 Dec
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Festival of the day: Karthika Amavasya, the last day of Karthika Masam

Tuesday 8 December 2026 is Karthika Amavasya, the last day of Karthika Masam in the Telugu and Kannada (amanta) calendar. Drik Panchang lists Darsha Amavasya today; North Indian (purnimanta) calendars call it Margashirsha Amavasya. Families light lamps at sunset to close the month, and many offer tarpanam to their ancestors. See our Karthika Amavasya 2026 guide.

Margasira Masam begins tomorrow, Wednesday 9 December, after Amavasya ends at 6:21 AM IST. See what follows Karthika and Margasira Masam 2026 dates.

Abroad: the month also ends today in the USA, Canada, the UK and the UAE. In Sydney, Amavasya is at sunrise on Wednesday 9 December, so Karthika ends there a day later. See Karthika Amavasya 2026 in the USA and Canada.

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Today's Karthika Puranam reading: Chapter 29 (and 30)

On Day 29, the last day of the month, read Karthika Puranam Chapter 29. Karthika Masam 2026 has 29 days in India, so many families also read Chapter 30 today to complete the Puranam. For the whole story in one place, see Karthika Puranam: the complete sacred narrative.

5 things to do today

  1. Early bath: bathe before or around sunrise. Warm water is fine if the morning is cold, especially for elders and children.
  2. Lamp at sunset: light a ghee or sesame-oil deepam at local sunset (see the city list above) at the door, the puja shelf or near Tulasi.
  3. Tulasi puja: offer water and a lamp to the Tulasi plant and walk around it. Our daily Tulasi puja vidhi has the steps.
  4. Read the Puranam: read or listen to Karthika Puranam Chapter 29 and Chapter 30.
  5. Sattvic food and charity: keep meals simple and vegetarian, and give food, a lamp, oil or clothes to someone in need if you can.
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3 things to avoid today

  • Non-vegetarian food and alcohol, if that is your family tradition for Karthika.
  • Arguments and harsh words: the month is kept for calm, prayer and kindness.
  • Wasting food or skipping the evening lamp: even one small diya at sunset keeps the daily practice going.

Mantra for today

Om Namah Shivaya

Meaning: "I bow to Lord Shiva." This five-syllable (Panchakshari) mantra is the most common chant of Karthika Masam. Chant it 11, 27 or 108 times with the evening lamp.

Chant with devotion and at your own pace. Traditions differ from family to family, so follow your elders or your temple priest where they guide you differently.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the tithi on Tuesday 8 December 2026?

According to Drik Panchang (IST), the tithi is Amavasya (began 4:12 AM IST today) until 6:21 AM IST on Wed 9 Dec, then Shukla Pratipada of Margasira. The nakshatra is Anuradha until 6:16 PM IST, then Jyeshtha (until 9:00 PM IST on Wed 9 Dec).

What time should I light the Karthika deepam on 8 December 2026?

Light the lamp at local sunset. In Hyderabad sunset is 5:42 PM IST (Drik Panchang). In Chennai it is 5:42 PM and in New Delhi 5:24 PM IST (calculated, approx.). Other cities are listed on this page.

Which Karthika Puranam chapter is read on Day 29?

Chapter 29. Karthika Masam 2026 has 29 days in India (10 November to 8 December), because a lunar month is about 29.5 days long, so families who read one chapter a day often read Chapter 30 today as well to finish the Puranam.

Is Day 29 on the same date in the USA, UK and Australia?

Mostly. Going by Drik Panchang's tithi times and calculated sunrise, Amavasya is at sunrise on Tuesday 8 December in New York, Dallas, San Jose, Toronto, London and Dubai, so Karthika Masam ends today there too. In Sydney, Chaturdashi is at sunrise today and Amavasya is at sunrise on Wednesday 9 December, so the month ends there a day later.

Which mantra can I chant on Day 29?

Om Namah Shivaya. Meaning: I bow to Lord Shiva. This five-syllable (Panchakshari) mantra is the most common chant of Karthika Masam. Chant it 11, 27 or 108 times with the evening lamp.

Sources

Tithi and nakshatra times are from Drik Panchang's day pages (IST, checked on 9 October 2026); a tithi ends at the same moment everywhere in India, and Drik's New Delhi pages give the same times where we checked. Sunrise and sunset for Hyderabad are from Drik Panchang; lines marked calculated (approx.) use the standard sunrise equation. Clock times abroad are the same instants converted to local time.

Continue the Karthika journey

Next: Margasira Masam 2026 Day 1 (9 December).