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Festival Calendar

Guru Nanak Jayanti 2026

Prakash Parv of Guru Nanak Dev Ji on Kartik Purnima.

Guru Nanak Jayanti 2025Guru Nanak Jayanti 2027
Guru Nanak Jayanti 2026 date
Tuesday, 24 November 2026
Tithi: Kartika Purnima
Tithi window: 11:49 PM, Monday, 23 November 2026 → 08:32 PM, Tuesday, 24 November 2026
See the full panchang for Tuesday, 24 November 2026
Guru Nanak Jayanti 2026
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Today's Panchang

Kashi reference · computed live
Tithi
Saptami
till 20:47
Nakshatra
Ashwini
till 21:21
Yoga
Shula
Karana
Vishti
Sunrise
05:26
Sunset
18:41
Moon sign
Aries
Sun sign
Cancer

Muhurat & timings

Kashi/IST · astronomically computed
  • Sankalp (sunrise)06:21
  • Sunset17:08
  • Fasting window (tithi)2026-11-23 · 23:49 → 20:32
  • Parana (tithi ends)20:32

The significance of Guru Nanak Jayanti

Guru Nanak Jayanti, or Gurpurab, marks the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first of the ten Sikh Gurus and the founder of Sikhi. It is kept on Kartik Purnima, the full moon of Kartika, and is known as Prakash Utsav — the celebration of the light, or the coming into the world, of the Guru.

Guru Nanak taught the oneness of God — Ik Onkar, the one whose name is truth — and rejected the divisions of caste, ritualism and the empty forms of religion, calling instead for honest work (kirat karni), sharing with others (vand chhakna) and remembrance of the divine name (naam japna). His message crossed the boundaries of Hindu and Muslim tradition alike.

The day is observed not with idol worship but with the reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, congregational hymn-singing, procession and the shared meal of langar — the observance itself embodying the equality and service the Guru taught.

Historical background

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. After a profound experience at the river Bein at Sultanpur Lodhi, he set out on long journeys — the udasis — that took him across India and, tradition holds, to Mecca, Baghdad and Tibet, teaching one formless God and the equality of all. He settled at last at Kartarpur, where he founded a community around honest work, shared meals and the remembrance of the divine name. The Gurpurab of his birth grew into the most important celebration of the Sikh year.

Scriptural references

The day is centred on the Guru Granth Sahib, the eternal Guru of the Sikhs, before which the sangat gathers for a continuous 48-hour reading (Akhand Path). Guru Nanak's own Japji Sahib opens the scripture, beginning with the Mul Mantar — 'Ik Onkar', there is One — and his hymns run through it. The teaching is lived, not merely recited: Naam Japo, Kirat Karo, Vand Chhako.

Guru Nanak Jayanti puja vidhi

  1. 1In the days before, an Akhand Path is begun so that it concludes on the morning of the Gurpurab.
  2. 2On the eve, a Nagar Kirtan procession is taken through the streets, led by the Panj Pyare and the Guru Granth Sahib on a decorated float.
  3. 3On the day, the sangat gathers at Amrit Vela for the singing of Asa di Var.
  4. 4Shabad kirtan and katha — the hymns and their exposition — continue through the morning.
  5. 5Ardas, the congregational prayer, is offered, and Karah Prasad distributed to all.
  6. 6Langar is served to everyone present, seated together as equals, embodying the Guru's teaching.
  7. 7Seva and the singing of Gurbani continue through the day, often into the evening.

Mantra

ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥

Ik Onkar, Sat Naam, Karta Purakh, Nirbhau, Nirvair, Akaal Moorat, Ajooni, Saibhang, Gur Prasad

The Mool Mantar that opens the Guru Granth Sahib: One Creator, whose Name is Truth, the doer, without fear, without enmity, timeless in form, unborn, self-existent, known by the Guru's grace.

Vrat rules

  • Sikh tradition does not centre this day on fasting; it is kept through prayer, kirtan and seva (selfless service).
  • An Akhand Path — the unbroken, cover-to-cover reading of the Guru Granth Sahib — is completed over the two days before, ending on the morning of the Gurpurab.
  • The sangat gathers in the early hours (Amrit Vela) for Asa di Var and shabad kirtan.
  • Langar, the free community kitchen, is served to all without distinction of faith or standing.
  • Kar seva — voluntary service in the gurdwara and community — is offered through the day.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Calling it only a 'jayanti' — Sikhs know it as Gurpurab or Prakash Utsav, the festival of the Guru's light.
  • Entering a gurudwara without covering the head or removing shoes, or stepping in after alcohol or tobacco.
  • Treating the langar casually — it is sacred, eaten seated together as equals; food is not wasted.
  • Reducing the day to ritual alone, missing its teaching of honest work, sharing and remembrance.

The vrat katha of Guru Nanak Jayanti

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. From childhood he showed a mind turned toward the divine and away from empty ritual: asked to wear the sacred thread, the young Nanak questioned what a thread could do for the soul, and asked instead for a thread of compassion and contentment that would not break or burn.

As a young man at Sultanpur he went one morning to bathe in the river and did not return for three days. When he reappeared, his first words were 'There is no Hindu, there is no Musalman' — meaning that before God the labels by which people divide themselves fall away. He then set out on long journeys across India and beyond, teaching the one Name in verse and in the shared meal, and in time established the community and the practice from which the Sikh Panth grew.

Guru Nanak Jayanti timeline

  1. Two days before — Akhand Path

    A continuous 48-hour reading of the entire Guru Granth Sahib is begun, concluding on the Gurpurab morning.

  2. Eve — Prabhat Pheris & Nagar Kirtan

    Early-morning hymn processions through the days before, and a grand Nagar Kirtan led by the Panj Pyare and the Palki of the Guru Granth Sahib.

  3. Gurpurab day

    Kirtan, katha and the singing of Guru Nanak's hymns from dawn; langar is served to all without distinction.

  4. Evening — Deepmala

    The gurudwaras are lit with lamps, and in some places fireworks and candlelight mark the night of his birth.

Famous places & temples

Nankana Sahib, Pakistan

Guru Nanak's birthplace; Gurdwara Janam Asthan draws pilgrims from India and the diaspora for the Gurpurab.

Golden Temple, Amritsar

Sri Harmandir Sahib is illuminated with thousands of lamps and candles, and the largest Gurpurab celebrations are held here.

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur

Where Guru Nanak spent his last years; now reachable from India through the Kartarpur Corridor.

Sultanpur Lodhi (Ber Sahib)

Where Nanak received his enlightenment at the river Bein; central to his early life.

Interesting facts

  • ◆It is called Prakash Utsav — the 'festival of light' — marking the coming of Guru Nanak's light into the world in 1469.
  • ◆It falls on Kartik Purnima, the full moon, so the celebration and the lamps sit under the brightest night of Kartika.
  • ◆Guru Nanak's three pillars — Naam Japo (remember God), Kirat Karo (earn honestly), Vand Chhako (share) — are the heart of Sikh life.
  • ◆The langar he began is served free to every visitor regardless of faith, caste or status, a radical equality for its age.

Common questions

When is Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrated?

On Kartik Purnima, the full moon of Kartika, in autumn. It is known as Gurpurab or Prakash Utsav, the celebration of Guru Nanak's coming into the world. For this year's date, see the date shown above.

How is Guru Nanak Jayanti observed?

With an Akhand Path (unbroken reading of the Guru Granth Sahib) completed on the morning of the day, early-morning kirtan at Amrit Vela, a Nagar Kirtan procession on the eve, Ardas, and langar served to all as equals. It is not observed with idol worship or fasting.

What is Nagar Kirtan?

A procession taken through the streets, led by the Panj Pyare and the Guru Granth Sahib carried on a decorated float, with the sangat singing shabads. It is a central part of the Gurpurab celebration.

What did Guru Nanak teach?

The oneness of God (Ik Onkar) and a life built on honest work (kirat karni), sharing with others (vand chhakna) and remembrance of the divine Name (naam japna), rejecting caste division and empty ritual.

Festival days follow the classical attribution rules — udaya (sunrise), pradosha (evening), nishita (midnight), madhyahna or aparahna vyapini as each festival prescribes — computed for Kashi/Varanasi (IST). Regional observance can differ by a day in some years.

Other major festivals in 2026