Karthigai Deepam festival 2026: On Monday, February 23, 2026, a special festival associated with Karthigai Nakshatra will be celebrated, which holds a deep spiritual significance for devotees, especially in Tamil Hindu communities. This month this festival is falling on 23rd February i.e. Monday.

The monthly Karthikei Nakshatra is celebrated under the influence of Krittika Naksha6 and is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. The most special of all the Karthigai festivals of the year is the Karthigai Deepam, a grand festival of lights celebrated with devotion and traditional rituals.

This ancient Hindu festival is one of the most ancient cultural festivals of Tamil tradition. Homes, temples and streets are illuminated with oil lamps, symbolizing the victory of divine light over darkness.

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What is Karthigai Nakshatra?

Krittika Nakshatra which is commonly known as Karthigai Nakshatra. It is one of the 27 lunar constellations in Hindu astrology. When this nakshatra coincides with the lunar day, devotees celebrate Karthigai festival by lighting lamps outside their homes and shops and praying to Lord Shiva.

The monthly rituals have spiritual merit, but the Karthigai festival falling in the Tamil month Karthigai, which corresponds to the solar month Vrischika, is considered extremely auspicious.

Importance of Karthigai Deepam festival

Karthigai Deepam festival is mainly dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to the sacred Hindu scriptures, this day is a golden opportunity for Lord Shiva to demonstrate his supremacy in front of Vishnu and Brahma.

The word Deepam meaning lamp, rows of oil lamps are lit in homes and temples on this day to invite divine blessings and positive energy.

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Grand ritual of Karthigai Deepam in Tiruvannamalai

The festival reaches its peak in Tiruvamalai, where the sacred Annamalaiyar temple is the center of reverence and sanctity. On this day, a huge lamp called Mahadeepam is lit on the top of Tiruvannamalai hill.

Its flame is visible for several kilometers and is considered a symbol of the infinite light form of Lord Shiva. Thousands of devotees gather to witness this grand ritual and pray with deep devotion.

Lighting the Mahadeepam is considered one of the most spiritually uplifting moments in Tamil Hindu tradition.

Why is Masik Karthigai 2026 special?

Kartik Nakshatra is celebrated every month when Krittika Nakshatra falls, but devotees see every monthly Kartik Nakshatra as an opportunity to receive blessings for peace, prosperity and spiritual growth.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is based only on assumptions and information. It is important to mention here that ABPLive.com Does not constitute any endorsement or verification of information. Before implementing any information or belief, consult the concerned expert.

Today, India is doing trade with many countries of the world, be it America, Russia, Britain, France or any country of any other continent, but a recent research has found traces of trade relations between India and the Roman Empire in ancient times. In fact, two researchers have identified about 30 inscriptions in Tamil, Brahmi, Prakrit and Sanskrit languages ​​in the tombs located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. These inscriptions, believed to be from the 1st to the 3rd century AD, represent a new discovery on trade relations between ancient Tamilnadu, several other regions of India, and the Roman Empire.

This research was done in the year 2024-2025 by Professor Charlotte Schmid of the French School of Asian Studies (EFEO) in Paris and Professor Ingo Strauch of Lausanne University, Switzerland, in which these inscriptions have been identified. The research team found these inscriptions in six tombs of the Theban Necropolis. He carried forward the work of French scholar Jules Baillet, who surveyed the Valley of the Kings in 1926.

What did the research team say in the research??

In their research paper presented at the International Conference on Tamil Epigraphy titled ‘From the Valley of the Kings to India: Indian Inscriptions in Egypt’, the scholars said that the Indian inscriptions found in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt are evidence that people from the north-west, west and southern regions of India had reached these tombs. Among these, the largest number were people from South India, especially the Tamil region.

According to researchers, those people who came from India had registered their presence by carving their names or many short messages on the walls of the corridors and rooms of the tombs. These inscriptions were found along with a large amount of graffiti written in several languages, especially Greek. This makes it clear that writing names on the walls of tombs was a prevalent tradition since ancient times, which was followed by the people who came from India.

One name found eight times in five tombs

Researchers have found one name, Cikai Koṟraṉ, engraved in these inscriptions a total of eight times in five different tombs. This name is sometimes found written near the entrance of the tomb and sometimes among other graffiti on the inner walls. This name was also found engraved in a tomb at a height of about four meters at the entrance.

What did the archeology expert of Tamil Nadu say?

Expert of Tamil Nadu State Archeology Department. According to Rajan, this discovery provides evidence of strong trade relations between the Malabar coast of ancient Tamil Nadu and the Roman Empire. Earlier research in Egypt was mainly limited to the port city of Berenike on the Red Sea, which has now extended to the Nile River valley.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, while giving a statement in support of Tamil cinema superstar and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay, has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of suppressing the voice of the Tamil people. Rahul Gandhi has termed the efforts by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to stop the film ‘Jana Nayakan’ as an attack on Tamil culture.

Rahul Gandhi posted on X and said that Modi ji, you will never succeed in suppressing the voice of Tamil people. The attempt to stop ‘Jana Nayakan’ is a direct attack on Tamil culture. The Congress leader made this post during his Tamil Nadu tour, which has intensified the stir in the politics of the state.

The I&B Ministry’s attempt to block ‘Jana Nayagan’ is an attack on Tamil culture.

Mr Modi, you will never succeed in suppressing the voice of the Tamil people.

—Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 13, 2026

Did not get approval from censor board
The release of the film ‘Jana Nayakan’ starring TVK chief and actor Vijay has been postponed for the time being. It is being told that the film has not yet received approval from the Censor Board, due to which its release has been put on hold. There were already discussions going on about the political message of the film and now the opposition is seeing its stopping as political interference.

Old relationship between cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu
The relationship between film and politics is not new in Tamil Nadu. Leaders like CN Annadurai, MG Ramachandran (MGR) and Jayalalitha converted their film popularity into political power. In particular, MGR transformed his on-screen image into the identity of a mass leader, while Jayalalitha achieved historic heights in both films and politics. Now after Vijay has entered the political field, his films are also being seen from a political perspective.

Earlier, Congress leader Praveen Chakraborty had met TVK chief Vijay. During that time, he had said that the Tamil Nadu government has huge debt and had compared the state with Uttar Pradesh, which sparked a political debate.

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‘Thama’ actress Rashmika Mandanna’s upcoming film ‘The Girlfriend’ is ready to hit the theaters soon. The trailer of the film has been released.

The actress released the trailer of the film on her Instagram account. He wrote in the caption, “This is not an ordinary love story, it will make you think.

Amazing acting of Rashmika and Dhikshit in the trailer
Actor Dhikshit Shetty is in the lead role along with actress Rashmika Mandanna in the film. In the 2 minute 39 second trailer, Rashmika will be seen in the role of Bhumaa and Dhikshit will be seen in the role of Vikram. At the same time, Anu Emmanuel’s character is also important in the film. The film will be released in Telugu as well as Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages.

Glimpse of confusion of romance and emotions in the film
The trailer shows Vikram (Dhikshit) as a toxic, dominating, arrogant, violent and suspicious boyfriend, while Bhuma is a simple and easy-going girl who is burdened by a toxic relationship. At the beginning of the trailer, Rashmika (Bhuma) hesitantly asks Vikram, can we take a break? Reacting to which Vikram says, “Break means break from one.”

After this the story goes back, where Vikram proposes to Bhuma, in which he says, “The day after tomorrow is an auspicious time, let’s get married.” Vikram has complete trust in Bhuma, but Bhuma hesitantly calls him her boyfriend.

The film ‘The Girlfriend’ will be in theaters soon
The film has been written and directed by Rahul Ravindran. Music has been composed by Hesham Abdul Wahab and cinematography has been done by Krishnan Vasanth. ‘The Girlfriend’ promises to be an emotional story that will highlight the complexities of love and relationships. Apart from Rashmika Mandanna, actors like Dhikshit Shetty, Rao Ramesh and Rohini will be seen in lead roles in the film. The film will be released in theaters on November 7.

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