The main ritual of Naraka Chaturdashi is taking an oil bath (Abhyanga Snanam) before sunrise. According to the Srimad Bhagavatam (10.59), Lord Krishna killed Narakasura; the story of Satyabhama killing him is a literary folk narrative. Use sesame oil and bathe before dawn.
On the morning before Diwali, a Telugu home wakes up while it is still dark. A mother or grandmother shakes the children awake, buckets of hot water appear outside the bathroom, and the smell of sesame oil fills the house. The children line up for their oil bath, shivering a little, and then come the new clothes and the first cracker of the season. This is Naraka Chaturdashi. This post walks through when to do it, how to do it at home, and what the story behind the day really says.
For the full map of the five-day festival, read our Deepavali 2026 complete guide.
What to Do on Naraka Chaturdashi 2026 Morning
- Time: 8 November 2026, before sunrise (Hyderabad: 05:19 AM – 06:18 AM).
- Ritual: Taking an oil bath (Abhyanga Snanam).
- Method: Apply sesame oil and scrub the body with herbal bath powder (Sunnipindi).
- Belief: It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi resides in the oil and Goddess Ganga in the water on this day.
Some calendars list Naraka Chaturdashi a day earlier, on 7 November. That is because the Chaturdashi tithi begins on that morning. The Abhyanga Snanam, however, is done after moonrise and before sunrise, and that window falls on the morning of the 8th, which is why panchangams point to that day for the bath. If you see two dates, follow the one in the box above. Timings for other cities are in our series pillar guide.
In Hyderabad the window is only about an hour long. In a house of five or six people, that leaves barely ten minutes each. So the real work of this ritual begins the night before.
What to Get Ready the Night Before
Before you go to bed, keep five things together near the bathroom: a small bowl of sesame oil, a bowl of sunnipindi (a traditional bath powder used instead of soap), a dry towel for each person, washed or new clothes, and a rubber mat so the floor does not turn slippery. About half a cup of oil is enough for a family of four.
Many Telugu families make sunnipindi at home, and every house has its own proportions. A simple starting point is two spoons of green gram flour, one spoon of gram flour and a pinch of turmeric per person. At bath time, mix the powder with a few drops of water or milk into a paste and rub it on the body. In some regions this is called nalugu pindi. A store-bought pack works just as well. Whatever you use, test a little on the back of your hand first.
Decide tonight who bathes in what order, and the morning will have fewer arguments. Children usually go first and elders next, since both need a helping hand. Even with a geyser, fill one or two buckets in advance so there is enough hot water for everyone, and keep the bathroom window shut against the early cold.
Ten minutes of preparation at night saves an hour of rushing in the morning.
How to Perform Abhyanga Snanam on Naraka Chaturdashi
The Karthika Masa Mahatmyam of the Skanda Purana asks for an oil bath before sunrise on this day. A popular belief also says the custom began because Krishna bathed early in the morning after the battle with Narakasura. At home, the bath usually follows this order.
- First, take some sesame oil in a small bowl.
- An elder in the family (usually a mother or grandmother) should gently apply and massage this oil on the heads and bodies of the younger ones.
- Next, instead of regular soap, scrub the body with Sunnipindi (herbal bath powder) or gram flour.
- Then, take a head bath using lukewarm water.
- After finishing the bath, wear freshly washed or new clothes.
How much oil? Not enough to drench the head; two or three spoons in the palm is plenty. Sunnipindi lifts the oil away, so if the hair still feels greasy after the bath, rub in a little more powder and rinse again. You will know it went well when the hair feels clean and the body feels light.
Take extra care with elders. Oil makes the floor slippery and the early morning is cold, so lay the rubber mat and have someone wait outside the door to help. After the bath, dry the children’s hair properly and do not let them run into the cold air with wet heads.
The puja after the bath does not need to be long. Light a lamp with sesame oil at the puja place, put two or three flowers and a few grains of akshatalu (rice mixed with turmeric) before the deity’s picture, and offer a piece of jaggery or a banana as naivedyam. Let the whole family bow together. It takes five minutes and needs no priest and no special mantra; any prayer you know, or the deity’s name repeated ten times, is enough.
The saying that Lakshmi lives in the oil and Ganga in the water on this morning is a belief our elders hold. It should not be presented as a medical benefit. The real beauty of this custom lies elsewhere.
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Those ten minutes of a grandmother oiling a child’s hair are the memory this festival leaves behind.
If You Are Unwell or Away From Home
People with a fever or a cold often ask whether they should still take the oil bath. Some families handle this by skipping oil on the head, taking a normal warm bath, and applying a little oil only to the hands to mark the custom. Anyone with a health condition should follow their doctor’s advice first. Pregnant women, new mothers and people with skin problems should also check with a doctor before an oil bath. For babies, test the water with your elbow so it is warm, not hot.
Can you eat before the bath? In most homes breakfast comes after the bath and prayers, but people with diabetes, those on medication and small children need not stay hungry.
New clothes are not compulsory; clean washed clothes are enough. A student in a hostel or someone working in another city keeps the custom simply by waking before dawn, bathing with a little oil and lighting one lamp. A video call home afterwards will make any mother’s day.
Who Was Narakasura and Why Is the Day Named After Him
The Bhagavatam also calls Narakasura Bhauma, the son of Bhudevi, the Earth goddess. Proud of his strength, he tormented gods and sages and held many women captive in his city. Naraka Chaturdashi is celebrated as the day light returned to a world darkened by his rule.
The name itself explains the day. Chaturdashi is the fourteenth day of the waning moon, the day before Amavasya, in the month of Ashvayuja. Because it is tied to the end of Naraka, it is called Naraka Chaturdashi. In North India the same day is known as Choti Diwali, the small Diwali. Telugu families see it as the day to cleanse the home, the body and the mind before the Lakshmi Puja on Amavasya.
Freeing those captive women is the heart of the story. But on the question of who fought and who struck the final blow, the version we grew up with and the version in the texts are not the same.
Who Actually Killed Narakasura
Since childhood, we have grown up listening to the story that Satyabhama, Lord Krishna’s wife, killed Narakasura with her arrows. According to the 10th Skanda of the Srimad Bhagavatam (10.59.21) and the Vishnu Purana (5.29), however, it was Lord Krishna who slew Narakasura with his Sudarshana Chakra.
It is true that Satyabhama rode into battle with Krishna on Garuda, the divine eagle. The Telugu Bhagavatam of Pothana describes her courage in the war with great beauty. Literary works inspired by it, such as Parijatapaharanam, and dance dramas like Bhamakalapam made the version in which Satyabhama herself kills Narakasura part of popular memory.
| Detail | Scriptural Source (Bhagavatam/Vishnu Purana) | Literary/Folk Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Went to War | Both Krishna and Satyabhama | Both Krishna and Satyabhama |
| Fought the Battle | Primarily Krishna | Satyabhama fought heroically |
| Slain by | Lord Krishna (with Sudarshana Chakra) | Satyabhama (with arrows) |
Nandi Thimmana’s Parijatapaharanam brought Satyabhama so vividly to life that she became the best-known of Krishna’s queens among Telugu readers. Bhamakalapam, famous in the Kuchipudi tradition, revolves around her pride, love and sulking. Performed in village after village for generations, these works fixed the image of Satyabhama on the battlefield firmly in people’s minds.
The Bhagavatam also tells what came after the battle. Bhudevi herself came to praise Krishna, and Krishna handed the kingdom to Naraka’s son Bhagadatta. So the story does not end with the death of a demon; it also holds a mother’s grief and a fresh start for a son.
Two more versions are common in Telugu homes. One says Satyabhama was a form of Bhudevi, so Naraka fell at his own mother’s hand. The other says Naraka’s last wish was that people celebrate the day of his death with lamps. Neither appears in the Bhagavatam passage we checked, so both are best shared as folk narratives.
Our literature loved Satyabhama and the texts gave the final blow to Krishna; both are part of our heritage.
How to Tell This Story to Children
When the children sit down in their new clothes after the bath, that is a good time for the story. Put the message ahead of the frightening details. Using strength and power to hurt others ends in a fall, and real courage means freeing those who suffer. Even a five-year-old understands that.
For small children, the story fits into a few sentences. “Long ago there was a strong king called Naraka. Because he was strong, he troubled everyone and locked many people away. So Krishna and Satyabhama flew on Garuda, a giant eagle, to fight him. Satyabhama fought bravely, and in the end Krishna defeated Naraka and set everyone free. That day people were so happy that they lit lamps everywhere. That is why we bathe early and light lamps today.” Then ask the children what strong people should do. Their answer is the end of the story.
Grandmothers used to describe Satyabhama drawing her bow on Garuda as if they had seen it. Share that image with girls as an example of courage, and tell them too that the texts give the final blow to Krishna. Children deserve both the beauty of the telling and the facts of the text. Other Diwali stories, such as Rama’s return and Emperor Bali, are in Part 11 of this series.
The Rest of Naraka Chaturdashi at Home
After the lamp and the prayers, many families touch the elders’ feet for blessings. In some homes the first crackers go off this morning, and in some coastal Andhra families children wave divitis (cloth torches) while singing “Dibbu Dibbu Deepavali”. This is a local custom of some families, not a practice everywhere.
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Children often run out to burst crackers in their new clothes. Silk and synthetic fabrics catch fire quickly, so change them into cotton for cracker time and keep a bucket of water nearby. Full cracker safety for children is in Part 13 of this series.
The afternoon suits sorting out the puja items for the next day’s Lakshmi Puja and making sweets. If Ariselu, Sunnundalu and Kajjikayalu are made today, the puja day will have time to spare. The naivedyam list and recipes are in Part 9.
In the evening, lamps go up at the doorstep, the main door and the tulasi plant. Many families also give sweets or a small gift to domestic helpers, security staff and sanitation workers on this day.
On the day captives were set free, bringing a little light into other people’s lives is the best way to honour the festival.
One Thing to Do Today
Before you sleep tonight, place the oil, sunnipindi, towels, clothes and rubber mat near the bathroom, write down who bathes in what order, and stick the list on the bathroom door.
In the Next Part
Once the bath and prayers are done, the evening fills the house with lamps. Can new clay lamps be used straight away, is ghee better than sesame oil, how many lamps go where, and what precautions does a home with children need? The next part answers these questions.
Frequently asked questions
At what time should one take a bath on Naraka Chaturdashi?
One should perform the Abhyanga Snanam before sunrise, typically between 5 AM and 6 AM, during the time of moonrise.
What is an Abhyanga Snanam?
Abhyanga Snanam is a traditional bath where sesame oil is applied to the head and body, scrubbed off with herbal powder (Sunnipindi), and washed with warm water.
Who killed Narakasura according to the Puranas?
According to the Srimad Bhagavatam and Vishnu Purana, Lord Krishna killed Narakasura using his Sudarshana Chakra.
Is the story of Satyabhama killing Narakasura not true?
Satyabhama did accompany Krishna to the war. However, the story of her striking the final blow is a popular narrative that emerged later through literature and dramas.
Who is believed to reside in the water on this day?
There is a strong traditional belief that on Naraka Chaturdashi, Goddess Lakshmi resides in the sesame oil and Goddess Ganga resides in the bathing water.
Sources
Drik Panchang Abhyang Snan Timings
Information checked: 21 October 2026. Dates and times follow Drik Panchang; final check on 5 November.
