Karthika masa is the one month of the year when the lamp matters more than the stove. For most of the year a household buys oil to cook with and the pooja lamp takes whatever is nearest. Through Karthika masa the lamp is lit every single evening for a month, often more than one, and the arithmetic changes. This is the practical version: when the month falls in 2026, which oil belongs in the lamp, how much you will actually get through, and how to stop a lamp smoking.
When Karthika masa falls in 2026
In the Kannada calendar Karthika masa begins the day after Deepavali amavasya and runs to the next amavasya. For 2026 that means Deepavali on 8 November, Karthika masa from 10 November to 8 December, and Karthika Hunnime — Kartika Purnima, the full moon that many temples mark with a deepotsava — on 24 November.
One caveat: Karnataka follows the amanta reckoning, where the month ends on the new moon, so the dates differ from the purnimanta calendar used across much of North India. If your family keeps a panchanga, go by that rather than by a list on the internet, including this one.
Why the oil question comes up at all
Because a month of daily lamps is a surprising amount of oil. A small clay diya holds roughly 10 to 15 ml and burns for about an hour; a brass lamp with a deeper well holds more. Two small lamps every evening for the month works out somewhere around 600 to 900 ml — a rough estimate, not a promise, since wick thickness changes it more than anything else. A row of lamps, or a temple, is into litres.
Which oil actually goes in the lamp
Sesame oil (ellenne). The traditional answer across most of South India, and still the right one. It burns cleanly and plenty of Karnataka homes have never used anything else. Cold pressed sesame oil is also, by some distance, the more expensive thing to be burning — it is a cooking oil, priced as one, and a month of lamps will eat through it.
Deepam oil. Chennamma Ajji Deepam Oil exists for exactly this reason: so that a festival month does not have to be paid for in cooking oil. It is made for lamps, burns with a steady flame, and has no added preservatives or fragrance. It is not a food, and we do not sell it as one — it goes in the lamp and nowhere else.
Ghee. Many households keep ghee for the important days and oil for the rest of the month. That is a sensible split and we have nothing to sell you there; we do not make ghee.
Coconut oil. Used for lamps along the coast, and it works. One practical warning: coconut oil solidifies below about 24°C, and a December night in Chikkamagaluru or Bidar can take it there. Along the coast it is rarely an issue — our Udupi page goes into the coastal picture properly — but inland in December, expect a lamp well that has set by morning.
Castor oil. There is a real tradition of castor oil in lamps, but it is thick and draws up a wick slowly, and ours is sold for hair and skin rather than for burning.
What to look at twice. Some products sold cheaply as "lamp oil" are not vegetable oil at all. Turn the bottle over and read what is in it. It is the same habit that keeps adulterated cooking oil out of your kitchen.
How much to buy, and when to order
Deepam oil comes in 500 ml, 1 L and 5 L. Of the three, the 5 L works out at the lowest rate per litre and the 500 ml at the highest. For one or two lamps a day, a 1 L bottle is the sensible everyday size. For a full Karthika masa with several lamps, a large household or a temple, take the 5 L.
Order ahead rather than in the week itself. Orders are packed in 2–3 business days. After that, free delivery takes 7–14 days, standard shipping is ₹49 and takes 3–7 days, and express is ₹99 and takes 1–3 days. All orders are prepaid. With Deepavali on 8 November and the month starting on 10 November, a free-delivery order placed in the last week of October arrives comfortably; one placed in November wants express.
The month also brings a great deal of frying — chakli, kodubale, obbattu, every variety of sweet — so it is worth stocking the kitchen at the same time. Our cold pressed cooking oils cover that, and if you are planning a long festival fry, the honest facts about groundnut oil, smoke point and reuse are worth ten minutes before you start.
Getting a clean flame
Most complaints about lamp oil are actually complaints about the wick.
- Use cotton, not synthetic thread. Synthetic wicks smell and sputter.
- Trim the wick when it mushrooms at the tip. A long or clubbed wick is what makes a lamp smoke.
- Keep the oil topped up. A wick burning dry smokes and chars.
- Set the lamp out of a draught — a flame being pushed about by a fan or a doorway will never be steady.
- Wipe the brass lamp between uses, so old residue is not burning along with fresh oil.
- Never leave a lit lamp unattended, and keep it clear of curtains and cloth.
Frequently asked questions
When does Karthika masa start in 2026?
10 November 2026, the day after Deepavali amavasya, running to 8 December. Karthika Hunnime falls on 24 November. These are the amanta dates followed in Karnataka.
Can I use cooking oil in the pooja lamp?
Yes. Sesame oil is the traditional choice and coconut oil is common along the coast. Deepam oil simply means you are not burning a food-grade cooking oil for a month.
Can I cook with deepam oil?
No. It is sold for lamps only and is not a food product. For cooking, use one of our cold pressed oils.
Why is my lamp smoking?
Almost always the wick — too long, mushroomed at the tip, synthetic, or burning dry because the oil has run low. Trim it, top up the oil and move the lamp out of any draught.
Which size should I buy for Karthika masa?
1 L for one or two lamps a day. 5 L for several lamps through the month, a large household or a temple, and it is the lowest rate per litre of the three sizes.