Ekadashi 2026
next: Rama Ekadashi, Thursday, 5 November
Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi of each paksha, twice a month: one in Shukla paksha as the Moon grows, one in Krishna paksha as it wanes.
- Ekadashi begins
- 4 Nov, 11:03 AM
- Ekadashi ends
- 5 Nov, 10:36 AM
- Parana (breaking the fast)
- 6 Nov, 6:37 AM to 8:47 AM
- Ekadashi begins
- 20 Nov, 7:16 AM
- Ekadashi ends
- 21 Nov, 6:31 AM
- Parana (breaking the fast)
- 21 Nov, 1:11 PM to 3:18 PM
- Hari Vasara (Dwadashi’s first quarter) ends
- 21 Nov, 12:09 PM
For New Delhi, in IST. A tithi begins and ends at the same moment everywhere; the day a vrat falls on, and its hours, are New Delhi’s and can differ by a day abroad.
Ekadashi dates
to January 2028, with the tithi’s times
The 26 Ekadashis
each with its date, parana and kathaWhat Ekadashi is
Each of the twenty-four has its own name and katha, and a year with an adhik maas has two more, Padmini and Parama. It is the fast of Vishnu, and the one most widely kept in North Indian homes.
The fast runs from sunrise on Ekadashi to the parana on Dwadashi, the next day. Breaking it at the right time matters as much as keeping it, which is why every date here comes with its parana time.
How the date is decided
The fast is kept on the day Ekadashi holds at sunrise. When it holds two sunrises, on the second; when it holds none (a kshaya tithi), on the day it begins; and when the Dwadashi after it is kshaya, on the day before, so the fast can be broken within Dwadashi. This is the Smarta day, the one families keep. Some panchangs list a second, Vaishnava day in some months, for sanyasis and Vaishnavas; it is not given here.
Parana is on Dwadashi, after sunrise, and before Dwadashi ends. Not in Hari Vasara, the first quarter of Dwadashi. The best time is pratahkal, the first fifth of the day; when Hari Vasara runs past it, parana waits until after madhyahna, the middle fifth, since breaking the fast at midday is avoided. The times are rounded inward to the minute, so the window never starts in Hari Vasara or ends after Dwadashi.
Vrat vidhi
- On Dashami, the day before, eat one simple sattvik meal before sunset, without rice, so the fast begins on a light stomach.
- On Ekadashi, bathe early and take the sankalp: say before Vishnu that you are keeping the fast, and how (nirjala, with water, or with fruit). Decide it before you begin.
- Worship Vishnu or Krishna with tulsi leaves, yellow flowers, panchamrit, fruit and a lamp of ghee. Pick the tulsi the day before: tulsi is not plucked on Ekadashi.
- Read or hear the day’s katha, and chant “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” or the Vishnu Sahasranama. Staying awake in bhajan at night (jagaran) is the fullest form of the vrat.
- On Dwadashi, after the morning puja, give food or daan to a brahmin or someone in need, and break the fast within the parana time, with a little of what was offered to Vishnu.
What to eat
- Fruit, milk, curd, paneer and makhana
- Sabudana, kuttu (buckwheat), singhara (water chestnut) and rajgira (amaranth) flour
- Samak (sama) rice, potato, sweet potato and arbi
- Peanuts, dry fruit, and sendha namak in place of common salt
What to avoid
- Rice, above all, and every grain: wheat, maize, millet
- Dal and other pulses
- Onion, garlic, and common salt
- Meat, eggs, alcohol and tobacco
Tradition keeps grains, rice most of all, out of the Ekadashi plate. If you are unwell, pregnant, elderly or on medicine, a fruit or one-meal fast is the old allowance: the sankalp matters more than the hunger.
Common questions
8 questionsWhen is the next Ekadashi?
Rama Ekadashi, on Thursday, 5 November 2026, in New Delhi. The Ekadashi runs from 4 Nov, 11:03 AM to 5 Nov, 10:36 AM. Parana (breaking the fast): 6 Nov, 6:37 AM to 8:47 AM.
When is Ekadashi in November 2026?
In New Delhi, Rama Ekadashi on Thursday, 5 November and Dev Uthani Ekadashi on Friday, 20 November.
When is Ekadashi in December 2026?
In New Delhi, Utpanna Ekadashi on Friday, 4 December and Mokshada Ekadashi on Sunday, 20 December.
Can I drink water on Ekadashi?
Yes, unless you have taken the nirjala sankalp. Most families keep Ekadashi with water and fruit (phalahar); only Nirjala Ekadashi in Jyeshtha is traditionally kept without water. Decide which kind of fast you are keeping at the sankalp.
Why is rice not eaten on Ekadashi?
Tradition keeps every grain out of the Ekadashi fast, and rice most of all; the Puranas say that on this day sin takes refuge in grain. Families who do not fast still usually skip rice that day.
What is parana, and what if I miss the time?
Parana is breaking the fast on Dwadashi, within the time given for each date. If the window passes, break it as soon as you can while Dwadashi lasts, with water and a little prasad. Breaking it after Dwadashi has ended is what tradition counts as a fault.
Why do some calendars show Ekadashi on two days?
When Ekadashi touches two sunrises, or its Dwadashi is very short, calendars give the Smarta day for families and a second, Vaishnava day for sanyasis and Vaishnavas (ISKCON follows its own list). The dates on this page are the Smarta days.
How many Ekadashis are there in a year?
Twenty-four, two in each lunar month, and twenty-six in a year with an adhik maas, whose two are Padmini and Parama.
A vrat is the same day for everybody. Your chart is not.
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