2026 Ekadashi Dates, Vrat & Parana Time

What is Ekadashi?

Ekadashi is the 11th tithi (lunar day) of both the waxing (Shukla) and waning (Krishna) fortnight, so it recurs roughly twice each lunar month — about 24 to 26 times a year. It is the foremost Vaishnava fast, dedicated to Bhagavan Vishnu (Hari). Devotees observe it as a day of devotion, restraint and remembrance of the Lord, and each Ekadashi carries its own name and traditional story.

The parana — when to break the fast

The Ekadashi fast is not broken on Ekadashi itself but on the next day, Dwadashi (the 12th tithi), during a window called parana. By tradition the parana is done in the first part of Dwadashi after sunrise, and one avoids breaking the fast during Hari Vasara (the early part of Dwadashi). Observing the parana at the proper time is considered part of completing the vrat correctly.

What you can and cannot eat on Ekadashi

Traditionally, grains are avoided on Ekadashi — rice, wheat, lentils and beans in particular — following the belief that sin is said to reside in grain on this day. Many keep a phalahar diet of fruit, milk, nuts and permitted roots, while some observe a full waterless fast. The custom is followed as tradition and personal devotion, adapted to one's health and capacity.

How to observe Ekadashi (vrat vidhi)

The day is kept with a fast, a bath, and puja of Lord Vishnu offering tulsi leaves, which are considered dear to him. Devotees read or hear the katha of that particular Ekadashi, chant Vishnu's names, and give charity. On some Ekadashis a night-long jagran (staying awake) is kept. The fast is then broken during parana on Dwadashi the following morning.

Significance and the special Ekadashis

Ekadashi is traditionally linked with inner purification, the removal of past wrongs, and the path toward moksha (liberation). Several Ekadashis are especially revered: Nirjala Ekadashi (Jyeshtha Shukla), kept without even water, is the strictest and is said to grant the merit of all the year's Ekadashis; Devshayani and Prabodhini (Dev Uthani) mark Vishnu's cosmic sleep and awakening; and Mokshada is honoured for its association with liberation.

The origin of Ekadashi — the katha

The tradition tells that a mighty demon named Mura once terrorised the gods and drove them from the heavens. Lord Vishnu battled Mura for a very long time and, needing rest, withdrew to a cave in Badarikashrama and fell asleep. When Mura crept forward to slay the sleeping Lord, a radiant female power emerged from Vishnu's own body and destroyed the demon. Pleased with her, Vishnu named her "Ekadashi" — she who was born on the eleventh tithi — and granted her the boon that whoever fasts and worships on Ekadashi would be freed from their sins and helped toward moksha. This is why Ekadashi is kept as a fast devoted to Vishnu. Each individual Ekadashi — Nirjala, Putrada, Mokshada and the rest — also carries its own separate katha.

Ekadashi Puja Samagri

Gather these items before beginning the Ekadashi vrat and puja:

• An idol or image of Lord Vishnu (or Krishna)
• Tulsi (holy basil) leaves
• Yellow flowers
• Yellow cloth or garment
• Panchamrit
• Seasonal fruits
• A ghee lamp
• Incense (dhoop)
• Sandalwood (chandan)
• Akshat (rice)
• A coconut