Pradosh Vrat in December 2026

What is Pradosh Vrat?

Pradosh Vrat (also written Pradosham) is a Shaivite fast kept on the Trayodashi — the thirteenth tithi — of both the waxing (Shukla) and waning (Krishna) fortnight, which is why it recurs about twice every lunar month. The word "pradosh" means the twilight junction of day and night, and the vrat honours Lord Shiva and Parvati at exactly that hour. Tradition holds that Shiva danced his cosmic Tandava between the horns of Nandi during pradosh kaal, so the dusk of Trayodashi is regarded as the most receptive window of the fortnight for Shiva worship. It is one of the most widely kept monthly vratas in the Shaiva calendar, valued for its simplicity — no elaborate materials are needed, only devotion at the right hour.

Pradosh Kaal — the puja timing that matters

The entire vrat turns on the pradosh kaal, the roughly two-and-a-quarter to two-and-a-half hour window that opens at sunset and runs for about 2 hours 24 minutes after it. Shiva puja performed inside this window carries the merit of the vrat; the daytime fast is preparatory. Because the window is anchored to local sunset it shifts by city and by season — later in summer, earlier in winter — which is why the table above gives the pradosh-kaal start for each date computed for New Delhi rather than one fixed time. For another city, take your local sunset and count the same window forward from it.

The seven weekday types of Pradosh Vrat

A Pradosh takes an extra name from the weekday it falls on, and each carries a traditional prayer: Ravi Pradosh (Sunday) for health and long life; Som Pradosh (Monday) for the fulfilment of wishes and marital harmony; Bhaum Pradosh (Tuesday) for freedom from debt and good health; Saumya or Budh Pradosh (Wednesday) for knowledge and success; Guru Pradosh (Thursday) for protection from enemies and obstacles; Bhrigu or Shukra Pradosh (Friday) for prosperity and married life; and Shani Pradosh (Saturday), the most sought after, for relief from the difficulties of Saturn. These associations are traditional beliefs held across regional practice, not guarantees of outcome.

How to observe Pradosh Vrat (vrat vidhi)

The customary practice is to rise early, resolve to keep the fast (sankalp), and pass the day in restraint and remembrance of Shiva. Devotees bathe again in the late afternoon before pradosh kaal begins, and perform the puja at dusk — bathing the Shivling with water, milk and then water again, offering bilva (bel) leaves, white flowers, dhatura, sandalwood and a ghee lamp, and reciting the Pradosh Vrat katha or the "Om Namah Shivaya" and Maha Mrityunjaya mantras. The fast is broken after the evening worship. Forms vary widely by family and region — some keep a waterless (nirjala) fast, others take fruit and milk — and the tradition places the merit in sincerity, not severity.

Significance and who keeps it

Pradosh Vrat is kept by those seeking Shiva's grace for health, relief from hardship, marital and family well-being, and steadiness of mind. Because it returns every fortnight, many observe it as a regular spiritual discipline rather than a one-off, and married couples often keep it together. As with every vrat on this site, the timings are astronomical facts computed from the panchang; the spiritual benefits described are drawn from tradition and scripture, offered for context rather than as promises.

Pradosh Vrat Katha

As the traditional katha tells, in a certain city there lived a poor Brahmin widow who, together with her young son, went out each day begging for alms. One day she found an injured young prince, Dharmagupta, the son of the late king of Vidarbha whose kingdom had been seized; moved with compassion, she raised him alongside her own son. Guided by the sage Shandilya, the widow began keeping the Pradosh Vrat, worshipping Lord Shiva at pradosh kaal with steadfast devotion. By Shiva's grace the prince met and married the vidyadhara princess Anshumati, gathered an army, regained his lost kingdom of Vidarbha, and lovingly cared for the widow and her son. The katha is retold to show how sincere Pradosh worship of Shiva relieves hardship and restores lost fortune.

Pradosh Puja Samagri

Gather these traditional offerings before beginning the Pradosh Vrat worship of Lord Shiva:

• Bilva (bel) leaves
• Gangajal or clean water
• Raw milk
• Curd
• Honey
• Ghee
• White flowers
• Dhatura
• Sandalwood paste
• Akshat (unbroken rice)
• A ghee or oil lamp
• Incense (dhoop)
• Fruits
• Panchamrit