Amalaki Ekadashi 2027: Date, Vrat Katha, Puja Vidhi, Parana, Amla Tree Puja and Rangbhari Ekadashi

Amalaki Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) of the month of Phalguna, the day when Lord Vishnu is worshipped together with the sacred amla (Indian gooseberry) tree. “Amalaki” is the Sanskrit name of amla, which is why many people simply call it Amla Ekadashi. According to tradition, Lord Vishnu is believed to dwell in the amla tree on this day.

The fast falls after Maha Shivratri and just a few days before Holi. In Kashi (Varanasi) the same day is celebrated as Rangbhari Ekadashi, when Baba Vishwanath is believed to bring Mata Parvati home to Kashi after their wedding, and the colours of Holi begin. So this one day brings together devotion to Shri Hari and a joyful festival of Lord Shiva.

Tradition says this vrat removes all sins and gives merit equal to donating a thousand cows. Below are the date, parana time, vrat katha, amla tree puja vidhi, mantras, fasting rules and the Rangbhari tradition.

Amalaki Ekadashi 2027 Date: Tithi and Parana Time

Quick answer: Amalaki Ekadashi 2026 (27 February) has passed. The next Amalaki Ekadashi is on Thursday, 18 March 2027. For New Delhi, the Ekadashi tithi begins at 04:21 AM on 18 March and ends at 01:51 AM on 19 March, and parana can be done on 19 March between 07:12 AM and 08:52 AM.

The table above shows the date and parana time for your city, for this year and the coming years. Sunrise differs by city, so check the parana time for your own location.

Smarta and Vaishnava: When the Ekadashi tithi touches two sunrises, householders (Smarta) fast on the first day and Vaishnava traditions such as ISKCON fast on the second. This time, New Delhi panchangs show the same date for both traditions, though a few list the next day for Vaishnavas. Follow your own sampradaya and local panchang.

Amalaki Ekadashi Meaning and Other Names

What does “Amalaki” mean?

“Amalaki” or “Amalaka” is the Sanskrit name of the amla fruit and tree. In Ayurveda and folk tradition amla is also called “Dhatri”, the one who nourishes like a mother. That is why the vrat katha addresses the amla tree as Dhatri and offers it worship.

Other names of Amalaki Ekadashi

• Amla Ekadashi: the simple everyday name.
• Amalaka / Amalakya Ekadashi: the name used in some panchangs and texts.
• Rangbhari Ekadashi: the most popular name in Kashi; in Braj it is also called Rangbharni Ekadashi.
• Kunj Ekadashi: the name used in the Shrinathdwara tradition of Rajasthan.
• Khatu Ekadashi: heard around the Phalguna fair of Khatu Shyam Ji, where this Ekadashi is especially important.

Month in the Purnimanta and Amanta calendars

Because Amalaki Ekadashi falls in the Shukla Paksha, its month name is the same in both the Purnimanta (North Indian) and Amanta (South and West Indian) calendars: Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi. The month names differ only for Krishna Paksha Ekadashis.

In the Gregorian calendar it usually falls in late February or March. Holika Dahan follows four days later, on Phalguna Purnima.

Significance of Amalaki Ekadashi

Religious significance

According to tradition, the Amalaki Ekadashi fast removes sins committed knowingly or unknowingly. In the katha, Lord Krishna says its merit equals the gift of a thousand cows, and that those who keep it with devotion reach the abode of Vishnu.

What makes this Ekadashi special is that the Lord is worshipped through nature. The amla tree is considered dear to Lord Vishnu, so worshipping it is believed to bring the same merit as worshipping Shri Hari. In some traditions, Lord Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu, is also worshipped beneath the amla tree on this day.

Spiritual message

The katha teaches that a single night of hearing the Lord’s glories is never wasted. A hunter who lived by killing animals was reborn as a righteous king because of a vigil he kept without even knowing it. The message is one of hope: the path back to God is never closed.

Mention in the Puranas

According to tradition, the Amalaki Ekadashi katha comes from the Brahmanda Purana, where sage Vasishtha tells King Mandhata about the glory of this vrat. Several sources also cite the Padma Purana for the glory of the amla tree, which describes amla as very dear to Lord Vishnu.

Amalaki Ekadashi Vrat Katha: The King of Vaidisha and the Hunter

How the story begins

King Yudhishthira said to Lord Krishna, “O Lord, you have told me the glory of Vijaya Ekadashi. Now please tell me the name, the method and the fruit of the Ekadashi of Phalguna Shukla Paksha.” Krishna replied, “O King, it is called Amalaki. Its fast destroys all sins and gives merit equal to the gift of a thousand cows. Listen to the story that sage Vasishtha once told King Mandhata.”

The city of Vaidisha and King Chaitraratha

Long ago there was a beautiful city named Vaidisha. People of all four varnas lived there in harmony, the sound of Vedic chanting never stopped, and no one there was sinful or faithless. It was ruled by Chaitraratha (also written Chitraratha), a learned and righteous king of the lunar dynasty. The king and all his people were devotees of Vishnu, and young and old alike kept every Ekadashi fast.

When Amalaki Ekadashi of Phalguna Shukla Paksha came, the king and all his subjects fasted. They bathed in the river and went to a temple where a sacred amla tree stood. There they installed a full pot of water (purna kumbha) and worshipped the Dhatri (amla) with incense, lamps, food offerings, the five gems and a canopy.

They prayed, “O Dhatri, you are a form of Brahman, born of Lord Brahma, and you destroy all sins. We bow to you; please accept our offering.” Some versions add that they invoked Lord Parashurama beneath the tree and sang his praises. The whole night passed in the temple with stories of the Lord, bhajans and a vigil.

The hunter’s unknowing vigil

That night a hunter arrived at the temple. He was a sinful man who fed his family by killing animals, and that day he had found nothing to eat. Hungry and thirsty, he sat down in a corner of the temple.

The devotees were reciting the glory of Lord Vishnu and Ekadashi. The hunter listened quietly and stayed awake all night with everyone else. Without knowing it, he had kept both the fast and the vigil. In the morning he went home, ate and went back to his work. Some time later he died.

Reborn as King Vasuratha

His lifelong violence should have led him to a terrible hell. But by the merit of that night’s fast, vigil and hearing of the katha, he was reborn as the son of King Viduratha and named Vasuratha. Some texts say Viduratha ruled the city of Jayanti.

Vasuratha grew up to rule ten thousand villages. He was radiant like the sun, gentle like the moon and patient like the earth. He was truthful, generous and a sincere devotee of Lord Vishnu.

Danger in the forest and the divine protector

One day Vasuratha went hunting, lost his way and fell asleep under a tree. A band of hill tribesmen (mlechchhas) found him. They blamed him for the deaths of their relatives and rushed at him shouting, “Kill him, kill him!”

But every weapon that touched the king’s body turned into a flower, and their weapons turned back on them until they began to faint. Then a beautiful yet fierce divine woman emerged from the king’s body and destroyed all the attackers.

When the king woke and saw them lying dead, a voice from the sky said, “O King, who but Lord Vishnu could protect you in this world?” The king bowed to Lord Vishnu, returned to his kingdom and ruled happily and righteously.

Vasishtha told Mandhata, “O King, all this was the power of the Amalaki Ekadashi fast. Whoever keeps it succeeds in their good works and finally reaches the abode of Vishnu.”

Other versions of the katha

Many Hindi sources tell a shorter version with King Chitrasena. Here there is no hunter or rebirth: Chitrasena himself is a devotee of Amalaki Ekadashi, bandits surround him in the forest, and a Vaishnavi shakti that emerges from his body protects him. ISKCON tellings name the king Chitraratha (also called Pashabinduka). We have given the most widespread version; the message of both is the same.

Amla Tree Puja Vidhi and the Significance of Amla

Why is the amla tree worshipped on this Ekadashi?

According to tradition, the amla tree is very dear to Lord Vishnu. Some sources say amla is believed to have come from the Lord’s own mouth, while the katha addresses it as a form of Brahman born of Lord Brahma. The texts tell its origin differently, but all treat it as sacred and dear to Vishnu.

A popular belief holds that Vishnu lives in its roots, Brahma in the trunk, Shiva in the branches and all the gods in the fruit.

How to worship the amla tree (step by step)

1. Bathe in the morning; in many homes a little amla juice is added to the bath water. Take your puja items to the amla tree and place a picture of Lord Vishnu beneath it.
2. Offer water at the roots of the tree, mixed with a little Ganga jal or milk if you like.
3. Place a water-filled kalash under the tree with mango or ashoka leaves and a coconut on top. Some traditions put five or nine gems inside; a coin and akshat are enough if you cannot.
4. Apply roli, sandalwood paste, turmeric and akshat to the trunk, and offer flowers and a garland.
5. Wind raw cotton thread or mauli (kalava) around the trunk, usually seven times while walking around it; some families follow a different number.
6. Light a ghee lamp and incense, and offer amla, fruits and sweets as naivedya.
7. Pray to the Dhatri to remove your sins and bless your home, then circumambulate the tree at least 7 times, or 11, 21 or 108 as you wish.
8. Sit under the tree, read or listen to the vrat katha and chant “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya”.
9. End with aarti and, if possible, offer food or fruit to a needy person or a brahmin under the tree.

Parashurama puja under the amla tree

ISKCON and several other traditions describe worshipping Lord Parashurama, Vishnu’s avatar, beneath the amla tree on this day. Some families place a small image of Parashurama on the kalash and invoke him with the feeling, “O son of Renuka, please come beneath this amla tree and accept our salutations.”

If your family does not include Parashurama puja, worshipping Lord Vishnu and the amla tree is complete in itself.

No amla tree nearby? What to do

• Place a few fresh amla fruits at your puja spot and worship them as a symbol of the Dhatri.
• Offer Lord Vishnu raw amla, amla murabba or a sattvic amla sweet as bhog.
• ISKCON tradition says that if no amla tree is available, Tulsi Devi may be worshipped instead.
• If a temple or park nearby has an amla tree, go and offer water there.

Amalaki Ekadashi Puja Vidhi (Step by Step)

Dashami (the day before)

1. Eat a light sattvic meal before sunset; avoid onion, garlic, meat and alcohol.
2. Clean your home, the puja area and the space around the amla tree. Gather the puja items, fresh amla and flowers in advance.
3. Remember Lord Vishnu at night and observe celibacy.

Ekadashi morning and sankalp

1. Wake before sunrise and bathe, in a holy river if possible or with a little Ganga jal in your bath water.
2. Holding water, akshat and a flower, take the sankalp: “I (name, gotra) will keep the Amalaki Ekadashi fast today for the pleasure of Lord Vishnu. O Lord, give me the strength to complete it.” Then release the water on the ground.

Worship of Lord Vishnu and the amla tree

1. Place an idol or picture of Lord Vishnu on a yellow cloth and sprinkle Ganga jal.
2. Offer yellow sandalwood paste, roli, akshat, yellow flowers and Tulsi leaves picked the day before. Light a ghee lamp and offer amla, fruits and panchamrit.
3. Then worship and circumambulate the amla tree (or the fruit) as described above.
4. Read the vrat katha, chant the Vishnu Sahasranama or “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya”, and finish with the “Om Jai Jagdish Hare” aarti.

Evening puja and night vigil

1. In the evening, light a lamp again for Lord Vishnu and place one near the amla tree too.
2. The katha gives great importance to the night vigil, so if you can, spend the night in bhajan, kirtan and naam-jap.

Dwadashi and parana

1. On Dwadashi morning, bathe and worship Lord Vishnu and the amla tree.
2. Give food, amla, clothes or a kalash to a brahmin or a needy person.
3. Within the parana window (see the table above), sip water with a Tulsi leaf, break the fast with amla and then eat a sattvic meal.

Puja Samagri List

• Idol or picture of Lord Vishnu
• An amla tree, or fresh amla fruits / a picture of the tree
• A wooden chowki and yellow cloth
• Copper, brass or clay kalash, mango or ashoka leaves, coconut
• Ganga jal, roli, yellow sandalwood, turmeric and akshat (for puja only)
• Raw cotton thread or mauli (kalava)
• Yellow flowers, a garland and Tulsi leaves (picked the day before)
• Ghee lamp, incense, camphor and panchamrit
• Seasonal fruits, amla or a sattvic sweet
• Betel leaf, betel nut and dakshina
• Picture of Lord Parashurama (if your tradition includes it)
• Vrat katha and aarti book
• Amla, fruit, clothes or grain for donation

Amalaki Ekadashi Mantras

Chant any of these mantras calmly during the puja. Chanting 108 times on a Tulsi mala is considered auspicious, but sincerity matters more than the count.

1. Dwadashakshar mantra

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय॥ (Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya)

Meaning: I bow to Lord Vasudeva, who dwells within all beings. This is the most popular Ekadashi mantra and can be chanted while circling the amla tree.

2. Ashtakshar Narayana mantra

ॐ नमो नारायणाय॥ (Om Namo Narayanaya)

Meaning: I bow to Lord Narayana, who sustains all creation.

3. Vishnu Gayatri mantra

ॐ नारायणाय विद्महे वासुदेवाय धीमहि। तन्नो विष्णुः प्रचोदयात्॥

Om Narayanaya Vidmahe Vasudevaya Dhimahi, Tanno Vishnuh Prachodayat

Meaning: We contemplate Narayana and meditate on Vasudeva; may Lord Vishnu inspire and guide our intellect.

4. Parashurama Gayatri mantra

ॐ जामदग्न्याय विद्महे महावीराय धीमहि। तन्नो परशुराम प्रचोदयात्॥

Om Jamadagnyaya Vidmahe Mahaviraya Dhimahi, Tanno Parashurama Prachodayat

Meaning: We contemplate the son of Jamadagni and meditate on the great hero; may Lord Parashurama inspire our intellect. Families who worship Parashurama under the amla tree chant this mantra.

Rangbhari Ekadashi: Kashi Vishwanath and the Start of Holi

What is Rangbhari Ekadashi?

In Kashi (Varanasi), Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi is celebrated as Rangbhari Ekadashi. It is believed that Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati were married on Maha Shivratri, and that on this Ekadashi Baba Vishwanath completed her gauna (the bride’s formal homecoming) and brought her to Kashi for the first time. In joy, the gods and devotees showered them with flowers and colours.

In Kashi it is said that the real colours of Holi begin on this day and continue until Phalguna Purnima. It is often described as the one Ekadashi with a special festival devoted to Lord Shiva.

The celebration at Kashi Vishwanath Temple

The gauna rituals begin a few days earlier. By tradition, the movable (chal) idols of Baba Vishwanath, Mata Parvati and Lord Ganesha are carried in a decorated palanquin from the former Mahant’s residence at Tedhi Neem, through Vishwanath Gali, to the temple’s sanctum.

Devotees throw abir and gulal on the procession amid cries of “Har Har Mahadev”, and it is believed that Baba plays Holi with his devotees on this day. Pilgrims bathe in the Ganga and offer gulal, milk and sweets to Baba.

Masan Holi

The day after Rangbhari Ekadashi, Kashi is famous for “Masan ki Holi”. It is believed that Lord Shiva plays Holi with the ash of funeral pyres at the great cremation ground (Manikarnika Ghat), together with his ganas and spirits.

Why are Amalaki and Rangbhari Ekadashi the same day?

They are not two festivals but two faces of one tithi, Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi. Across India, the Vaishnava tradition worships Vishnu and the amla tree, while in Kashi the day is famous for Baba Vishwanath’s gauna and the start of Holi. Many devotees honour both: they fast and worship Vishnu and the amla tree, and also offer water, bel leaves and gulal on the Shivling. Rudrabhishek is performed in many places.

Amalaki Ekadashi Fasting Rules: What to Eat and What to Avoid

What you can eat

• Fresh fruits such as banana, apple, papaya, pomegranate, grapes and especially amla
• Milk, curd, buttermilk, paneer and makhana
• Sabudana, kuttu (buckwheat) flour, singhara (water chestnut) flour, rajgira
• Boiled potato, sweet potato, arbi and pumpkin
• Rock salt (sendha namak), black pepper, cumin
• Nuts, coconut water and lemon water

What to avoid

• Rice and anything made from rice
• Wheat, barley, maize, lentils and all grains
• Onion, garlic, meat, eggs, fish and alcohol
• Ordinary table salt (use rock salt only)
• Packaged food that contains grain or ordinary salt

Can you eat amla on Amalaki Ekadashi?

Yes. Amla is a fruit, so it is allowed in a phalahar fast. Many families offer amla as bhog and take it as prasad, and break the fast with amla on Dwadashi. Do not pluck fruit from the tree you are worshipping; bring amla for the puja beforehand.

Nirjala fast

In a nirjala fast, both food and water are given up for the whole day. It is the strictest form and is only for healthy people. March can already be warm, so if you feel weak or dizzy, do not hesitate to drink water.

Phalahar fast

The phalahar fast is the most common. You eat fruit, milk, nuts and fasting foods during the day, but no grains or rice. Including amla in your phalahar fits well with the spirit of this Ekadashi.

One meal (Ekabhukta)

Those who cannot keep a full fast may eat one sattvic fasting meal in the day, such as kuttu puri or sabudana khichdi. This is a good option for elderly people and those who are weak.

Health caution: People with diabetes, heart disease or blood pressure problems, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and anyone on regular medication should consult their doctor before keeping a strict fast, especially a nirjala one. A phalahar fast kept with devotion is fully valid.

Amalaki Ekadashi Parana: When and How to Break the Fast

Parana means breaking the fast. It is done the next day, during the Dwadashi tithi, after sunrise, and should be completed before Dwadashi ends.

Hari Vasara: The first quarter of the Dwadashi tithi is called Hari Vasara, and parana is not done during it. Break the fast only after Hari Vasara ends. Early morning is considered the best time.

Smarta and Vaishnava: When Ekadashi spans two days, Smartas fast on the first and Vaishnavas on the second, so their parana days differ too. Vaishnava traditions such as ISKCON may also have a slightly longer parana window. Check the exact parana time for your city in the table above or on our Daily Panchang.

How to do parana

1. Bathe, worship Lord Vishnu and offer water to the amla tree.
2. Give food, amla or fruit to someone in need.
3. Sip a little water with a Tulsi leaf, then break the fast with amla or prasad, followed by a sattvic meal.

Do’s and Don’ts on Amalaki Ekadashi

Do’s

• Wake early, bathe and take the sankalp.
• Worship and circumambulate the amla tree (or amla fruit) along with Lord Vishnu.
• Read or listen to the Amalaki Ekadashi vrat katha.
• Chant “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” and recite the Vishnu Sahasranama.
• Keep a night vigil if you can, as the katha describes.
• Donate amla, fruit, clothes or food.
• Plant an amla sapling if possible.
• If you are a Shiva devotee or in Kashi, offer water and gulal on the Shivling for Rangbhari Ekadashi.

Don’ts

• Do not eat rice, grains, onion, garlic, meat or alcohol.
• Do not pluck Tulsi leaves on Ekadashi; pick them the day before.
• Do not break branches or leaves of the amla tree or harm it in any way.
• Avoid anger, lies, gossip and harsh words.
• Do not do parana during Hari Vasara or after Dwadashi has ended.

Amalaki Ekadashi Myths vs Reality

Myth: Without an amla tree, the Amalaki Ekadashi fast is incomplete.

Reality: The heart of the vrat is devotion to Lord Vishnu, fasting and self-discipline. If no tree is available, worshipping amla fruit, a picture or Tulsi is accepted, as several traditions themselves say.

Myth: You must not eat amla on Amalaki Ekadashi because it is being worshipped.

Reality: Amla is a fruit and is allowed in phalahar. Many families take amla as prasad and break the fast with it. What is discouraged is harming the tree you worship or plucking its fruit.

Myth: Rangbhari Ekadashi and Amalaki Ekadashi are two different days.

Reality: Both are names of the same tithi, Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi. Kashi celebrates it as Baba Vishwanath’s gauna and the start of Holi; elsewhere it is the day of Vishnu and amla worship. Only the Smarta-Vaishnava rule can occasionally make panchangs show different days.

Myth: If you accidentally eat something, the fast is ruined and bad luck follows.

Reality: Ask the Lord’s forgiveness for the mistake, chant “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” and keep the rest of the fast with faith. Ekadashi is a fast of devotion, not fear.

Myth: Fasting “detoxes” the body, so everyone should keep a nirjala fast.

Reality: The purpose of Ekadashi is spiritual, not medical. People with diabetes, during pregnancy, in old age, with weakness or on regular medicines should choose the type of fast only after consulting a doctor. A phalahar or one-meal fast is fully valid.

Benefits of Amalaki Ekadashi (as per Religious Belief)

The benefits below are beliefs described in scripture and tradition. Please see them as matters of faith, not guarantees.

• According to tradition, the fast frees one from sins committed knowingly or unknowingly.
• The katha says its merit equals the gift of a thousand cows.
• Worship and circumambulation of the amla tree are believed to bring happiness, prosperity and good health to the home.
• The katha shows Lord Vishnu protecting his devotee in danger, so devotees pray for protection and peace on this day.
• By scriptural belief, one who keeps this fast with faith finally reaches the abode of Vishnu.

Related Ekadashi and Prayers

Just before Amalaki comes Vijaya Ekadashi of Phalguna Krishna Paksha, the fast Lord Rama kept before the victory of Lanka. After Amalaki comes Papmochani Ekadashi of Chaitra Krishna Paksha, believed to free one from sins. See the dates of every Ekadashi of the year on our Ekadashi Kab Hai page.

For the puja, read the Om Jai Jagdish Hare Aarti and the Ekadashi Mata Ki Aarti. If you worship Tulsi in place of the amla tree, you can also sing the Tulsi Mata Ki Aarti. To keep all the aartis together, download our Aarti Sangrah PDF.

Amalaki Ekadashi teaches that reaching the Lord needs no grand show, only a sincere heart: an amla tree, a lamp, one night of vigil and the name of Shri Hari are enough. Before the colours of Holi, fill your heart with love and forgiveness. May Shri Hari and Mahadev bless you and your whole family. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, Har Har Mahadev.

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