When Is Ekadashi? Next Ekadashi Date, Parana Time and Ekadashi List

When is Ekadashi? Millions of devotees ask this every fortnight. The box below shows the next Ekadashi — its date, Ekadashi tithi timings and Parana time — worked out from sunrise in your city, followed by the full Ekadashi list for this year and next. When Ekadashi tithi is split across two days, both the Smarta (householder) and Vaishnava dates are shown.

How is the Ekadashi date decided?

Every Hindu month has two Ekadashis — Shukla paksha Ekadashi (the eleventh day after Amavasya) and Krishna paksha Ekadashi (the eleventh day after Purnima). A tithi depends on the distance between the Moon and the Sun, so it can begin at midnight or in the afternoon. The fast is kept on the day when Ekadashi tithi prevails at sunrise — the udaya tithi.

That is why a calendar may say “Ekadashi from 11 AM on 4 November” while the fast is on 5 November: Ekadashi tithi is running at sunrise on 5 November.

Why are Ekadashi dates confusing?

1. Tithi and date are different: a tithi lasts about 19 to 26 hours and can begin at any time, while the date changes at midnight.
2. Smarta and Vaishnava rules: sometimes Ekadashi tithi touches no sunrise, or two sunrises. Then householders (Smarta) fast on the first day and Vaishnava/ISKCON followers on the second.
3. City differences: sunrise differs from city to city, so the Ekadashi date can shift by a day between Delhi and Dehradun, or between India and the USA.
4. Different panchangs: some websites and calendars print only one tradition’s date without explaining why — which is what confuses people.

Smarta vs Vaishnava Ekadashi

Point	Smarta (householders)	Vaishnava / ISKCON
Followed by	Most householder families	Vaishnava sampradayas, ISKCON, sannyasis
Rule	Ekadashi tithi at sunrise	No Dashami at Arunodaya (96 minutes before sunrise)
If the tithi is split	Fast on the first day	Fast on the second day
Parana	Next day, in Dwadashi	Next day, in Dwadashi

Example: Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026

In 2026 Dev Uthani Ekadashi tithi runs from about 7:15 AM on 20 November to about 6:31 AM on 21 November (Delhi). At sunrise on 20 November it was still Dashami, and Ekadashi ended before sunrise on 21 November — so the tithi touches no sunrise. Smarta households therefore fast on 20 November and Vaishnavas on 21 November. Both dates are correct; only the tradition differs.

24 or 26 Ekadashis in a year?

A normal year has 24 Ekadashis in 12 months. In a year with Adhik Maas (Purushottam Maas) two more are added — Padmini (Shukla) and Parama (Krishna) — making 26. 2026 had an Adhik Jyeshtha month, so Padmini and Parama Ekadashi also fell this year.

All Ekadashi names and their significance

The table follows the North Indian Purnimanta calendar: for each month, the Krishna paksha Ekadashi first, then the Shukla paksha Ekadashi.

Month	Krishna paksha Ekadashi	Shukla paksha Ekadashi
Chaitra	Papmochani — freedom from sins	Kamada — fulfils wishes
Vaishakh	Varuthini — good fortune and protection	Mohini — linked to Vishnu’s Mohini form
Jyeshtha	Apara — gives boundless merit	Nirjala — the hardest fast, without water
Ashadha	Yogini — believed to cure illness	Devshayani — Vishnu’s rest begins, start of Chaturmas
Shravan	Kamika — special merit of tulsi worship	Putrada — for the blessing of children
Bhadrapad	Aja — story of King Harishchandra	Parivartini (Parshva) — Vishnu turns in his sleep
Ashwin	Indira — for the ancestors (Pitru Paksha)	Papankusha — restrains sins
Kartik	Rama — dedicated to Lakshmi (Rama)	Dev Uthani (Prabodhini) — Vishnu awakes, Tulsi Vivah
Margashirsha	Utpanna — birth of Goddess Ekadashi, best to begin the vow	Mokshada — gives moksha, Gita Jayanti
Paush	Saphala — success in work	Paush Putrada — for the blessing of children
Magh	Shattila — six uses of sesame	Jaya — story of release from a ghostly birth
Phalgun	Vijaya — gives victory, linked to Shri Ram	Amalaki — worship of the amla tree
Adhik Maas	Parama — Ekadashi of Purushottam Maas	Padmini — Ekadashi of Purushottam Maas

Ekadashi vrat vidhi

1. Dashami evening: eat a sattvic meal before sunset and prepare for the fast.
2. Ekadashi morning: after bathing, take the sankalp of the fast before Lord Vishnu.
3. Puja: offer yellow flowers, tulsi leaves, fruit and panchamrit to Vishnu ji, light a lamp and chant “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya”.
4. Katha and aarti: listen to that Ekadashi’s katha and sing Om Jai Jagdish Hare.
5. Through the day: keep a waterless, fruit or one-meal fast as you are able. If possible, sing bhajans and keep a night vigil.
6. Dwadashi: next day, in the Parana time, give food or charity to a Brahmin or someone in need and break the fast.

Rules of Ekadashi Parana

• Break the fast on the next day in Dwadashi tithi; breaking it after Dwadashi ends is considered a fault.
• Do not break the fast in Hari Vasara (the first quarter of Dwadashi) — wait for it to end.
• The best time for Parana is Pratahkal (early morning). If Hari Vasara runs through Pratahkal, break the fast after Madhyahna (midday).
• Break the fast with water, fruit or a sattvic meal with a tulsi leaf. The list above gives the Parana time for every Ekadashi in your city.

What to eat and avoid on Ekadashi

You may eat	Avoid
Fruit, milk, curd, dry fruit	Rice and anything made from rice
Sabudana, kuttu, singhara and rajgira flour	Wheat, lentils and other grains
Potato, sweet potato, arbi	Onion, garlic, meat, eggs
Rock salt (sendha namak), black pepper, cumin	Ordinary salt, spicy and fried food

Types of Ekadashi fast

• Nirjala: the whole day without water — the hardest fast.
• Jalahar: water only.
• Phalahar: fruit, milk and fasting foods.
• Ek samay: one fruit meal in the day.
• The sick, pregnant women, children and the elderly should keep a fruit fast as they are able and consult a doctor if needed.

When is Ekadashi abroad? (USA, UK, Canada, Australia)

Devotees living abroad should not fast by the Indian date. A tithi begins at the same instant all over the world, but sunrise comes at a different time in every country. So in the USA or Canada Ekadashi often falls a day earlier than in India, while in Australia it falls on the same day or a day later. Choose your city in the box above — such as New York, London, Toronto or Sydney — and the date and Parana time change automatically to that city’s sunrise.

Significance of Ekadashi

Ekadashi is considered the tithi dearest to Lord Vishnu. According to the Padma Purana, on Margashirsha Krishna Ekadashi a goddess emerged from Lord Vishnu’s body and slew the demon Mura; the Lord named her “Ekadashi” and blessed that those who fast on this day would be freed of sins. That is why Utpanna Ekadashi is considered auspicious for beginning the Ekadashi vow.

See all coming fasts and festivals in the Vrat Calendar and today’s tithi in Today’s Panchang. Read more on Wikipedia.

Frequently asked questions