Ekadashi Vrat 2026 Dates: Complete List with Fasting Guide
All 24 Ekadashi dates for 2026 with significance of each and everything you need to observe the fast correctly.
Ekadashi falls twice every lunar month — once in Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) and once in Krishna Paksha (waning moon) — for a total of 24 fasting days in a year. This guide compiles the full list of Ekadashi vrat 2026 dates with the name, paksha, and presiding deity for each, plus the fasting rules and parana timings that apply across the year.
If you’re starting an Ekadashi practice or maintaining a streak from last year, save this page or screenshot the table below. The dates are based on standard Indian Panchang calculations referenced to IST sunrise; verify with your local pandit if you observe by a regional Panchang.
What is Ekadashi? Why the 11th Lunar Day is Sacred
The word Ekadashi is Sanskrit for “the eleventh” — specifically, the eleventh tithi (lunar day) of each paksha. The Padma Purana describes Ekadashi as the day Vishnu accepted a personification of fasting into his presence, granting that anyone who fasts on this day would receive his protection. From that moment, Ekadashi has been counted as the most important regular fast of the Vaishnava tradition.
The fast extends through one full sunrise-to-sunrise cycle of the eleventh tithi. Because tithis don’t align cleanly with 24-hour days, the date the fast is observed depends on when the tithi is “active at sunrise” in your location — which is why a 2026 Ekadashi date may differ by one day between, say, Delhi and Los Angeles.
Ekadashi Dates 2026: Complete List
The 24 Ekadashis of 2026, in chronological order:
| Ekadashi | Date | Paksha | Deity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saphala Ekadashi | 14 Jan 2026 | Krishna | Vishnu |
| Pausha Putrada Ekadashi | 29 Jan 2026 | Shukla | Narayana |
| Shattila Ekadashi | 13 Feb 2026 | Krishna | Vishnu |
| Jaya Ekadashi | 27 Feb 2026 | Shukla | Vishnu |
| Vijaya Ekadashi | 15 Mar 2026 | Krishna | Vishnu |
| Amalaki Ekadashi | 29 Mar 2026 | Shukla | Vishnu |
| Papamochani Ekadashi | 14 Apr 2026 | Krishna | Vishnu |
| Kamada Ekadashi | 27 Apr 2026 | Shukla | Vasudeva |
| Varuthini Ekadashi | 13 May 2026 | Krishna | Madhusudana |
| Mohini Ekadashi | 27 May 2026 | Shukla | Vishnu |
| Apara Ekadashi | 11 Jun 2026 | Krishna | Trivikrama |
| Nirjala Ekadashi | 26 Jun 2026 | Shukla | Vishnu |
| Yogini Ekadashi | 11 Jul 2026 | Krishna | Vishnu |
| Devshayani Ekadashi | 25 Jul 2026 | Shukla | Padmanabha |
| Kamika Ekadashi | 9 Aug 2026 | Krishna | Vishnu |
| Shravana Putrada Ekadashi | 24 Aug 2026 | Shukla | Vamana |
| Aja Ekadashi | 8 Sep 2026 | Krishna | Upendra |
| Parsva Ekadashi | 22 Sep 2026 | Shukla | Vamana |
| Indira Ekadashi | 7 Oct 2026 | Krishna | Hrishikesha |
| Papankusha Ekadashi | 22 Oct 2026 | Shukla | Padmanabha |
| Rama Ekadashi | 6 Nov 2026 | Krishna | Narayana |
| Devuthana Ekadashi | 20 Nov 2026 | Shukla | Govinda |
| Utpanna Ekadashi | 5 Dec 2026 | Krishna | Keshava |
| Mokshada Ekadashi | 20 Dec 2026 | Shukla | Damodara |
Dates based on standard Panchang calculations referenced to IST sunrise — verify with your local pandit for regional variations.
Ekadashi Fasting Rules: What to Eat, What to Avoid
The Ekadashi fast follows phalahari rules. Permitted: fresh fruit, milk, dairy, sabudana, makhana, kuttu atta, singhara atta, sweet potato, raw banana, rock salt (sendha namak), ghee, jeera, ginger, green chillies, and most non-onion non-garlic vegetables.
Strictly excluded: rice, wheat, dal, all regular grains and lentils, onion, garlic, regular table salt, non-vegetarian food, eggs, alcohol, and packaged or fermented food. Many devotees observe a stricter variant — no salt, or full nirjala (no water) — particularly on the more significant Ekadashis of the year.
The full breakdown of permitted ingredients, along with the regional variations, is in our festival fasting guide.
Parana: The Correct Way to Break the Fast
Parana — the breaking of the Ekadashi fast — happens the next morning, during the early hours of dwadashi (the 12th tithi). The traditional rule is to break the fast within the first quarter of the day after sunrise, after offering a brief prayer to Vishnu.
The first meal at parana should be light: fruit, a small bowl of khichdi made with vrat-permitted ingredients, or a glass of milk with soaked nuts. Heavy fried food after a 24-hour rest can overwhelm the digestive system. Within an hour of the first food, regular meals can resume.
The Most Important Ekadashis of the Year
Of the 24 Ekadashis, five are considered especially significant in scriptural tradition:
Nirjala Ekadashi (26 Jun 2026): the only Ekadashi observed without water. The Padma Purana states that Nirjala alone carries the merit of all 24 Ekadashis combined.
Devshayani Ekadashi (25 Jul 2026): the day Vishnu enters his cosmic sleep and Chaturmas begins. Auspicious activities are paused for the next four months.
Devuthana Ekadashi (20 Nov 2026): the day Vishnu awakens and Chaturmas ends. Marriage season opens.
Mokshada Ekadashi (20 Dec 2026): the day the Bhagavad Gita was first spoken on the Kurukshetra battlefield. Observed as Gita Jayanti.
Vaikuntha Ekadashi: celebrated chiefly in South India during the Margashirsha Shukla Paksha — falling on Mokshada Ekadashi in most years.
How to Never Miss an Ekadashi Again
The hardest part of an Ekadashi streak isn’t the fast — it’s remembering the date. Because Ekadashi shifts in the Gregorian calendar each fortnight, the date you observed last month is not the date this month. The traditional fix is a printed Panchang calendar on the kitchen wall; the modern fix is an app that calculates tithi for your location and sends a reminder the evening before.
If you want both — the dates pre-calculated for where you are, the night-before reminder, and a streak counter that shows you how many Ekadashis in a row you’ve kept — set up Ekadashi reminders in iVratGuru. The calendar work is done; you just observe.
