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Shukla paksha · Phalguna · amanta reckoning

When is Amalaki Ekadashi 2027?

Amalaki Ekadashi 2027

In 143 days

Thu, 18 Mar

Amalaki Ekadashi 2027 is on Thursday, 18 March. Parana, breaking the fast, is on 19 March, 7:13 AM to 8:51 AM in New Delhi.

2028: Tuesday, 7 March 2028

Parana (breaking the fast), 19 Mar 2027

7:13 AM – 8:51 AM

New Delhi

Also called Rangbhari Ekadashi, Amla Ekadashi, Aamalaki Ekadashi. Those are the same observance and the same date, so they share this page rather than competing with it from a second URL.

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Computed for New Delhi

The date in New Delhi

Thursday, 18 March 2027

Amalaki Ekadashi 2027 timings in New Delhi
TimingNew DelhiWhat it is
Parana (breaking the fast), 19 Mar 20277:13 AM to 8:51 AMHari Vasara, the first quarter of Dwadashi, ends inside the morning window, so parana opens only after it.

Amalaki Ekadashi is not a Gregorian date. It is Shukla paksha tithi 11 of Phalguna in the amanta reckoning, and the Gregorian day it lands on moves by up to a month between years because twelve lunations fall about eleven days short of a solar year.

Tithi
Ekadashi, Shukla paksha
Lunar month
Phalguna (amanta)
Tithi begins
18 Mar, 4:21 AM
Tithi ends
19 Mar, 1:52 AM
Decided at
Sunrise
Sunrise in New Delhi
18 Mar, 6:27 AM

Sunrise in New Delhi falls at 6:27 AM on that day, and that is the instant the tithi has to be running at for the day to carry the observance. It is computed for this city rather than assumed, because it is what decides the date.

The two instants above are the astronomy and are not in dispute. The day is an interpretation of them: this observance is decided at sunrise, so it belongs to the day whose sunrise the tithi carries — not simply to the day the tithi begins.

Shukla paksha · Phalguna

Amalaki Ekadashi 2027: Smarta and Vaishnava dates

Listed here (Smarta, the sunrise rule)
Thursday, 18 March 2027 — The fast belongs to the day whose sunrise carries Ekadashi — the day AstroSage lists and the one this page leads with.
Vaishnava (ISKCON), the arunodaya rule
Thursday, 18 March 2027 — The same day this year. The Vaishnava rule reads the tithi at arunodaya, the 96 minutes before sunrise, rather than at sunrise; the arunodaya of Thursday, 18 March 2027 (18 Mar, 4:51 AM) is already inside Ekadashi, not Dashami.

Every day above is computed for New Delhi from the same tithi instants. ISKCON temples publish their own calendar for each city and also apply the Mahadvadashi rules, which can move a fast to Dwadashi in some years — where your temple's calendar differs, follow it.

Meaning and vrat katha

Amalaki Ekadashi vrat katha and significance

Also known as Rangbhari Ekadashi.

Amalaki Ekadashi is the bright-half Ekadashi of Phalguna, a few days before Holi. Its rite is the worship of the amla (amalaki) tree, in which Vishnu is said to dwell: families water it, tie a thread around it, light a lamp beneath it and keep the night awake in its presence. In Varanasi the same day is Rangbhari Ekadashi, when Shiva is said to bring Parvati home to Kashi after their wedding and the city's Holi begins with colour at Kashi Vishwanath.

The katha

Retold in brief from the Brahmanda Purana, in Krishna's Ekadashi-mahatmya to Yudhishthira.

In the city of Vaidisha, King Chaitraratha ruled a kingdom where every citizen was devoted to Vishnu and every Ekadashi was kept. On the Ekadashi of the bright half of Phalguna the king and his people gathered at the temple by the river, worshipped the amla tree there, and stayed awake all night in song.

That night a hunter, hungry after a day without a kill, came to the temple hoping for food. He found none — everyone was fasting — and so he sat at the edge of the crowd and, with nothing else to do, listened all night to the stories of Vishnu and the meaning of the day. At dawn he went home and ate.

In time the hunter died, and because of that one night — a fast he had not chosen and a vigil he had kept by accident — he was reborn as Vasuratha, king of Jayanti. One day, alone in the forest, Vasuratha fell asleep and was surrounded by enemies. Their weapons could not touch him, and a radiant goddess sprang from his body and destroyed them.

A voice from the sky told him she was the power of the Amalaki Ekadashi he had kept in his former life. Krishna tells Yudhishthira that if even that brings such protection, the merit of keeping the fast knowingly is beyond measure.

How the fast is kept

  • The fast runs from sunrise on the Ekadashi day to parana on Dwadashi. Many families eat a single plain meal on Dashami, the evening before.
  • Grains and rice are left out on Ekadashi. Those who cannot keep a complete fast take fruit, milk or a phalahar meal; a waterless fast is kept only by those whose tradition and health allow it.
  • Vishnu is worshipped with tulsi leaves, a lamp and his names; reading or hearing the day's katha is part of the observance, and many stay awake for a part of the night in kirtan or japa.
  • Parana is on Dwadashi, after Hari Vasara — the first quarter of Dwadashi — has passed. The window for your city is computed above.

Fasting customs are described here as tradition, not as medical advice. Consult a doctor before fasting, particularly if you are pregnant, diabetic, elderly or on medication.

All 26 · New Delhi

Every Ekadashi and its next date

Twenty-four in an ordinary year, two more in a year with an adhika month. Each has its own page with its katha, parana and Smarta and Vaishnava dates.

The next Ekadashi and its parana · every Ekadashi of 2027 with tithi and parana times

All Amalaki Ekadashi 2027 muhurat · New Delhi

Amalaki Ekadashi muhurat

Amalaki Ekadashi, the bright-half Ekadashi of Phalguna a few days before Holi, is kept for Vishnu with the worship of the amla tree. In New Delhi it falls on Thursday, 18 March 2027: the fast runs from sunrise to parana on Dwadashi, 19 Mar, 7:13 AM to 8:51 AM. In Varanasi the same day is Rangbhari Ekadashi, when Holi begins at Kashi Vishwanath.

All Amalaki Ekadashi 2027 muhurat in New Delhi
MuhuratTime in New DelhiWhat it is for
Parana: the time to break the fast19 Mar, 7:13 AM to 8:51 AMFrom the end of Hari Vasara to the end of the morning (the first fifth of the day).

The window on Dwadashi, the morning after the fast, in which Amalaki Ekadashi is completed. It opens once Hari Vasara is over and normally closes with the first part of the morning; when Hari Vasara runs late it moves past midday, and it never runs beyond the end of Dwadashi. The time shown is computed for New Delhi.

Hari Vasara ends19 Mar, 7:13 AMThe end of the first quarter of Dwadashi; the fast is never broken inside it.

Hari Vasara is the first quarter of Dwadashi. The fast is not broken inside it, even when it is already morning, so its end in New Delhi is the earliest moment parana can begin.

Brahma Muhurta4:52 AM to 5:40 AMThe 14th of the night's fifteen muhurtas, ending one muhurta before sunrise.

The hour before dawn on the Ekadashi day, the traditional time to wake, bathe and take the sankalp of the fast.

Sunrise6:27 AMThe upper edge of the Sun on the horizon, with refraction.

The fast is counted from sunrise on Ekadashi to parana on Dwadashi, and the morning puja begins after it.

Auspicious choghadiya (day): for the amla tree
  • Shubh 6:27 AM to 7:58 AM
  • Chal 10:59 AM to 12:29 PM
  • Labh 12:29 PM to 1:59 PM
  • Amrit 1:59 PM to 3:30 PM
  • Shubh 5:00 PM to 6:31 PM
The day's Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal choghadiyas.

The day's Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal periods. The amla tree is usually worshipped in the morning; those who cannot reach a tree at dawn choose one of these periods.

Pradosh Kaal: the evening lamps6:31 PM to 8:54 PMFrom sunset for three night muhurtas (a fifth of the night).

The evening after sunset, when lamps are lit before Vishnu and beside the tulsi and the aarti is sung again.

Nishita Kaal: the night vigil19 Mar, 12:05 AM to 12:52 AMThe 8th of the night's fifteen muhurtas, around the middle of the night.

The middle of the night, the heart of the jagran. Those who keep the night awake give this part of it to kirtan and japa.

Rahu Kaal (to avoid)Kept clear of1:59 PM to 3:30 PMRahu's eighth of the daylight, fixed by the weekday: a puja, a purchase or a journey is not begun in it.

The weekday's Rahu Kaal on the Ekadashi day in New Delhi. Many families avoid beginning the sankalp or the main puja inside it; it does not change the fast itself or the parana window.

Auspicious windows that day

Auspicious windows that day
WindowTime in New DelhiWhat it is
Abhijit Muhurat12:05 PM to 12:53 PMAuspicious
Amrit Kaal9:25 PM to 10:54 PMMost Auspicious
Brahma Muhurat4:52 AM to 5:40 AMAuspicious

Windows usually worked around

These are the spans classical muhurta sets aside for beginnings. They are descriptions of a convention, not warnings: the observance is kept on its day regardless, and nothing here needs to be bought, corrected or remedied.

Windows usually worked around
WindowTime in New Delhi
Rahu Kaal1:59 PM to 3:30 PM
Yamaganda Kaal6:27 AM to 7:58 AM
Durmuhurta First10:28 AM to 11:17 AM
Durmuhurta Second3:18 PM to 4:06 PM
Varjyam12:32 PM to 2:01 PM

Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Thursday, 18 March 2027, from the sunrise, sunset and the positions of the Sun and Moon for this city. The Vedic day runs sunrise to sunrise, so a window whose clock time falls after midnight still belongs to the evening before; a time on another date carries that date.

Puja vidhi · step by step at home

Amalaki Ekadashi puja vidhi

  1. The day before: Dashami

    Eat a single simple meal on Dashami, before sunset, without onion, garlic or rice, and keep the evening light and quiet. Clean the puja corner and pick the tulsi leaves you will need, since tulsi is not plucked on Ekadashi itself.

  2. Wake early and bathe

    Rise early on Ekadashi, in Brahma Muhurta if you can, bathe (a few drops of Ganga jal in the water if you have it) and put on clean clothes; yellow is the colour traditionally worn for Vishnu.

  3. Take the sankalp

    Sit before the altar, hold a little water and a flower in your right hand and resolve to keep the vrat: say your name, that you are keeping Amalaki Ekadashi for Vishnu, and how you will fast, whether without water, on water alone, on fruit or with one phalahar meal. Then let the water fall. The Ekadashi sankalpa verse in the mantra section can be said here.

  4. Set up the altar

    Spread a yellow cloth on a clean chowki and place an image of Vishnu or Krishna on it (a Shaligram or Laddu Gopal if the house keeps one), with a ghee lamp and a small kalash or lota of water. Remember Ganesh first, with a flower and Om Gam Ganapataye Namah, as every puja begins.

  5. Worship Vishnu

    Bathe a metal idol or the Shaligram with water, then panchamrit, then water again (for a picture, sprinkle water with a flower). Offer sandalwood, yellow flowers, a yellow cloth or mauli, incense, the lamp and tulsi leaves picked the day before, chanting Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Many households keep rice out of the Ekadashi puja altogether and offer a flower or a few sesame seeds where akshat would go.

  6. Worship the amla tree

    Go to an amla tree, in a garden, a temple or your own courtyard. Pour water at its roots, offer roli, haldi, flowers and a lamp, and wind a raw cotton thread around the trunk as you circle it, praying to Vishnu who is said to dwell in it. Where no tree is near, worship an amla sapling or amla fruit on the altar.

  7. Offer bhog

    Offer what you will eat yourself: fruit, a sweet made without grain, makhana, dry fruit or panchamrit, with a tulsi leaf on each offering. Nothing cooked from grain or pulses is offered or eaten on Ekadashi.

  8. Katha and aarti

    Read or listen to the Amalaki Ekadashi vrat katha below, and the Vishnu Sahasranama or a chapter of the Gita if you can. Then sing Om Jai Jagdish Hare with a ghee lamp or camphor, and ask pardon for any mistake made in the puja.

  9. Through the day

    Keep the fast as you resolved it, keep Vishnu's name in mind and avoid sleeping in the day, anger, gossip and harsh words. Give water, fruit or food to someone who needs it; charity is part of every Ekadashi.

  10. Lamps at dusk

    At sunset light a ghee lamp before Vishnu and another beside the tulsi plant, without plucking its leaves, and sing the aarti again.

  11. Keep the night near the amla

    In the katha the people of Vaidisha kept the whole night awake in song beside the temple's amla tree. Keep as much of the night as you can in kirtan, beside the tree if you can sit there safely, or beside the amla on your altar.

  12. Dwadashi: give, then break the fast

    Next morning bathe, worship Vishnu briefly and give food, grain or a gift to a brahmin or someone in need. Then break the fast inside the parana window: a tulsi leaf with water, or a fruit, first, saying the parana verse, and after it a simple sattvic meal.

Samagri · what to keep ready

Amalaki Ekadashi puja samagri list

  • An amla tree, or amla fruit The day's rite is the worship of the amla tree; where there is none, a sapling or amla fruit on the altar.
  • Raw cotton thread (kachcha soot) Wound around the amla tree as you circle it.
  • An image of Vishnu or Krishna A framed picture is enough; a metal idol, a Shaligram or Laddu Gopal is bathed in the puja.
  • A chowki and a yellow cloth Yellow is Vishnu's colour; a clean red cloth also does.
  • Tulsi leaves Picked on Dashami, because tulsi is not plucked on Ekadashi; one goes on every offering.
  • A ghee lamp and cotton wicks One for the altar and one for the tulsi at dusk; sesame oil is the usual alternative.
  • Yellow flowers and a garland Marigold, champa or any fresh yellow flowers; a lotus if you can find one.
  • Chandan (sandalwood paste) For the deity's tilak; haldi paste is the alternative.
  • Roli and haldi For the tilak and for marking the kalash.
  • Panchamrit Milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar, for the bath of the idol and as prasad.
  • Ganga jal A few drops in the bath water and to purify the altar; clean water if you have none.
  • A kalash or lota of water For the bath, achaman and the sankalp.
  • Incense and dhoop Whatever you use every day.
  • Camphor, an aarti plate and a bell For the aarti; a conch if the house has one.
  • Mauli (kalava) Offered as the deity's cloth or tied on the wrist.
  • A yellow cloth for the deity Optional; mauli takes its place.
  • Fruits of the season Banana, apple, guava, pomegranate or whatever is fresh, offered and then eaten as phalahar.
  • Grain-free sweets Makhana kheer, mishri, peda or dry fruit; nothing made with flour or rice.
  • A few sesame seeds Offered where akshat would go by the many households that keep rice out of the Ekadashi puja.
  • A tulsi mala For 108 repetitions of the mantra.
  • The vrat katha, Vishnu Sahasranama or Gita A book or a phone; reading the katha is part of the vrat.
  • Daan for Dwadashi Grain, fruit, clothes or dakshina, given before parana.
  • Gulal (in Varanasi) For Rangbhari Ekadashi, when colour is offered to Shiva and Parvati at Kashi Vishwanath.

Mantras · in Devanagari, with meaning

Amalaki Ekadashi mantras and aarti

Shantakaram: the Vishnu dhyana verse

शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम् ।
लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यं वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम् ॥

Shantakaram bhujagashayanam padmanabham suresham vishvadharam gaganasadrisham meghavarnam shubhangam
Lakshmikantam kamalanayanam yogibhir dhyanagamyam vande Vishnum bhavabhayaharam sarvalokaikanatham

Meaning: I bow to Vishnu: peaceful in form, resting on the serpent, the lotus at his navel, lord of the gods, support of the universe, vast as the sky, dark as a rain cloud, of auspicious form, beloved of Lakshmi, lotus-eyed, reached by yogis in meditation, who removes the fear of worldly existence, the one lord of all the worlds.

When and how: Once, with folded hands, before the worship begins, picturing Vishnu as the verse describes him.

The Ekadashi sankalpa verse

एकादश्यां निराहारः स्थित्वाहमपरेऽहनि ।
भोक्ष्यामि पुण्डरीकाक्ष शरणं मे भवाच्युत ॥

Ekadashyam niraharah sthitvaham apare'hani
Bhokshyami pundarikaksha sharanam me bhavachyuta

Meaning: O lotus-eyed Lord, I shall stay without food on Ekadashi and eat on the day after. O Achyuta, be my refuge.

When and how: Once in the morning, with water in the right hand, while taking the sankalp of the fast.

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya (the twelve-syllable mantra)

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

Meaning: Om, salutation to the Lord Vasudeva, Vishnu as the one who dwells in all beings. It is the mantra Narada taught the boy Dhruva in the Bhagavata Purana.

When and how: The main japa of Ekadashi: 108 times on a tulsi mala during the puja, and as often as you like through the day and the night vigil.

Om Namah Shivaya (for Rangbhari in Kashi)

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

Meaning: Om, salutation to Shiva. The five syllables come from the Shri Rudram of the Yajurveda.

When and how: In Varanasi, where the day is also Rangbhari Ekadashi, chanted at Kashi Vishwanath and before offering gulal to Shiva and Parvati.

The parana verse

अज्ञानतिमिरान्धस्य व्रतेनानेन केशव ।
प्रसीद सुमुखो नाथ ज्ञानदृष्टिप्रदो भव ॥

Ajnana-timirandhasya vratenanena Keshava
Prasida sumukho natha jnana-drishti-prado bhava

Meaning: O Keshava, by this vow be pleased with one who is blinded by the darkness of ignorance. Be gracious, Lord, and grant the sight of knowledge.

When and how: Once on Dwadashi, inside the parana window, before the first sip of water or bite of fruit.

Aarti Vishnu Aarti: Om Jai Jagdish Hare the full text

ॐ जय जगदीश हरे, स्वामी जय जगदीश हरे।
भक्त जनों के संकट, दास जनों के संकट, क्षण में दूर करे॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

जो ध्यावे फल पावे, दुःख बिनसे मन का, स्वामी दुःख बिनसे मन का।
सुख सम्पति घर आवे, सुख सम्पति घर आवे, कष्ट मिटे तन का॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

मात पिता तुम मेरे, शरण गहूं किसकी, स्वामी शरण गहूं मैं किसकी।
तुम बिन और न दूजा, तुम बिन और न दूजा, आस करूं मैं जिसकी॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

तुम पूरण परमात्मा, तुम अन्तर्यामी, स्वामी तुम अन्तर्यामी।
पारब्रह्म परमेश्वर, पारब्रह्म परमेश्वर, तुम सब के स्वामी॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

तुम करुणा के सागर, तुम पालनकर्ता, स्वामी तुम पालनकर्ता।
मैं मूरख फलकामी, मैं सेवक तुम स्वामी, कृपा करो भर्ता॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

तुम हो एक अगोचर, सबके प्राणपति, स्वामी सबके प्राणपति।
किस विधि मिलूं दयामय, किस विधि मिलूं दयामय, तुमको मैं कुमति॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

दीन-बन्धु दुःख-हर्ता, ठाकुर तुम मेरे, स्वामी रक्षक तुम मेरे।
अपने हाथ उठाओ, अपने शरण लगाओ, द्वार पड़ा तेरे॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

विषय-विकार मिटाओ, पाप हरो देवा, स्वामी पाप हरो देवा।
श्रद्धा भक्ति बढ़ाओ, श्रद्धा भक्ति बढ़ाओ, सन्तन की सेवा॥

ॐ जय जगदीश हरे, स्वामी जय जगदीश हरे।
भक्त जनों के संकट, दास जनों के संकट, क्षण में दूर करे॥

Om jai Jagdish hare, swami jai Jagdish hare.
Bhakt janon ke sankat, das janon ke sankat, kshan mein door kare.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Jo dhyave phal pave, dukh binse man ka, swami dukh binse man ka.
Sukh sampati ghar aave, sukh sampati ghar aave, kasht mite tan ka.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Maat pita tum mere, sharan gahoon kiski, swami sharan gahoon main kiski.
Tum bin aur na dooja, tum bin aur na dooja, aas karoon main jiski.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Tum pooran Parmatma, tum antaryami, swami tum antaryami.
Parabrahm Parmeshwar, Parabrahm Parmeshwar, tum sab ke swami.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Tum karuna ke sagar, tum palankarta, swami tum palankarta.
Main moorakh phalkami, main sevak tum swami, kripa karo bharta.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Tum ho ek agochar, sabke pranpati, swami sabke pranpati.
Kis vidhi miloon dayamay, kis vidhi miloon dayamay, tumko main kumati.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Deen-bandhu dukh-harta, thakur tum mere, swami rakshak tum mere.
Apne haath uthao, apne sharan lagao, dwar pada tere.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Vishay-vikar mitao, paap haro deva, swami paap haro deva.
Shraddha bhakti badhao, shraddha bhakti badhao, santan ki seva.

Om jai Jagdish hare, swami jai Jagdish hare.
Bhakt janon ke sankat, das janon ke sankat, kshan mein door kare.

Text as it is commonly sung. The Gita Press Aarti Sangrah prints 'prabhu' for 'swami', 'chhin mein' for 'kshan mein' and 'khal kami' for 'phalkami'; it does not repeat the half-lines, has no 'das janon ke sankat', 'main sevak tum swami' or 'apne sharan lagao', and reads 'tum thakur mere' for 'thakur tum mere, swami rakshak tum mere'. Printed text

Significance

Why Amalaki Ekadashi is kept

Its katha, from the Brahmanda Purana, is of a hungry hunter who came to a temple on this night hoping for food, found everyone fasting, and sat at the edge of the crowd listening to the stories of Vishnu until dawn. Reborn a king, he was saved from his enemies by the power of that one accidental vigil, and the Purana's conclusion is that if such a fast protects like that, one kept knowingly has merit beyond measure. So the day is generous to anyone who cannot do everything: those who cannot fast can still listen to the story and keep part of the night.

This is the last Ekadashi before Holi, so the fast sits inside the festival's run-up, with houses being cleaned, gujiya made and wood gathered for the Holika fire a few days on. Amla is still in season, and many carry the day's worship into the kitchen and the garden: amla eaten as phalahar, the fruit given away, and a sapling planted that will bear long after them. In Kashi the day has its own name and its own colours, given in the regional note below.

Upay · traditional practice

Amalaki Ekadashi upay: traditional remedies

Water and thread for the amla

Pour water at the roots of an amla tree, wind raw cotton thread around it as you circle it and light a lamp beneath it; it is the rite the day is named for.

Plant an amla

Planting and caring for an amla sapling is a lasting way to keep this day; by tradition it is Vishnu's tree for the rest of its life.

Amla in the offering and the daan

Offer amla fruit to Vishnu and give amla, with other fruit, to a temple or to someone in need on Dwadashi.

The night beside the tree

The katha's hunter changed his fate by listening all night beside the amla. Keep part of the night in kirtan or in hearing the stories of Vishnu.

Gulal for Shiva and Parvati in Kashi

In Varanasi, offer gulal to Shiva and Parvati at Kashi Vishwanath or at home on Rangbhari Ekadashi, opening the city's Holi.

Listen, if you cannot fast

The katha's hunter never chose to fast; he only stayed and listened. Those who cannot fast because of health can still keep the day by hearing the katha and the names of Vishnu.

The custom, in short

Amalaki Ekadashi do's and don'ts

Do

  • Eat one light sattvic meal on Dashami, before sunset.
  • Take the sankalp in the morning and keep the fast in the form you chose.
  • Put a tulsi leaf, picked the day before, on every offering.
  • Chant Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya and read or hear the katha.
  • Light a lamp before Vishnu and beside the tulsi at dusk.
  • Keep at least part of the night awake in kirtan or japa.
  • Give food or water to someone in need, and give daan on Dwadashi before parana.
  • Break the fast inside the parana window on Dwadashi.
  • Water and worship an amla tree, wind raw thread around it and light a lamp beneath it.
  • Plant an amla sapling if you have the space.

Don't

  • Do not eat rice, wheat, dal or any other grain or pulse on Ekadashi.
  • Do not pluck tulsi leaves on Ekadashi.
  • Do not eat onion, garlic, meat or eggs, or drink alcohol, from Dashami to Dwadashi.
  • Do not sleep during the day.
  • Do not quarrel, lie or speak harshly.
  • Do not break the fast during Hari Vasara, or let Dwadashi pass without parana.
  • Do not press the sick, the elderly, pregnant or nursing women or children into a strict fast; anyone with diabetes or another condition, or on regular medicine, should ask a doctor before fasting.
  • Do not break branches or strip fruit from the amla tree you worship.

Across India

Amalaki Ekadashi customs and food

By region

Varanasi (Kashi)
Rangbhari Ekadashi: Shiva is said to bring Parvati home to Kashi after their wedding; the images are carried in procession at Kashi Vishwanath and the city's Holi begins with gulal.
North India
Amla tree worship with water, raw thread, roli and a lamp, often by women of the household in the morning, with the katha read under the tree.

Bhog, prasad and fasting food

  • Fruit and milk The simplest phalahar: seasonal fruit, milk, curd or buttermilk through the day.
  • Sabudana khichdi Sago with potato and rock salt, often with peanuts; a staple fasting meal in many homes.
  • Kuttu or singhara puri Buckwheat or water-chestnut flour with potato sabzi, in families whose custom allows these flours.
  • Samak, the vrat rice Barnyard millet cooked like rice in North India; some traditions count millets as grain and leave it out.
  • Potato, sweet potato and arbi Boiled, or lightly fried in ghee with rock salt, cumin and green chilli.
  • Makhana Roasted, or as kheer, for the bhog and the fast.
  • Sendha namak (rock salt) Used instead of common salt by most who fast; some keep the day without salt altogether.
  • The parana meal On Dwadashi, a tulsi leaf with water or a fruit first, then a simple home-cooked meal; grain returns with the parana.
  • Amla Offered to Vishnu with the other fruits; a little is taken as prasad.

Amalaki Ekadashi across five years

Two years back, this year, and two ahead. Past years are kept rather than dropped so you can check the engine against a calendar you already have.

Amalaki Ekadashi across five years
YearDateStatus
2024Wednesday, 20 March 2024past
2025Monday, 10 March 2025past
2026This yearFriday, 27 February 2026past
2027Thursday, 18 March 2027upcoming
2028Tuesday, 7 March 2028upcoming

Every row is computed for New Delhi from the same ephemeris, not looked up. Sunrise decides which day a tithi names, and sunrise differs across India by more than an hour, so a date computed for Delhi can be a day out elsewhere.

Why calendars disagree about this date

There is no single authority that settles a Hindu festival date, and the divergence is genuine rather than sloppy. Three causes account for almost all of it.

  1. A tithi rarely starts at sunrise. One that is running at the deciding moment on two days — or on none — is claimed by both days under different rules.
  2. Month reckoning. North India runs purnimanta, the south and west amanta. The same dark fortnight carries different month names in the two, so an observance defined as "krishna X of month Y" can land a full lunation apart.
  3. Which moment decides. Most vratas belong to the day whose sunrise carries the tithi, but not all: this one is decided at sunrise. Almanacs that apply the sunrise rule to everything move several festivals by a day.

So this page shows its working. If your pandit or your family almanac gives a different day, the instants above will usually show you exactly why — and that is more useful than a date asserted without one.

Common questions

When is Amalaki Ekadashi?

Thursday, 18 March 2027. It is Ekadashi of Shukla paksha in Phalguna, and that tithi runs from 18 Mar, 4:21 AM to 19 Mar, 1:52 AM.

Why does another calendar give a different Amalaki Ekadashi date?

Three honest reasons. The tithi can be running at the deciding moment on two days or on none. North India reckons the month purnimanta and the south and west amanta, which names the same krishna fortnight differently. And almanacs differ on which moment of the day decides an observance. The instants above are the astronomy; the day is an interpretation of them.

Why is Amalaki Ekadashi observed?

Amalaki Ekadashi is the bright-half Ekadashi of Phalguna, a few days before Holi. Its rite is the worship of the amla (amalaki) tree, in which Vishnu is said to dwell: families water it, tie a thread around it, light a lamp beneath it and keep the night awake in its presence. In Varanasi the same day is Rangbhari Ekadashi, when Shiva is said to bring Parvati home to Kashi after their wedding and the city's Holi begins with colour at Kashi Vishwanath.

Where does the Amalaki Ekadashi vrat katha come from?

It is told in the Brahmanda Purana, in Krishna's Ekadashi-mahatmya to Yudhishthira. The katha is retold in full above.

Is Amalaki Ekadashi on a different day for Smarta and Vaishnava (ISKCON)?

Not this year — both keep Thursday, 18 March 2027. The Vaishnava rule reads Ekadashi at arunodaya, and Ekadashi already holds that day's arunodaya.

When is Amalaki (Amla) Ekadashi?

In New Delhi, Amalaki Ekadashi, often called Amla Ekadashi, falls on Thursday, 18 March 2027. It is the Ekadashi of the bright half of Phalguna, the same month in every calendar, a few days before Holi.

When is Rangbhari Ekadashi, and is it the same day?

Yes: Rangbhari Ekadashi is the Varanasi name for the same day, Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi, so in New Delhi it is also on Thursday, 18 March 2027. Kashi keeps it for Shiva and Parvati with colour at Kashi Vishwanath, while the rest of North India keeps the Amalaki vrat for Vishnu; many in Varanasi keep both.

What is the Amalaki Ekadashi parana time?

Parana is on Dwadashi: in New Delhi, 19 Mar, 7:13 AM to 8:51 AM, after Hari Vasara ends (19 Mar, 7:13 AM). Many begin with a little amla prasad and a tulsi leaf with water, then a simple meal.

What is the Amalaki Ekadashi vrat katha?

In Vaidisha, King Chaitraratha and his people kept this Ekadashi by worshipping the temple's amla tree and singing all night. A hungry hunter came looking for food, found none, and stayed listening till dawn. Reborn as King Vasuratha, he was once surrounded by enemies while asleep, and a radiant goddess rose from his body and destroyed them: the power of the Amalaki Ekadashi he had kept unknowingly. The full katha is above.

How is the amla tree worshipped on Amalaki Ekadashi?

After the morning puja, go to an amla tree, pour water at its roots, offer roli, haldi, flowers and a lamp, and wind raw cotton thread around the trunk as you circle it, praying to Vishnu. Read the katha there if you can, and keep part of the night near it in kirtan.

Why is the amla tree worshipped on this Ekadashi?

Tradition holds that Vishnu dwells in the amla, and this Ekadashi, named after it, is kept by worshipping the tree as his form. Its katha turns on a night spent beside a temple's amla tree, whose merit protected the listener into his next life.

How is Rangbhari Ekadashi celebrated in Varanasi?

Kashi remembers Shiva bringing Parvati home after their wedding. At Kashi Vishwanath the images are carried in procession amid gulal, and the city's Holi begins that day, a few days before Holi itself. Devotees chant Om Namah Shivaya and offer colour to Shiva and Parvati.

Why is Rangbhari Ekadashi celebrated?

Rangbhari means filled with colour. In Kashi it marks Shiva's homecoming with Parvati after their wedding, and the people of his city greet them with colour, which is why Holi in Varanasi begins on this Ekadashi rather than on Holi day.

What if there is no amla tree near me?

Worship an amla sapling in a pot, or a few amla fruits placed on the altar beside Vishnu's image, with the same water, thread, roli and lamp. Many families plant an amla on this day so that they have a tree for the years to come.

Can amla be eaten during the Amalaki Ekadashi fast?

Amla is a fruit, so those keeping a phalahar fast may take it; most offer it to Vishnu first and eat a little as prasad, often at the parana. Those keeping a water fast leave it for Dwadashi.

When does Ekadashi tithi begin and end for Amalaki Ekadashi?

In New Delhi, Ekadashi tithi runs 4:21 AM to 1:51 AM (19 Mar). The fast and the amla worship belong to the day whose sunrise falls inside it, Thursday, 18 March 2027.

How is the Amalaki Ekadashi vrat kept?

Eat one sattvic meal on Dashami. On Ekadashi bathe, take the sankalp and worship Vishnu, then worship the amla tree with water, thread and a lamp. Keep a water or fruit fast, read the katha, keep part of the night awake in kirtan, and on Dwadashi give fruit or food before breaking the fast in the parana window.