Skip to content
Swarn Siddhi EN Get app Get app Open app
Open menu

Krishna paksha · Vaishakha · amanta reckoning

When is Apara Ekadashi 2027?

Apara Ekadashi 2027

In 218 days

Tue, 1 Jun

Apara Ekadashi 2027 is on Tuesday, 1 June. Parana, breaking the fast, is on 2 June, 5:23 AM to 8:09 AM in New Delhi.

2028: Saturday, 20 May 2028

Parana (breaking the fast), 2 Jun 2027

5:23 AM – 8:09 AM

New Delhi

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

Ask Swarn

Is this muhurat good for my chart? Ask Swarn free

Computed for New Delhi

The date in New Delhi

Tuesday, 1 June 2027

Apara Ekadashi 2027 timings in New Delhi
TimingNew DelhiWhat it is
Parana (breaking the fast), 2 Jun 20275:23 AM to 8:09 AMThe window is the first fifth of the daylight (pratahkala).

Apara Ekadashi is not a Gregorian date. It is Krishna paksha tithi 11 of Vaishakha 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, Krishna paksha
Lunar month
Vaishakha (amanta)
Tithi begins
31 May, 10:03 AM
Tithi ends
1 Jun, 9:40 AM
Decided at
Sunrise
Sunrise in New Delhi
1 Jun, 5:23 AM

Sunrise in New Delhi falls at 5:23 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.

Krishna paksha · Jyeshtha (purnimanta) · Vaishakha (amanta)

Apara Ekadashi 2027: Smarta and Vaishnava dates

Apara Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark (krishna) half of Jyeshtha in the purnimanta reckoning used across North India, and of Vaishakha in the amanta reckoning used in the south and west. It is the same night: the two calendars name the dark fortnight after different months.

Listed here (Smarta, the sunrise rule)
Tuesday, 1 June 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
Tuesday, 1 June 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 Tuesday, 1 June 2027 (1 Jun, 3:47 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

Apara Ekadashi vrat katha and significance

Also known as Achala Ekadashi.

Apara Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight of Jyeshtha in the purnimanta reckoning — Vaishakha Krishna in the amanta one. Apara means "boundless", for the merit the Purana assigns it. It is also called Achala Ekadashi; in Punjab, Haryana and Jammu it is kept as Bhadrakali Ekadashi, and in Odisha as Jalakrida Ekadashi, when Jagannath's festival images are taken to the water. Vishnu is worshipped as Trivikrama, the Vamana form that measured the worlds.

The katha

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

Mahidhvaja was a just and generous king, but his younger brother Vajradhvaja hated him and wanted the throne. One night Vajradhvaja killed him and buried the body secretly under a peepal tree in the forest.

Because he had died by violence and without the last rites, Mahidhvaja's spirit could not move on. It lived in that peepal as a restless ghost, troubling everyone who passed along the road beneath it.

One day the sage Dhaumya came that way. By his insight he saw who the ghost was and how it had come to be there, and instead of driving it off he took pity on it. He drew the spirit down from the tree, taught it, and then kept the Apara Ekadashi of Jyeshtha himself, giving the whole merit of the fast to the king.

The Purana says that the merit released Mahidhvaja at once: he took a radiant form, thanked the sage and went to the heavens. Krishna tells Yudhishthira that the fast clears even grave wrongs, and that its merit is as great as bathing at the most sacred places at their most auspicious times.

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 Apara Ekadashi 2027 muhurat · New Delhi

Apara Ekadashi muhurat

Apara Ekadashi, the Ekadashi of boundless merit, is kept for Vishnu as Trivikrama in the dark fortnight of Jyeshtha; it is also called Achala Ekadashi. In New Delhi it falls on Tuesday, 1 June 2027: the fast runs from sunrise to parana on Dwadashi, 2 Jun, 5:23 AM to 8:09 AM. In Punjab, Haryana and Jammu the same day is Bhadrakali Ekadashi, and in Odisha Jalakrida Ekadashi.

All Apara Ekadashi 2027 muhurat in New Delhi
MuhuratTime in New DelhiWhat it is for
Parana: the time to break the fast2 Jun, 5:23 AM to 8:09 AMThe morning of Dwadashi (the first fifth of the day), Hari Vasara having ended overnight.

The window on Dwadashi, the morning after the fast, in which Apara 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 ends3:22 PMThe 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 Muhurta4:02 AM to 4:42 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.

Sunrise5:23 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)
  • Chal 8:51 AM to 10:35 AM
  • Labh 10:35 AM to 12:19 PM
  • Amrit 12:19 PM to 2:02 PM
  • Shubh 3:46 PM to 5:30 PM
The day's Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal choghadiyas.

The day's Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal periods. Families who cannot worship at dawn choose one of them for the main puja.

Pradosh Kaal: the evening lamps7:14 PM to 9:16 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 vigil11:58 PM to 12:39 AM (2 Jun)The 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 of3:46 PM to 5:30 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 Muhurat11:51 AM to 12:46 PMAuspicious
Amrit Kaal10:24 AM to 12:01 PMMost Auspicious
Amrit Kaal (Second)5:14 AM to 6:48 AMMost Auspicious
Brahma Muhurat4:02 AM to 4:42 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 Kaal3:46 PM to 5:30 PM
Yamaganda Kaal8:51 AM to 10:35 AM
Durmuhurta First8:09 AM to 9:05 AM

Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Tuesday, 1 June 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

Apara 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 Apara 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 as Trivikrama

    Bathe a metal idol or the Shaligram with water, panchamrit and water again (for a picture, sprinkle water with a flower), and worship Vishnu as Trivikrama, the Vamana who measured the three worlds in three strides. Offer sandalwood, yellow flowers, tulsi picked the day before, incense and a lamp, chanting Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

  6. 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.

  7. Katha and aarti

    Read or listen to the Apara 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. The night vigil

    Stay awake for as much of the night as you can, in kirtan, japa or reading; the middle of the night is the heart of the jagran. Those who cannot keep the whole night keep a part of it.

  11. Merit for those who died without rites

    In the katha the sage Dhaumya gave the merit of this fast to a king who had died by violence and without his last rites. If your family wishes, offer the fast's merit on Dwadashi morning, before parana, to a relative who died suddenly or far from home, with water, a flower and a few sesame seeds.

  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

Apara Ekadashi puja samagri list

  • 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.
  • Sesame and water for the dedication For offering the fast's merit to the departed on Dwadashi, if your family keeps that custom.

Mantras · in Devanagari, with meaning

Apara 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.

A verse to the ancestors

देवताभ्यः पितृभ्यश्च महायोगिभ्य एव च ।
नमः स्वधायै स्वाहायै नित्यमेव नमो नमः ॥

Devatabhyah pitribhyash cha mahayogibhya eva cha
Namah svadhayai svahayai nityam eva namo namah

Meaning: Salutation to the gods, to the ancestors and to the great yogis; salutation to Svadha and to Svaha, always, again and again. A verse widely recited at shraddha.

When and how: Three times on Dwadashi morning, with water and sesame, before offering the fast's merit to the departed, as the sage Dhaumya offered his to King Mahidhvaja.

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 Apara Ekadashi is kept

Its katha makes it a fast kept for someone else, and for someone beyond help: a sage gave its whole merit to a murdered king whose spirit could find no rest, and the king was released at once. So families offer it for a relative who died suddenly or violently, pour water at a peepal in that person's name, and try to let go of anger at whoever caused the death, as the sage chose pity over driving the spirit away.

It falls a fortnight before Nirjala, and many use it to prepare for that harder fast: water at the gate for passers-by, a peepal watered at dawn, a dip in a river or a few drops of Ganga jal in the bath. Vat Savitri and Shani Jayanti follow on the new moon a few days later. The katha closes with Krishna's word that the fast clears even grave wrongs, its merit equal to bathing at the holiest places at their holiest hours.

Upay · traditional practice

Apara Ekadashi upay: traditional remedies

Merit for the restless dead

As Dhaumya did for King Mahidhvaja, offer the fast's merit on Dwadashi to someone who died suddenly, violently or far from home, if your family wishes; it is a prayer for their peace.

Water at a peepal

The katha's spirit lived in a peepal. Pouring water at a peepal tree and lighting a lamp there, in memory of the story, suits the day.

Remember Trivikrama

Worship Vishnu as Trivikrama, who covered the worlds in three strides, and give three things before parana: water, food and a kind word.

Water before Nirjala

Apara comes in the hottest weeks, just before Nirjala Ekadashi. Set out water and buttermilk for workers and passers-by; the day's merit is counted as boundless, and so is thirst in May.

A dip, or Ganga jal

The Purana compares this fast's merit to bathing at the sacred places at their holiest times; those who can bathe in a holy river do so, and others add Ganga jal to the morning bath.

Kindness to those who wrong you

Dhaumya met a ghost that troubled travellers with pity instead of anger. Answer one harsh word today with patience.

The custom, in short

Apara 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.
  • If your family wishes, offer the fast's merit to someone who died suddenly or without rites.

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 speak ill of the dead; the katha's sage met even a restless spirit with compassion.

Across India

Apara Ekadashi customs and food

By region

Punjab, Haryana and Jammu
The day is kept as Bhadrakali Ekadashi.
Odisha
Jalakrida Ekadashi, when Jagannath's festival images are taken to the water.
North India
Apara or Achala Ekadashi, kept for Vishnu as Trivikrama, often with water given to a peepal.

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.

Apara 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.

Apara Ekadashi across five years
YearDateStatus
2024Sunday, 2 June 2024past
2025Friday, 23 May 2025past
2026This yearWednesday, 13 May 2026past
2027Tuesday, 1 June 2027upcoming
2028Saturday, 20 May 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 Apara Ekadashi?

In New Delhi, Apara Ekadashi falls on Tuesday, 1 June 2027, with Ekadashi tithi running 10:02 AM (31 May) to 9:40 AM. It is the dark-fortnight Ekadashi of Jyeshtha in North India's purnimanta calendar (Vaishakha Krishna in the amanta one), the Ekadashi just before Nirjala, in the hottest weeks of the year.

Why does another calendar give a different Apara 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 Apara Ekadashi observed?

Apara Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight of Jyeshtha in the purnimanta reckoning — Vaishakha Krishna in the amanta one. Apara means "boundless", for the merit the Purana assigns it. It is also called Achala Ekadashi; in Punjab, Haryana and Jammu it is kept as Bhadrakali Ekadashi, and in Odisha as Jalakrida Ekadashi, when Jagannath's festival images are taken to the water. Vishnu is worshipped as Trivikrama, the Vamana form that measured the worlds.

Where does the Apara 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 Apara Ekadashi on a different day for Smarta and Vaishnava (ISKCON)?

Not this year — both keep Tuesday, 1 June 2027. The Vaishnava rule reads Ekadashi at arunodaya, and Ekadashi already holds that day's arunodaya.

What is the Apara Ekadashi parana time?

Parana is on Dwadashi: in New Delhi, 2 Jun, 5:23 AM to 8:09 AM, once Hari Vasara has ended (3:22 PM). In the heat, drink water first and eat light; those offering the fast's merit to the departed do it just before parana.

What is the Apara Ekadashi vrat katha?

King Mahidhvaja was murdered by his jealous younger brother Vajradhvaja and buried secretly under a peepal. Dying by violence and without last rites, he could not move on and haunted the tree as a restless spirit. The sage Dhaumya, seeing who he was, took pity, taught him, kept the Apara Ekadashi himself and gave him its whole merit, and the king was released at once. The full katha is above.

What does Apara mean?

Apara means boundless, or beyond measure, for the merit the Brahmanda Purana assigns to the fast: as great, it says, as bathing at the most sacred places at their holiest times. The other name, Achala, means steady or unmoving.

Why is it also called Achala Ekadashi?

Achala is a second name for the same day, used in many North Indian calendars and vrat books; it means steady, unmoving. Apara and Achala are one Ekadashi, the dark-fortnight Ekadashi of Jyeshtha, with one katha and one vidhi.

What is Bhadrakali Ekadashi?

In Punjab, Haryana and Jammu, the day of Apara Ekadashi is kept as Bhadrakali Ekadashi. It is the same date; families there keep it in their own regional way alongside the Ekadashi fast.

What is the importance of Apara Ekadashi?

The Purana says its merit is boundless and that it clears even grave wrongs, and its katha tells how merit given to a king who died without rites brought him peace. So the day is kept both for one's own release and as an act of compassion for the dead.

How is the Apara Ekadashi vrat kept?

Eat one light meal on Dashami. On Ekadashi bathe, take the sankalp and worship Vishnu as Trivikrama with tulsi, yellow flowers and a lamp, read the Mahidhvaja katha and keep the fast, drinking water if you are not keeping it waterless. Water a peepal, keep part of the night awake, and on Dwadashi give, dedicate the merit if you wish and break the fast in the parana window.

What are the benefits of Apara Ekadashi?

The Brahmanda Purana promises boundless merit and release from grave wrongs, and these are the tradition's words, kept with faith rather than as a guarantee. The katha's own example is generous: the sage kept the fast for someone else, a man he had never known.

Who is Trivikrama, the form of Vishnu worshipped on Apara Ekadashi?

Trivikrama, the one of three strides, is Vishnu as Vamana grown to cosmic size: asked by King Bali for three paces of land, he covered the earth with one, the heavens with the second, and placed the third on Bali's bowed head. Apara is kept for Vishnu in this form.

Can the merit of the Apara fast be offered to someone who has died?

That is what the katha shows: Dhaumya offered his fast's merit to a dead king and freed him. On Dwadashi morning before parana, with water, a flower and a little sesame, name the person and offer it with a prayer for their peace. It is a family's choice, and needs no priest.

What should I eat on Apara Ekadashi in the summer heat?

Keep phalahar light and full of water: watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, mango and coconut water, with curd, buttermilk with rock salt and a little sabudana or makhana. Drink enough water unless you are keeping a waterless fast, and leave grain, dal, onion and garlic for the parana.