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

Krishna paksha · Ashwin · amanta reckoning

When is Rama Ekadashi 2026?

Rama Ekadashi 2026

In 10 days

Thu, 5 Nov

Rama Ekadashi 2026 is on Thursday, 5 November. Parana, breaking the fast, is on 6 November, 6:36 AM to 8:47 AM in New Delhi.

2027: Monday, 25 October 2027

Parana (breaking the fast), 6 Nov 2026

6:36 AM – 8:47 AM

New Delhi

Also called Rambha Ekadashi, Ramaa 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

Thursday, 5 November 2026

Rama Ekadashi 2026 timings in New Delhi
TimingNew DelhiWhat it is
Parana (breaking the fast), 6 Nov 20266:36 AM to 8:47 AMThe window is the first fifth of the daylight (pratahkala).

Rama Ekadashi is not a Gregorian date. It is Krishna paksha tithi 11 of Ashwin 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
Ashwin (amanta)
Tithi begins
4 Nov, 11:04 AM
Tithi ends
5 Nov, 10:36 AM
Decided at
Sunrise
Sunrise in New Delhi
5 Nov, 6:35 AM

Sunrise in New Delhi falls at 6:35 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 · Kartika (purnimanta) · Ashwin (amanta)

Rama Ekadashi 2026: Smarta and Vaishnava dates

Rama Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark (krishna) half of Kartika in the purnimanta reckoning used across North India, and of Ashwin 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)
Thursday, 5 November 2026 — 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, 5 November 2026 — 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, 5 November 2026 (5 Nov, 4:59 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

Rama Ekadashi vrat katha and significance

Rama Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight that leads to Diwali — Kartika Krishna in the purnimanta reckoning of North India, Ashwin Krishna in the amanta one. Rama is a name of Lakshmi, and the day is kept for Vishnu together with Lakshmi; falling a day or two before Dhanteras and a few days before Lakshmi Puja, it opens the Diwali season of worship in many homes. Lamps are lit before Vishnu and tulsi, and the katha read on the day is the story of Chandrabhaga, whose own fasts steadied her husband's heaven.

The katha

Retold in brief from the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, in the Ekadashi-mahatmya told by Krishna to Yudhishthira (some Hindi vrat-katha books place it in the Padma Purana).

King Muchukunda was a friend of Indra, Yama and Varuna, and so devoted to Vishnu that everyone in his kingdom kept Ekadashi. His daughter Chandrabhaga married Shobhana, a gentle prince who was never strong and found fasting hard.

Shobhana was staying at his father-in-law's court in Kartika when drums went round the city announcing the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight. He asked his wife what to do. In her father's kingdom, she told him, no one ate on that day; if he could not fast, he should leave before it began. He stayed and kept the fast, and, weak as he was, he did not live through the night.

By the merit of that one fast he was reborn as king of a shining city on Mount Mandarachala. A brahmin from Muchukunda's kingdom, Somasharma, found him there on pilgrimage, and Shobhana told him the city was real but would not last: he had fasted out of obligation, not faith. When Chandrabhaga heard this she went to the mountain and, with the blessing of the sage Vamadeva, gave her husband the merit of the Ekadashis she had kept since childhood. The city became steady, and the two lived there together.

Krishna tells Yudhishthira that the day is named for Rama, Lakshmi, and that even hearing its story is counted as merit.

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 2026 with tithi and parana times

All Rama Ekadashi 2026 muhurat · New Delhi

Rama Ekadashi muhurat

Rama Ekadashi, named for Lakshmi, is kept for Vishnu and Lakshmi together in the dark fortnight that leads to Diwali, and for many homes it opens the season's worship. In New Delhi it falls on Thursday, 5 November 2026: the fast runs from sunrise to parana on Dwadashi, 6 Nov, 6:36 AM to 8:47 AM. It is the Ekadashi of Kartika Krishna in North India (Ashwin Krishna in the amanta calendar), a day or two before Dhanteras.

All Rama Ekadashi 2026 muhurat in New Delhi
MuhuratTime in New DelhiWhat it is for
Parana: the time to break the fast6 Nov, 6:36 AM to 8:47 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 Rama 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 ends4:35 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 Muhurta4:51 AM to 5:43 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.

Sunrise6:35 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)
  • Shubh 6:35 AM to 7:57 AM
  • Chal 10:42 AM to 12:04 PM
  • Labh 12:04 PM to 1:26 PM
  • Amrit 1:26 PM to 2:49 PM
  • Shubh 4:11 PM to 5:33 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 lamps5:33 PM to 8:10 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 vigil11:38 PM to 12:31 AM (6 Nov)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 of1:26 PM to 2:49 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 Muhurat11:42 AM to 12:26 PMAuspicious
Amrit Kaal8:36 PM to 10:14 PMMost Auspicious
Brahma Muhurat4:51 AM to 5:43 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 Kaal1:26 PM to 2:49 PM
Yamaganda Kaal6:35 AM to 7:57 AM
Durmuhurta First10:14 AM to 10:58 AM
Durmuhurta Second2:38 PM to 3:21 PM
Varjyam10:50 AM to 12:27 PM

Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Thursday, 5 November 2026, 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

Rama 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 Rama 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 for Vishnu and Lakshmi

    Spread a yellow or red cloth on a clean chowki and place Vishnu and Lakshmi together on it, as Lakshmi-Narayan, with a ghee lamp and a kalash or lota of water. Remember Ganesh first, with a flower and Om Gam Ganapataye Namah.

  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 Lakshmi with Vishnu

    Rama is a name of Lakshmi, and the day is hers too. After Vishnu, offer Lakshmi kumkum, a red or pink flower, a lotus if you have one, and a sweet, and chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah 108 times.

  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 Rama 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 as the Diwali season opens

    At dusk light ghee lamps before Vishnu and Lakshmi and beside the tulsi; many homes count this day as the opening of the Diwali season, which follows within days. Sing the aarti again.

  11. 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.

  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

Rama 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.
  • An image of Lakshmi, or of Lakshmi-Narayan The day is kept for Vishnu together with Lakshmi.
  • Kumkum and a red or pink flower For Lakshmi; a lotus if you can find one.
  • Extra diyas Lamps for Vishnu, Lakshmi and the tulsi at dusk.

Mantras · in Devanagari, with meaning

Rama 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 Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah

ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः

Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah

Meaning: Om, shreem: salutation to Mahalakshmi. Shreem is Lakshmi's seed syllable.

When and how: 108 times after the Vishnu mantra, since the day is kept for Vishnu together with Lakshmi.

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 Rama Ekadashi is kept

Its katha puts a hard question to anyone who fasts only from habit or duty, so before the sankalp take a moment to say why you are keeping it. Those who keep the vow regularly can, as the katha's wife did, offer its merit for someone they love. With the festival days just ahead, it is also a natural day to finish cleaning the house and the puja corner and to worship Vishnu with his consort beside him. The katha closes with Krishna's word that even hearing the story counts as merit.

Its katha, from the Brahma Vaivarta Purana (some Hindi vrat-katha books place it in the Padma Purana), is the story of Chandrabhaga, daughter of King Muchukunda, whose husband Shobhana died keeping this fast out of obligation and won a heaven that would not last, until she gave him the merit of the Ekadashis she had kept since childhood. In Maharashtra, Vasu Baras, the first day of Diwali there, follows on the Dwadashi: on the Ekadashi's own evening in some years, the next day in others.

Upay · traditional practice

Rama Ekadashi upay: traditional remedies

Lakshmi with Narayana

Worship Lakshmi beside Vishnu with kumkum, a red flower and Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah; Rama is her name, and tradition holds that she stays where Narayana is honoured.

Lamps at the door

Light lamps at the door, before Vishnu and Lakshmi and beside the tulsi at dusk; with Diwali days away, many homes count this evening's lamps as the start of the festive season.

Faith, not obligation

Shobhana's heaven wavered because he fasted only from duty. Before the sankalp, take a moment to say why you keep the fast; the katha prizes the faith behind it.

Give the merit of a lifetime's fasts

Chandrabhaga gave her husband the merit of every Ekadashi she had kept since childhood. Those who keep the vow regularly may, as she did, offer its merit for someone they love.

Clean and light the home

With Diwali days away, finish cleaning the puja corner and the entrance before the evening lamps; a clean, lit home is the season's welcome to Lakshmi.

Remember the cow

In Maharashtra, Vasu Baras, when cows and calves are worshipped, falls on the Ekadashi evening or the next day. Wherever you are, you can feed a cow or give green fodder before your own parana, in the same spirit.

The custom, in short

Rama 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.
  • Worship Lakshmi with Vishnu, and light lamps at dusk as the Diwali season opens.
  • Keep the fast with faith, not as a duty only; the katha's Shobhana fasted from obligation, and his heaven would not last.

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 let the Diwali preparations crowd out the puja and the katha on the fast day.

Across India

Rama Ekadashi customs and food

By region

Maharashtra
Vasu Baras (Govatsa Dwadashi), when cows and calves are worshipped, opens Diwali there; set by the Dwadashi at dusk, it falls on the evening of Rama Ekadashi or the day after.
North India
Rama Ekadashi in Kartika Krishna: Lakshmi worshipped with Vishnu, and lamps lit before them and the tulsi, a day or two before Dhanteras.

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.

Rama 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.

Rama Ekadashi across five years
YearDateStatus
2024Monday, 28 October 2024past
2025Friday, 17 October 2025past
2026This yearThursday, 5 November 2026upcoming
2027Monday, 25 October 2027upcoming
2028Saturday, 14 October 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 Rama Ekadashi?

In New Delhi, Rama Ekadashi falls on Thursday, 5 November 2026, and Ekadashi tithi runs 11:03 AM (4 Nov) to 10:36 AM. It is the Ekadashi of the fortnight that ends with Diwali, a day or two before Dhanteras and three or four before Lakshmi Puja: Kartika Krishna in North India, Ashwin Krishna in the amanta calendar.

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

Rama Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight that leads to Diwali — Kartika Krishna in the purnimanta reckoning of North India, Ashwin Krishna in the amanta one. Rama is a name of Lakshmi, and the day is kept for Vishnu together with Lakshmi; falling a day or two before Dhanteras and a few days before Lakshmi Puja, it opens the Diwali season of worship in many homes. Lamps are lit before Vishnu and tulsi, and the katha read on the day is the story of Chandrabhaga, whose own fasts steadied her husband's heaven.

Where does the Rama Ekadashi vrat katha come from?

It is told in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, in the Ekadashi-mahatmya told by Krishna to Yudhishthira (some Hindi vrat-katha books place it in the Padma Purana). The katha is retold in full above.

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

Not this year — both keep Thursday, 5 November 2026. The Vaishnava rule reads Ekadashi at arunodaya, and Ekadashi already holds that day's arunodaya.

Is Rama Ekadashi in October or November?

It follows Diwali's date: coming three or four days before Lakshmi Puja, it falls in October in a year with an October Diwali and in early November when Diwali is in November. The date for New Delhi is Thursday, 5 November 2026.

What is the Rama Ekadashi parana time?

Rama Ekadashi's fast is broken on Dwadashi: in New Delhi, 6 Nov, 6:36 AM to 8:47 AM, once Hari Vasara is over (4:35 PM). In Maharashtra the same Dwadashi brings Vasu Baras, on the Ekadashi evening or the parana day, and some families feed a cow before breaking the fast.

What is the Rama Ekadashi vrat katha?

King Muchukunda's daughter Chandrabhaga married the gentle but frail prince Shobhana. Staying in her father's kingdom, where no one ate on Ekadashi, he kept the fast of this Ekadashi and died that night. Its merit made him king of a shining city on Mount Mandarachala, but the city would not last, because he had fasted from obligation, not faith. Chandrabhaga went to him and gave him the merit of all the Ekadashis she had kept since childhood, and the city became steady. The full katha is above.

What are the fasting rules for Rama Ekadashi?

Eat one sattvic meal on Dashami. On Ekadashi take no grain, dal, onion or garlic, and keep the fast as your health allows: waterless, on water, on fruit or with one phalahar meal. Worship Vishnu and Lakshmi, read the Chandrabhaga katha, light lamps at dusk, avoid daytime sleep and harsh words, and break the fast on Dwadashi inside the parana window, after Hari Vasara.

Why is it called Rama Ekadashi?

Rama here is a name of Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort, not of Lord Rama. The day is kept for Vishnu together with Lakshmi, and Krishna tells Yudhishthira at the katha's close that it is named for her and that even hearing its story is merit.

How is Rama Ekadashi linked to Diwali?

It is the Ekadashi of the very fortnight that ends with Diwali: Dhanteras follows a day or two later, and Lakshmi Puja on the Amavasya three or four days after the Ekadashi. Because it honours Lakshmi as Rama, many homes count it as the start of the season's worship, with lamps lit before Vishnu, Lakshmi and the tulsi.

What is Vasu Baras, and how is it tied to Rama Ekadashi?

In Maharashtra, Vasu Baras, or Govatsa Dwadashi, is the first day of Diwali, when cows and their calves are worshipped. It is set by the Dwadashi at dusk, so it falls on the evening of Rama Ekadashi itself in some years and on the next day in others. Either way, the fast is broken only at the parana on Dwadashi, after Hari Vasara.

What is the importance of Rama Ekadashi?

It joins the Ekadashi fast to the worship of Lakshmi at the threshold of Diwali, and its katha teaches that a fast kept with faith gives lasting merit while one kept from obligation does not, and that merit can be given out of love, as Chandrabhaga gave hers.

Which aarti is sung on Rama Ekadashi?

Om Jai Jagdish Hare, given in full above, for Vishnu; since the day is Lakshmi's too, many families also sing Om Jai Lakshmi Mata with the evening lamps, and some add the Ekadashi Mata aarti from their vrat book.

Which mantra is chanted on Rama Ekadashi?

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya for Vishnu, 108 times on a tulsi mala, and Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah for Lakshmi, also 108 times, since Rama is her name. The Shantakaram verse, which calls Vishnu lakshmikantam, beloved of Lakshmi, opens the puja. All are in the mantra section.

Is Rama Ekadashi also called Rambha Ekadashi?

Yes, Rambha and Ramaa are other spellings of the same Ekadashi; the name is Rama, Lakshmi. Whatever the spelling, the day, the katha and the parana window, 6 Nov, 6:36 AM to 8:47 AM in New Delhi, are the same.