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Shukla paksha · Phalguna · amanta reckoning
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
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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Thursday, 18 March 2027
| Timing | New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Parana (breaking the fast), 19 Mar 2027 | 7:13 AM to 8:51 AM | Hari 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
| Muhurat | Time in New Delhi | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Parana: the time to break the fast | 19 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 ends | 19 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 Muhurta | 4:52 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. |
| Sunrise | 6:27 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 |
| 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 lamps | 6:31 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 vigil | 19 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 of | 1:59 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. |
| Window | Time in New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Abhijit Muhurat | 12:05 PM to 12:53 PM | Auspicious |
| Amrit Kaal | 9:25 PM to 10:54 PM | Most Auspicious |
| Brahma Muhurat | 4:52 AM to 5:40 AM | Auspicious |
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.
| Window | Time in New Delhi |
|---|---|
| Rahu Kaal | 1:59 PM to 3:30 PM |
| Yamaganda Kaal | 6:27 AM to 7:58 AM |
| Durmuhurta First | 10:28 AM to 11:17 AM |
| Durmuhurta Second | 3:18 PM to 4:06 PM |
| Varjyam | 12:32 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.
Every Ekadashi is kept the same way: one sattvic meal on Dashami, the sankalp at dawn, Vishnu puja with tulsi, the katha and aarti, lamps at dusk, the night vigil and parana on Dwadashi. Those steps are in the Ekadashi vrat vidhi. Below are the steps Amalaki Ekadashi adds or words its own way.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The puja samagri every Ekadashi uses (an image of Vishnu, tulsi picked on Dashami, a ghee lamp, yellow flowers, panchamrit, Ganga jal and the rest) is in the Ekadashi samagri list. For Amalaki Ekadashi, add:
The verses every Ekadashi uses, from the dhyana and sankalpa verses to the parana verse, and the Om Jai Jagdish Hare aarti are in the Ekadashi guide's mantras and aarti. Amalaki Ekadashi's own:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Offer amla fruit to Vishnu and give amla, with other fruit, to a temple or to someone in need on Dwadashi.
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.
In Varanasi, offer gulal to Shiva and Parvati at Kashi Vishwanath or at home on Rangbhari Ekadashi, opening the city's Holi.
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.
What may be eaten on any Ekadashi, from fruit and sabudana to samak rice and the parana meal, is in the Ekadashi food list. Particular to Amalaki Ekadashi:
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.
| Year | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Wednesday, 20 March 2024 | past |
| 2025 | Monday, 10 March 2025 | past |
| 2026This year | Friday, 27 February 2026 | past |
| 2027 | Thursday, 18 March 2027 | upcoming |
| 2028 | Tuesday, 7 March 2028 | upcoming |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It is told in the Brahmanda Purana, in Krishna's Ekadashi-mahatmya to Yudhishthira. The katha is retold in full above.
Not this year — both keep Thursday, 18 March 2027. The Vaishnava rule reads Ekadashi at arunodaya, and Ekadashi already holds that day's arunodaya.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
