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Krishna paksha · Ashadha · amanta reckoning

When is Kamika Ekadashi 2027?

Kamika Ekadashi 2027

In 276 days

Thu, 29 Jul

Kamika Ekadashi 2027 is on Thursday, 29 July. Parana, breaking the fast, is on 30 July, 1:48 PM to 4:31 PM in New Delhi.

2028: Tuesday, 18 July 2028

Parana (breaking the fast), 30 Jul 2027

1:48 PM – 4:31 PM

New Delhi

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Computed for New Delhi

The date in New Delhi

Thursday, 29 July 2027

Kamika Ekadashi 2027 timings in New Delhi
TimingNew DelhiWhat it is
Parana (breaking the fast), 30 Jul 20271:48 PM to 4:31 PMHari Vasara runs past the morning, so parana is kept after madhyahna (midday), in the afternoon window.

Kamika Ekadashi is not a Gregorian date. It is Krishna paksha tithi 11 of Ashadha 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
Ashadha (amanta)
Tithi begins
29 Jul, 7:34 AM
Tithi ends
30 Jul, 5:13 AM
Decided at
Sunrise
Sunrise in New Delhi
29 Jul, 5:40 AM

Sunrise in New Delhi falls at 5:40 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.

This year the tithi is skipped (kshaya). Ekadashi begins after one sunrise and ends before the next, so it touches neither and the usual rule cannot pick a day. The observance is not cancelled: it is kept on the day the tithi runs through, which is the date above. Saying so matters — a page that printed the date alone would be implying a rule that did not actually apply this year.

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 · Shravana (purnimanta) · Ashadha (amanta)

Kamika Ekadashi 2027: Smarta and Vaishnava dates

Kamika Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark (krishna) half of Shravana in the purnimanta reckoning used across North India, and of Ashadha 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, 29 July 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
Friday, 30 July 2027 — Ekadashi (29 Jul, 7:34 AM to 30 Jul, 5:13 AM) still holds the arunodaya of Friday, 30 July 2027, the 96 minutes before sunrise, so the Vaishnava fast is kept on that later morning.

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

Kamika Ekadashi vrat katha and significance

Kamika Ekadashi is the first Ekadashi of Chaturmas, in the dark fortnight of Shravana by the purnimanta reckoning — Ashadha Krishna in the amanta one. It is kept for Vishnu with particular emphasis on tulsi: offering its leaves, lighting a lamp before it and even looking on the plant are each described as meritorious, and lamps of ghee or sesame oil are lit through the evening.

The katha

Retold in brief from the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, in the Ekadashi-mahatmya, where Bhishma tells it to Narada and Krishna to Yudhishthira.

A landowner of a village, quick to anger, fell into a quarrel with a brahmin over a small matter. Words turned into blows, and in his rage the landowner struck the brahmin so hard that he died.

Horrified at what he had done, the man tried to make amends and to perform the brahmin's last rites himself, but the village elders and the priests refused him. No one would eat with him or let him into a house of worship, and he lived as an outcast, unable to undo the act.

In his distress he went to a sage and asked whether any expiation was possible. The sage told him of the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight of Shravana, Kamika: keep it with complete devotion, he said, worship Vishnu with tulsi and lamps, and stay awake through the night in his remembrance.

The man did so. The Purana says that the weight of the killing was lifted from him, and that in a dream he was told he could rejoin his community; the brahmins accepted him again. Bhishma adds that no jewel or flower pleases Vishnu as much as a single tulsi leaf offered on this day.

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 Kamika Ekadashi 2027 muhurat · New Delhi

Kamika Ekadashi muhurat

Kamika Ekadashi, the first Ekadashi of Chaturmas, is kept for Vishnu with tulsi at the centre: a tulsi leaf on every offering and lamps of ghee or sesame oil lit before the plant. In New Delhi it falls on Thursday, 29 July 2027: the fast runs from sunrise to parana on Dwadashi, 30 Jul, 1:48 PM to 4:31 PM. It is the Ekadashi of Shravana Krishna in North India (Ashadha Krishna in the amanta calendar).

All Kamika Ekadashi 2027 muhurat in New Delhi
MuhuratTime in New DelhiWhat it is for
Parana: the time to break the fast30 Jul, 1:48 PM to 4:31 PMHari Vasara runs past the morning, so parana waits until midday has passed: the aparahna.

The window on Dwadashi, the morning after the fast, in which Kamika 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 ends30 Jul, 10:30 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 Muhurta4:17 AM to 4:58 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.

Sunrise5:40 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 5:40 AM to 7:22 AM
  • Chal 10:45 AM to 12:27 PM
  • Labh 12:27 PM to 2:09 PM
  • Amrit 2:09 PM to 3:51 PM
  • Shubh 5:32 PM to 7:14 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 9:19 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 vigil30 Jul, 12:06 AM to 12:48 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 of2:09 PM to 3:51 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 Muhurat12:00 PM to 12:54 PMAuspicious
Amrit Kaal12:28 AM to 1:58 AMMost Auspicious
Brahma Muhurat4:17 AM to 4:58 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 Kaal2:09 PM to 3:51 PM
Yamaganda Kaal5:40 AM to 7:22 AM
Durmuhurta First10:11 AM to 11:06 AM
Durmuhurta Second3:37 PM to 4:31 PM
Varjyam7:58 PM to 9:28 PM

Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Thursday, 29 July 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

Kamika 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 Kamika 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. Honour the tulsi

    Kamika is the tulsi's Ekadashi. Offer Vishnu the tulsi leaves picked on Dashami, one with every offering; then go to the tulsi plant, bow to it, light a ghee lamp before it and say the tulsi pranam. In the katha Bhishma says no jewel or flower pleases Vishnu as much as a single tulsi leaf offered on this day.

  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 Kamika 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 of ghee and sesame oil through the evening

    At dusk light lamps of ghee or sesame oil before Vishnu and before the tulsi, and keep them burning through the evening, as the day's custom asks; sing the aarti again without plucking a single leaf.

  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

Kamika 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 oil For the evening lamps beside the ghee lamps; the day's custom is lamps of either.
  • A tulsi plant in a pot If the house has none, bring one home today and care for it through Chaturmas.

Mantras · in Devanagari, with meaning

Kamika 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.

Tulsi pranam

वृन्दायै तुलसीदेव्यै प्रियायै केशवस्य च ।
विष्णुभक्तिप्रदे देवि सत्यवत्यै नमो नमः ॥

Vrindayai Tulasi-devyai priyayai Keshavasya cha
Vishnu-bhakti-prade devi Satyavatyai namo namah

Meaning: Salutation again and again to Vrinda, the goddess Tulsi, dear to Keshava, giver of devotion to Vishnu, the truthful one.

When and how: Said at the tulsi plant while lighting its lamp at dusk; bow without plucking a leaf.

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 Kamika Ekadashi is kept

The practice it is known for is small and exact: a single tulsi leaf, offered with full attention rather than by the handful. It falls in Sawan, the monsoon month of Shiva's kanwar pilgrims, a few days before Sawan Shivratri, so the same week holds Vishnu's tulsi and the water carried to Shiva. The rains are the season for planting, and a tulsi sapling given to a neighbour, a school or a temple garden is the day's natural gift.

Its katha, from the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, tells of a landowner who killed a brahmin in a moment's rage and could find no way back into his community until he kept this fast with tulsi and lamps; so the day is also kept for expiation of a grave wrong, and for the mastery of anger. Bhishma, telling it to Narada, says that no jewel or flower pleases Vishnu as much as a single tulsi leaf offered on this day.

Upay · traditional practice

Kamika Ekadashi upay: traditional remedies

One tulsi leaf, offered well

Offer Vishnu a tulsi leaf with every offering of the day, picked on Dashami; by the katha's own words it pleases him more than any jewel.

A lamp before the tulsi

Light a lamp of ghee or sesame oil before the tulsi at dusk and keep it burning through the evening, with the tulsi pranam.

Bring a tulsi home

If your home has no tulsi, bring one in today, the first Ekadashi of Chaturmas, and care for it through the four months to Dev Uthani, when Tulsi Vivah follows.

A fast against anger

The katha's wrong began with rage over a small matter. Keep the day, and if you can the Chaturmas, free of harsh words; walk away from one quarrel.

Make amends

The landowner of the katha could not undo his act but sought every way to atone. If you have harmed someone, apologise and repair what you can before parana.

Tulsi for others

Give a tulsi sapling to a neighbour, a temple or a school garden; the plant carries the day's merit into other homes.

The custom, in short

Kamika 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.
  • Offer a tulsi leaf picked on Dashami with every offering, and light a lamp before the tulsi plant.
  • Bow to the tulsi and say the tulsi pranam at dusk.

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 anger lead you; the katha's wrong began with rage over a small matter.

Across India

Kamika Ekadashi bhog and 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.

Kamika 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.

Kamika Ekadashi across five years
YearDateStatus
2024Wednesday, 31 July 2024past
2025Monday, 21 July 2025past
2026This yearSunday, 9 August 2026past
2027Thursday, 29 July 2027upcoming
2028Tuesday, 18 July 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 Kamika Ekadashi?

In New Delhi, Kamika Ekadashi falls on Thursday, 29 July 2027, and Ekadashi tithi runs 7:34 AM to 5:13 AM (30 Jul). It is the dark-fortnight Ekadashi of Shravana in North India (Ashadha Krishna in the amanta calendar), the first Ekadashi after Devshayani and so the first of Chaturmas.

Why does another calendar give a different Kamika 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 this marked as a skipped tithi?

Ekadashi begins after one deciding moment and ends before the next this year, so it touches none — a kshaya tithi. The observance is not cancelled: it is kept on the day the tithi runs through, which is the day given above.

Why is Kamika Ekadashi observed?

Kamika Ekadashi is the first Ekadashi of Chaturmas, in the dark fortnight of Shravana by the purnimanta reckoning — Ashadha Krishna in the amanta one. It is kept for Vishnu with particular emphasis on tulsi: offering its leaves, lighting a lamp before it and even looking on the plant are each described as meritorious, and lamps of ghee or sesame oil are lit through the evening.

Where does the Kamika Ekadashi vrat katha come from?

It is told in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, in the Ekadashi-mahatmya, where Bhishma tells it to Narada and Krishna to Yudhishthira. The katha is retold in full above.

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

Yes, this year they differ: the Smarta date is Thursday, 29 July 2027 and the Vaishnava (ISKCON) date is Friday, 30 July 2027. The Vaishnava rule reads Ekadashi at arunodaya, 96 minutes before sunrise, instead of at sunrise.

Is Kamika Ekadashi in July or August?

Usually July, sometimes the first ten days of August: it falls between mid-July and early August, about two weeks after Devshayani. The date for New Delhi is Thursday, 29 July 2027; the table of years on this page shows the others.

What is the Kamika Ekadashi parana time?

Kamika's fast is broken on Dwadashi morning, once Hari Vasara is over (30 Jul, 10:30 AM); the window in New Delhi is 30 Jul, 1:48 PM to 4:31 PM. Many take the tulsi leaf offered to Vishnu at the morning puja as the very first thing they eat, with a sip of water.

What is the Kamika Ekadashi vrat katha?

A quick-tempered landowner quarrelled with a brahmin over a small matter and, in his rage, struck him dead. Horrified, he tried to atone and to perform the last rites himself, but the elders refused him and he lived as an outcast. A sage told him to keep the Kamika Ekadashi, worshipping Vishnu with tulsi and lamps and keeping the night awake. He did; the Purana says the weight of the act was lifted and he was accepted again. The full katha is above.

What does Kamika mean?

Kamika comes from kama, desire, and is usually read as the Ekadashi that fulfils one's wishes. Its own katha is about atonement rather than wishes: a grave wrong lifted by a fast kept with tulsi and lamps.

What is the importance of Kamika Ekadashi?

It is the first Ekadashi of Chaturmas and the one most closely tied to the tulsi: the Purana counts offering tulsi, lighting a lamp before it and even seeing the plant as merit. Its katha makes it the Ekadashi of expiation, and Bhishma says no jewel pleases Vishnu as much as one tulsi leaf offered today.

Why is tulsi so important on Kamika Ekadashi?

Because the katha and its teller make it so: the sage tells the landowner to worship Vishnu with tulsi and lamps, and Bhishma says a single tulsi leaf offered today outweighs any jewel or flower. Kamika also opens Chaturmas, the season that ends with Tulsi Vivah after Dev Uthani.

Should tulsi be watered or plucked on Ekadashi?

Leaves are never plucked on Ekadashi; those needed for the puja are picked on Dashami. On watering, customs differ: many families leave the tulsi unwatered on Ekadashi, holding that she keeps the fast too, while others water her as on any day. On Kamika everyone lights her a lamp.

How is the Kamika Ekadashi vrat kept?

Pick tulsi leaves and eat one meal on Dashami. On Ekadashi bathe, take the sankalp and worship Vishnu with a tulsi leaf on every offering, then bow to the tulsi and light a lamp before it. Read the katha, keep the fast, light lamps of ghee or sesame oil at dusk, keep part of the night awake and break the fast in the parana window.

Which mantra is said on Kamika Ekadashi?

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya is the day's japa, 108 times on a tulsi mala. At the tulsi plant, say the tulsi pranam, Vrindayai Tulasi-devyai, which bows to Tulsi as dear to Keshava and the giver of devotion. Both are in the mantra section.

Which aarti is sung on Kamika Ekadashi?

Om Jai Jagdish Hare, given in full above, after the morning puja; in the evening many sing it with the lamps lit before both Vishnu and the tulsi, and add a tulsi aarti or the Ekadashi Mata aarti from their vrat book.

Is Kamika Ekadashi kept at Pandharpur and in Vitthal temples?

Yes. In Maharashtra every Ekadashi is Vitthal's, and Kamika, the first after Ashadhi, is kept in Warkari homes and Vitthal temples with fasting, abhangas and tulsi garlands, which Vitthal is shown wearing.