Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi of each lunar fortnight, observed as a fasting day in Vaishnava and Smarta traditions. A standard year has 24 Ekadashis (twelve Shukla, twelve Krishna); 2026, an Adhik Maas year with an extra Jyeshtha month, carries 26 Ekadashis including Padmini (Adhik Shukla) and Parama (Adhik Krishna). Below is the full 2026 calendar with the principal Smarta dates and tithi names, the parana (fast-break) window structure, and the key seasonal Ekadashis worth marking.
The 2026 Ekadashi calendar (Smarta)
- 14 January (Wed): Shattila Ekadashi (Magha Krishna).
- 29 January (Thu): Jaya Ekadashi (Magha Shukla).
- 13 February (Fri): Vijaya Ekadashi (Phalguna Krishna).
- 27 February (Fri): Amalaki Ekadashi (Phalguna Shukla). Rangbhari Ekadashi at Banke Bihari, Vrindavan.
- 15 March (Sun): Papamochani Ekadashi (Chaitra Krishna).
- 29 March (Sun): Kamada Ekadashi (Chaitra Shukla). First Ekadashi of the new lunar year.
- 13 April (Mon): Varuthini Ekadashi (Vaishakha Krishna).
- 27 April (Mon): Mohini Ekadashi (Vaishakha Shukla).
- 13 May (Wed): Apara Ekadashi (Jyeshtha Krishna).
- 27 May (Wed): Padmini Ekadashi (Adhik Jyeshtha Shukla). Extra Ekadashi of the leap month.
- 11 June (Thu): Parama Ekadashi (Adhik Jyeshtha Krishna). Extra Ekadashi.
- 25 June (Thu): Nirjala Ekadashi (Jyeshtha Shukla). The most rigorous Ekadashi.
- 10 July (Fri): Yogini Ekadashi (Ashadha Krishna).
- 25 July (Sat): Devshayani Ekadashi (Ashadha Shukla). Vishnu’s yoga-nidra; Chaturmasya begins.
- 8 August (Sat): Kamika Ekadashi (Shravana Krishna).
- 23 August (Sun): Shravana Putrada Ekadashi (Shravana Shukla).
- 7 September (Mon): Aja Ekadashi (Bhadrapada Krishna).
- 22 September (Tue): Parshva (Parivartini) Ekadashi (Bhadrapada Shukla). Vishnu turns in his yoga-nidra.
- 6 October (Tue): Indira Ekadashi (Ashwin Krishna). Pitru-paksha Ekadashi.
- 22 October (Thu): Papankusha Ekadashi (Ashwin Shukla).
- 5 November (Thu): Rama Ekadashi (Kartika Krishna). Falls in the Diwali week.
- 21 November (Sat): Devutthana (Prabodhini) Ekadashi (Kartika Shukla). Vishnu wakes; Chaturmasya ends.
- 5 December (Sat): Utpanna Ekadashi (Margashirsha Krishna). Origin Ekadashi.
- 20 December (Sun): Mokshada Ekadashi (Margashirsha Shukla). Gita Jayanti.
Vaishnava observance, particularly within Gaudiya and Sri Sampradaya traditions, sometimes shifts the date by one day from the Smarta reckoning when sunrise conditions on Ekadashi tithi differ. Households use the calendar of their sampradaya.
Why 26 Ekadashis in 2026
The Hindu lunisolar calendar inserts an Adhik Maas (intercalary month) roughly every 32 to 33 months to keep the lunar year aligned with the solar year. The Adhik Maas in 2026 is inserted as a second Jyeshtha, falling between 17 May and 15 June. This intercalary month carries its own Shukla and Krishna Ekadashis, named Padmini (27 May) and Parama (11 June). Together with the 24 standard-year Ekadashis, the 2026 count is 26.
Adhik Maas itself is treated by Vaishnavas as Purushottama Maas, dedicated to Krishna. Padmini and Parama Ekadashi are therefore considered especially meritorious. Households that have made a sankalpa to fast on every Ekadashi count these two additional ones as part of the cycle.
The fast and the parana
Three intensity levels of Ekadashi fasting are standard:
- Nirjala: without water, sunrise of Ekadashi to sunrise of Dwadashi. Observed by the most committed; medically demanding.
- Phalahara: only fruits, milk, kuttu, singhada, sabudana. The standard household form.
- Anna-tyaga: grains and pulses avoided, but cooked phalahari preparations permitted. The lightest form.
The fast is broken on Dwadashi at the parana time. Parana must be within the Dwadashi tithi but after sunrise; the window is published in panchangs. The standard parana muhurat is the first 1.5 to 2 hours after sunrise, but it is delayed if the Hari Vasara (the first quarter of Dwadashi) overlaps that period; parana is performed after Hari Vasara ends. The food broken on is traditionally cooked rice with mung dal and ghee, or a simple grain-based meal.
The most significant Ekadashis of the year
- Nirjala Ekadashi (25 June 2026): the only Ekadashi observed without any water; treated as compensating for all twenty-four if observed fully.
- Devshayani Ekadashi (25 July 2026): Vishnu begins his yoga-nidra. The Chaturmasya cycle opens.
- Devutthana Ekadashi (21 November 2026): Vishnu wakes. Wedding muhurats reopen.
- Mokshada Ekadashi (20 December 2026): Gita Jayanti; the day Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna at Kurukshetra.
- Padmini and Parama (May-June 2026): the two Adhik Maas Ekadashis, available only every 32 months.
For what it’s worth, households new to Ekadashi observance often start with one Ekadashi per month rather than all 26: Devshayani in July and Devutthana in November frame Chaturmasya, and Mokshada in December is the most scripturally grounded single choice. A monthly rhythm builds the practice without the medical challenges of every-Ekadashi fasting.
Common questions
Why is Ekadashi the eleventh tithi specifically?
Padma Purana and Brahmavaivarta Purana accounts treat Ekadashi as the day when Murasura, defeated by Vishnu, was reborn as a personification of all human appetites. The Ekadashi vow withholds food from this personification. The eleventh-tithi placement marks the lunar moment two tithis before Purnima or Amavasya, when the moon’s pull on bodily fluids is treated as conducive to fasting.
Why do Vaishnava and Smarta Ekadashis sometimes differ?
Vaishnava reckoning requires that the Ekadashi tithi be present at sunrise. If Ekadashi begins after sunrise, Vaishnavas observe the next day. Smarta reckoning is more flexible on this rule, so the two calendars can diverge by one day. Each sampradaya publishes its own list.
Is rice the principal food avoided?
Rice and all standard grains and pulses are avoided. The classical reasoning is that Vishnu cursed all grains on Ekadashi to be Murasura-touched. Substitutes (kuttu flour, singhada flour, sabudana, amaranth) are treated as fast-permissible. Salt, particularly sea salt, is also avoided by the strict; rock salt is the substitute.
One limitation worth noting
Exact parana muhurats for each Ekadashi depend on local sunrise and the tithi-end times; the calendar above gives only the Ekadashi date. For your fast and parana planning, use Drik Panchang or a similar source with the city dropdown set, ideally on the day before Ekadashi.
For deeper background see Wikipedia on Ekadashi and the Drik Panchang 2026 Ekadashi calendar.
