Festival · 2026
Tulsi Vivah 2026 — Saturday, 21 November 2026
Tulsi Vivah is the wedding of the tulsi plant to Vishnu, performed in homes and temples as Chaturmas ends and the season of weddings begins.
In 2026
Saturday, 21 November 2026
- Tithi
- Shukla Dwadashi: 21 Nov, 6:31 AM – 22 Nov, 4:56 AM
- Lunar month
- Kartika
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:48 AM / 5:25 PM
Rule: Kartika Shukla Dwadashi at sunrise, the day after Dev Uthani Ekadashi; if Dwadashi touches no sunrise, the day it begins.
In 2027
Thursday, 11 November 2027
- Tithi
- Shukla Dwadashi: 10 Nov, 9:11 AM – 11 Nov, 10:07 AM
- Lunar month
- Kartika
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:40 AM / 5:29 PM
Rule: Kartika Shukla Dwadashi at sunrise, the day after Dev Uthani Ekadashi; if Dwadashi touches no sunrise, the day it begins.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Tulsi Vivah?
Tulsi Vivah is the ceremonial marriage of the tulsi, the holy basil that stands in the courtyard of so many Hindu homes, to Vishnu, most often in the form of a Shaligram, the dark fossil stone from the Gandaki river worshipped as Vishnu, or an image of Krishna. It is kept in the bright half of Kartika, just after Vishnu is believed to wake from his four-month sleep, and it is performed with the songs, clothes and rites of a real wedding.
The tulsi is not a plant alone in this tradition. In the Puranic telling she was Vrinda, the devoted wife of the asura king Jalandhara, whose faithfulness protected him in battle. When the gods could not overcome him, Vishnu took Jalandhara’s form and broke that protection, and Jalandhara fell. Vrinda gave up her life in grief, and from the place where she was, the tulsi grew. Vishnu, moved by her devotion, promised that she would be worshipped with him always and that he, as Shaligram, would be wedded to her. So no worship of Vishnu is complete without a tulsi leaf, and each year the wedding is celebrated again.
At home the tulsi planter, the tulsi vrindavan in Maharashtra, is cleaned, painted and decorated. A small canopy of sugarcane stalks is raised over it. The plant is dressed as a bride with a red cloth, bangles, a bindi and a small mangalsutra, and the Shaligram or the image of Krishna is placed beside her as the groom. Couples who have no daughter sometimes take the part of the bride’s parents and perform the kanyadaan, the giving away of the bride, which many feel as a blessing in its own right.
Because the gods are held to be awake again and the tulsi’s wedding has been performed, Tulsi Vivah is widely taken as the opening of the wedding season. In Maharashtra, Gujarat and much of the north the family sings wedding songs, sweets are shared, and the evening has the feel of a small family celebration.
How it is observed
- The tulsi planter is cleaned, painted and decorated, often with rangoli around it, and a canopy of sugarcane is set over it.
- The tulsi is dressed as a bride in a red cloth with bangles, a bindi and a small mangalsutra.
- A Shaligram or an image of Vishnu or Krishna is placed beside her as the groom, and the wedding rites are performed.
- In Maharashtra the mangalashtakas are sung with a cloth held between bride and groom, and rice grains are showered when it is lowered.
- Couples without a daughter may perform the kanyadaan, and the family shares sweets and seasonal fruit afterwards.
- Amla, tamarind, sugarcane and sweet potato are among the offerings in many homes.
How the date is fixed
The date shown is Kartika Shukla Dwadashi, the day after Dev Uthani Ekadashi, taken on the day Dwadashi is present at sunrise. When Dwadashi touches no sunrise, the day on which it begins is taken. This is a convenience rather than the only correct day: many families perform Tulsi Vivah on the evening of Dev Uthani Ekadashi itself, and others choose any suitable day from Ekadashi up to Kartik Purnima. Follow your family or temple custom; the page shows the Dwadashi day as a common reference.
Where practice differs
In Maharashtra and Goa Tulsi Vivah is a festival in its own right, performed from Dwadashi on any evening up to Kartik Purnima, with mangalashtakas and the antarpat, and many families treat it as the signal to begin fixing weddings. In Gujarat and Saurashtra temples hold grand ceremonies, sometimes with a procession of the groom from one temple to another. In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh it is often joined to the Dev Uthani Ekadashi evening. In the south the day after Prabodhini Ekadashi is Ksheerabdhi Dwadashi, when a branch of amla is placed beside the tulsi and Vishnu is worshipped with her, especially in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Is Tulsi Vivah on Ekadashi or Dwadashi?
Both are followed. Many families perform it on the evening of Dev Uthani Ekadashi, while the common calendar day is Kartika Shukla Dwadashi, the day after. Some perform it on any day up to Kartik Purnima.
Who is the groom in Tulsi Vivah?
Vishnu, usually as a Shaligram stone, or an image of Krishna or Vishnu. Families that have no Shaligram use an image or picture.
Can Tulsi Vivah be performed at home without a priest?
Yes. Many families perform it themselves with simple wedding rites, songs and offerings, and some invite a priest. Temples also hold public ceremonies that anyone can join.
Why is Tulsi Vivah linked with the start of weddings?
It follows the end of Chaturmas, when many families pause weddings, and it is itself a wedding. So it is widely taken as the opening of the wedding season, though families still consult their own muhurta for a marriage.