Amalaki Ekadashi 2026 — Friday, 27 February 2026

About Amalaki Ekadashi

Amalaki Ekadashi, in the bright half of Phalguna, a few days before Holi, honours the amla (Indian gooseberry) tree, in which Vishnu is said to dwell. People worship the tree, sit in its shade and eat or give its fruit. In Kashi the same day is Rangbhari Ekadashi, when gulal is first played at the Vishwanath temple.

Also called: Rangbhari Ekadashi

The katha

In the kingdom of Vaidisha under King Chitraratha, everyone kept Ekadashi. On Amalaki Ekadashi they worshipped at an amla tree by the temple and stayed awake all night. A hungry hunter came by, and waiting for food, stayed the night listening to the prayers. In his next life he was born as King Vasuratha, and when enemies attacked him in a forest, an unseen power protected him — the fruit, it was said, of that one night.

A summary of the Ekadashi mahatmya in the Padma and Bhavishya Uttara Puranas.

How Ekadashi is kept

• The fast runs from sunrise on Ekadashi to the parana on the next day. Many eat a single simple, sattvic meal on Dashami evening, before the fast begins.
• Grains and pulses, rice above all, are traditionally avoided. Fruit, milk, curd, nuts and phalahar foods such as sabudana, kuttu, singhara and potato are commonly eaten; the exact custom differs from family to family.
• The fast can be kept at different levels: nirjala (without water), phalahar (fruit and milk), or one meal without grains. Choose what suits your body; no single level is required of everyone.
• The day is given to Vishnu: tulsi leaves, a lamp, the Vishnu Sahasranama or a mantra such as Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, and the katha of that Ekadashi. Tulsi is usually picked the day before, as many avoid plucking it on Ekadashi.
• Some stay awake at night singing bhajans (jagaran), and many give food or grain in charity.
• Parana is on Dwadashi, within the window shown in the list: after Hari Vasara, ideally early in the day, and before Dwadashi ends. The fast is usually broken with something light, often with a little tulsi water.
• Anyone who is pregnant or nursing, elderly, diabetic, on regular medication or unwell can keep a lighter fast — fruit and milk, or one meal — or simply keep the day in prayer. If you have a health condition, ask your doctor before fasting.

Ekadashi: the full guide and every date

Questions people ask