When is Amalaki Ekadashi?
| Date | Note |
|---|---|
| Thursday, 18 March 2027 | — |
| Tuesday, 7 March 2028 | — |
Dates for New Delhi (tithi at sunrise). Smarta and Vaishnava calendars may differ by a day; check your local Panchang for the fast and parana times. All Ekadashi dates →
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. In Kashi it is Rangbhari Ekadashi, when the Holi festivities begin at Kashi Vishwanath.
Devotees worship the amla tree with water, flowers and a lamp, and in Kashi devotees play Holi with Shiva and Parvati on Rangbhari Ekadashi.
The story of Amalaki Ekadashi
In the kingdom of Vaidisha, King Chitraratha and his people kept Amalaki Ekadashi each year, worshipping Vishnu beneath an amla tree through the night. One year a hungry hunter, who had come only to see the crowd, stayed awake there all night listening to the stories.
In his next life that hunter was born as King Vasuratha, and when bandits attacked him in the forest, a radiant goddess sprang from his body and destroyed them — the power, says the Purana, of the one night he had kept awake on Amalaki Ekadashi.
As told in the Ekadashi Mahatmya of the Padma and Bhavishyottara Purana tradition, where Krishna narrates each Ekadashi's glory to Yudhishthira. Versions differ in detail between editions.
How to keep the Amalaki Ekadashi vrat
- Dashami, the day before. Eat a light sattvic meal before sunset and avoid grains that night.
- Morning. Bathe early, take a sankalp for the vrat, and worship Vishnu or Krishna with tulsi leaves, flowers, a diya and incense.
- Through the day. Keep the fast as your tradition and health allow — nirjala, phalahar (fruit and milk) or one light meal without grains. Chant "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya", hear the story of Amalaki Ekadashi, and avoid anger and idle talk.
- Night. Many keep jagaran — staying awake with bhajans and kirtan.
- Dwadashi. Break the fast (parana) after sunrise within the Dwadashi tithi, after offering food to Vishnu and to someone in need.
Children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with medical conditions should keep a lighter fast.
Mantra for Amalaki Ekadashi
Dvadashakshari mantra of Vishnu
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya ||
Om, salutations to Bhagavan Vasudeva, who dwells in all beings. Chant it 108 times on a tulsi mala through the day.
Frequently asked questions
When is Amalaki Ekadashi 2027?
Amalaki Ekadashi falls on Thursday, 18 March 2027 (New Delhi, tithi at sunrise). Check your local Panchang for the fast and the parana (breaking) time.
Why is the amla tree worshipped?
Tradition holds that Vishnu dwells in the amla tree, which is honoured on this Ekadashi.
What is Rangbhari Ekadashi?
In Varanasi, the day Shiva is said to bring Parvati home after their wedding; colours are played at Kashi Vishwanath, opening the Holi season.
What is eaten on the Amalaki Ekadashi fast?
Grains and beans — rice, wheat and dal — are avoided. Fruit, milk, nuts, potatoes, sabudana, singhara and kuttu flour and rock salt are commonly eaten. Some keep a nirjala fast; follow your family tradition and your health.
When is the Ekadashi fast broken?
On Dwadashi, the next day, after sunrise and within the Dwadashi tithi — not during Hari Vasara, the first quarter of Dwadashi. This is called parana; check the time in your local Panchang.