Tulsi Vivah 2026तुलसी विवाह

When is Tulsi Vivah?

Observed on Shukla Ekadashi of Kartik (Prabodhini Ekadashi); some families hold the wedding on Dwadashi. Dates follow the Panchang for New Delhi and can differ by a day in other places — check the Panchang for your city.

What Tulsi Vivah means

Tulsi Vivah is the wedding of the holy basil plant, worshipped as the goddess Tulsi, to Bhagavan Vishnu in the form of the Shaligram stone or as Krishna. It is held at the end of Chaturmas, on or just after Prabodhini (Dev Uthani) Ekadashi — the day Vishnu wakes from four months of yoga-nidra.

Because the gods are 'asleep' during Chaturmas, Hindu weddings are traditionally not held in those months. Tulsi's wedding is the first of the season: once she is married, the wedding season opens. Many couples without daughters perform the kanyadaan of Tulsi as their own, and the ceremony is celebrated with the full joy of a family wedding — songs, haldi, mehndi and sweets.

Tulsi herself is present in almost every Hindu home. She is watered and circled every morning, a lamp is lit before her every evening in Kartik, and no offering to Vishnu or Krishna is complete without a Tulsi leaf. The wedding honours that daily companionship.

The story of Tulsi Vivah

The Padma and Brahmavaivarta Puranas tell versions of the story. Vrinda, a devotee of Vishnu, was married to Jalandhar, a powerful asura born of Shiva's anger. As long as Vrinda's chastity remained unbroken, Jalandhar could not be defeated, and he troubled the devas. To end the war, Vishnu took Jalandhar's form and came to Vrinda; when she realised the deception, Jalandhar had already fallen.

Vrinda cursed Vishnu to become a stone, and he accepted — he is worshipped as the Shaligram from the Gandaki river. Vrinda gave up her body, and from that place the Tulsi plant grew. Vishnu declared that she would be dearer to him than Lakshmi, that she would be worshipped in every home, and that he would marry her every year in the month of Kartik.

Tulsi Vivah puja vidhi, step by step

The wedding can be done simply at home around your own Tulsi plant. Families in Maharashtra and Gujarat often hold it on Dwadashi, and it may be performed on any evening from Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima.

What you need

• A Tulsi plant in a pot or vrindavan, cleaned and decorated
• A Shaligram, a small Vishnu or Krishna image as the groom
• Four sugarcane stalks to build a mandap over the plant
• A red chunri, bangles, bindi, sindoor and a small mangalsutra for Tulsi
• A yellow cloth or dhoti for the groom
• Haldi, kumkum, akshat, flowers and garlands
• Amla, singhara (water chestnut), sweet potato, ber and seasonal fruits
• Diyas, incense, camphor and an aarti thali
• Sweets, panchamrit and the wedding meal

When to do the puja

The puja is done in the evening (pradosh) of Prabodhini Ekadashi or on Dwadashi, after the Ekadashi tithi as followed by your family. Tithi timings change by city and year. See the Panchang for your city.

Steps

1. Clean and decorate. Clean the area around the Tulsi, draw a rangoli and tie the four sugarcane stalks over the pot as a wedding mandap, decorated with flowers and mango leaves.
2. Wake Vishnu. In the evening, ring bells and blow the conch and recite 'Uttishtha Govinda' to wake the Lord from his sleep. In UP and Bihar women strike a soop (winnowing basket) and sing.
3. Dress the bride. Dress Tulsi in the red chunri with bangles, bindi and sindoor. Place the Shaligram or Krishna image beside her, dressed in yellow.
4. Sankalp and haldi. Take sankalp, offer haldi and kumkum to both, and tie them together with a thread or a cloth as in a wedding.
5. Kanyadaan. The family performing the wedding offers Tulsi in marriage, placing her hand (a branch) with the groom.
6. Pheras. Carry the Shaligram around Tulsi seven times while singing mangal geet or the mangalashtak, showering akshat.
7. Offerings and aarti. Offer the seasonal fruits, sweets and panchamrit, perform aarti and recite the Tulsi stuti.
8. Prasad. Share the prasad and the wedding sweets. Families who kept the Ekadashi fast break it on Dwadashi morning.

Offerings & food: Sugarcane, amla, singhara (water chestnut), sweet potato, ber, panchamrit, kheer, puri, halwa, Tulsi-leaf prasad

Mantras for Tulsi Vivah

Tulsi Vivah across India

Maharashtra and Gujarat hold full weddings in homes and temples, often on Dwadashi, with mangalashtak and akshata. In Saurashtra, temples at Dwarka and Junagadh hold grand processions. In UP and Bihar, women sing Tulsi vivah geet and wake the deities with a winnowing basket and sugarcane. In Karnataka and Andhra, Uttana Dwadashi has a Tulsi puja with amla branches.

Maharashtra

Tulsi Vivah is held from Dwadashi to Kartik Purnima with a full wedding — mangalashtak, antarpat cloth and akshata — and marks the start of the wedding season.

Gujarat (Saurashtra)

Grand weddings at Dwarka, Junagadh and village temples, with a procession of the groom (Lalji) and community feasts.

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

Dev Uthani Ekadashi: women draw the feet of the gods with rice paste, cover them with a soop, and wake them with songs and the sound of the basket.

Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

Uttana Dwadashi or Ksheerabdi Dwadashi: a Tulsi puja with an amla branch placed beside the plant, with lamps lit around it.

Odisha

The month of Kartik is kept with daily Tulsi worship and lamps; the Panchuka days at the end of the month are especially sacred.

Prayers to recite

Do’s and don’ts

Frequently asked questions