Short answer: Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026, also called Prabodhini Ekadashi, is kept by most families on Friday 20 November 2026. The Ekadashi tithi runs from 7:16 am IST on 20 November to 6:31 am IST on 21 November. Tulsi Vivah 2026 is usually done on Dwadashi, Saturday 21 November, though some homes hold it on the evening of 20 November. This day closes Chaturmas, and the wedding and griha pravesh season opens again after it.
Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026 date and timings
| Detail | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Ekadashi | Kartika Shukla Ekadashi, Devutthana (Prabodhini) |
| Tithi begins | Fri 20 Nov 2026, 7:16 am IST |
| Tithi ends | Sat 21 Nov 2026, 6:31 am IST |
| Fasting day | Fri 20 Nov 2026 in most panchangs* |
| Tulsi Vivah | Sat 21 Nov 2026 (Dwadashi); some families on the evening of 20 Nov |
| Parana | Sat 21 Nov 2026, after sunrise |
* At New Delhi this Ekadashi does not touch a sunrise. It begins after sunrise on 20 November and ends before sunrise on 21 November, so panchangs differ on it. Most observe it on Friday 20 November, the day the tithi begins, but please confirm in your local panchang. All times are IST, worked out for the New Delhi sunrise, and the date can move by a day in another city or abroad.
Why the day Vishnu wakes matters
By tradition, Lord Vishnu goes into yoga nidra on Devshayani Ekadashi in Ashadha and wakes on this Ekadashi in Kartika. The four months between are Chaturmas. Most North and East Indian families keep that stretch for vows, fasting and quiet, and hold back on new beginnings: no weddings, no griha pravesh, no mundan, no ground-breaking for a house.
Prabodhini means the waking. Once it passes, all of that opens up again. In my own calendar the first vivah dates of the season start from 21 November 2026 and run until Dhanu kharmas begins around 16 December. After kharmas lifts in mid-January, the 2027 season follows. I have listed those dates on my marriage muhurat 2027 page, and dates for moving into a new house are on griha pravesh muhurat 2027.
Next year the same Ekadashi falls on 10 November 2027, and every fast of that year is on my Ekadashi 2027 list.
These two days book up early. Pandits, halls and caterers fill fast for 20 and 21 November, so if your family is aiming for this window, settle the date now.
Tulsi Vivah 2026
Tulsi Vivah is the ceremonial marriage of the tulsi plant to Vishnu, in the form of a Shaligram stone or an image of Krishna. Many homes treat it as the first wedding of the season and only start their own family weddings after it. The common day is Dwadashi, Saturday 21 November 2026. Some families do it on the evening of Ekadashi itself, and a few carry it on until Kartik Purnima, following their own custom.
You can do it at home in under an hour:
- Wash the tulsi pot, paint or decorate it, and tie four sugarcane stalks over it like a small mandap.
- Dress the plant with a red chunri, a little sindoor and bangles, as you would a bride.
- Place the Shaligram or Krishna idol next to it, and tie the two with a cotton thread.
- Walk around the pot seven times with the idol, or have the elder of the house do it.
- Finish with aarti and share the prasad: sugarcane, water chestnut and sweets.
Simple puja steps for Dev Uthani
The Ekadashi puja is short. What matters is that the house is clean and the mind is settled.
- Bathe early, take a sankalp for the fast, and clean the puja corner.
- Draw small footprints with rice paste or chalk from the main door towards the puja place. This is the old North Indian sign of welcoming the deity in.
- Offer seasonal produce: sugarcane, water chestnut, sweet potato, ber and fresh tulsi leaves. Pick the leaves on Dashami, since tulsi is not plucked on Ekadashi.
- At dusk, light lamps across the house and at the entrance, ring a bell and sing or say a prayer to wake the deity. Many families do this with a plate and spoon, as their grandmothers did.
- Break the fast on Saturday 21 November after sunrise, while Dwadashi is running. Check the parana window in your panchang.
If someone in the house is unwell, elderly or pregnant, a fruit and milk fast is enough, and their doctor’s advice comes first.
Where your tulsi should stand: the Vastu view
Before the vivah, look at where your tulsi actually lives. I see plants pushed into a dark balcony corner all the time. The right spot is the north-east of the home. If that is not possible, use the north or the east. Both get clean morning light and suit a plant you pray to.
- Keep the pot raised, on a stand or a chaura, not on bare floor.
- Give it a few hours of morning sun.
- Keep it away from the south, from under a staircase, and from a wall it shares with a toilet.
- Replace a dried plant with a fresh one; do not let a dead stalk stay in the pot.
If you are moving it, shift it a few days before 21 November, so the vivah happens in the new place. My guide to Vastu plants for home covers the other plants in the house. If you are moving house once the season opens, my griha pravesh Vastu checklist covers what to check before the first day.
Plan your wedding or griha pravesh date with me
The season opens on these dates for everyone, but your own date comes from your charts. For a wedding I read both kundlis, check the match, and then pick a day and a lagna that suit you both. For a griha pravesh I look at the charts of the people moving in and the direction of the house.
A 45-minute call is ₹1,499, on video or phone, in English, Hindi or Bengali, and the written note with remedies comes within 48 hours. If the match itself is still open, start with kundli matching. Read how my online astrology consultation works, then book a time that suits you. You can also call or WhatsApp +91 74838 52618, 9 AM to 8 PM, all week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026 on 20 or 21 November?
Most families keep it on Friday 20 November 2026. The tithi starts at 7:16 am IST that day and ends at 6:31 am IST on 21 November, so it misses both sunrises at New Delhi. Vaishnava and ISKCON calendars keep the fast on Saturday 21 November instead and break it after sunrise on Sunday 22 November. Check your own panchang.
What is the Tulsi Vivah 2026 date?
Saturday 21 November 2026, on Dwadashi, for most homes. Some families hold it on the evening of Ekadashi, Friday 20 November, and a few continue until Kartik Purnima, depending on custom. For the full-moon dates of next year, see Purnima and Amavasya 2027.
Can a wedding be held on Dev Uthani Ekadashi itself?
Some communities treat the day as auspicious in its own right and hold weddings on it. Most pandits start the season from 21 November. Either way, I check both charts before I suggest a date, because a good day for the calendar is not always a good day for a couple.
When do I break the Dev Uthani fast in 2026?
On Saturday 21 November, after sunrise. Dwadashi begins at 6:31 am IST that morning, so the fast is broken in Dwadashi, inside the parana window your panchang gives for your city.
Which direction is best for the tulsi plant before Tulsi Vivah?
The north-east is best. The north or the east also work well. Keep the pot raised and in morning light, and away from the south, the stairs and any toilet wall.
