Vrat · Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi
Amalaki Ekadashi 2026
Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi is Amalaki Ekadashi: today the amla tree is worshipped. And Holi is just four days away!
Next date
Times are for Kolhapur. The app gives times for your city.
Quick facts
- Also known asAmalaka Ekadashi, Rangbhari Ekadashi (Kashi)
- WhereAll of India; Rangbhari Ekadashi in Kashi
- Puja forVishnu, and the amla tree
- In one lineVishnu is believed to dwell in the amla tree. Today the tree is watered and worshipped.
Amalaki Ekadashi, in a little more detail
- 01
About the festival
Amalaka is the amla, the Indian gooseberry. This day belongs to a tree: Vishnu is believed to live in the amla, and in some traditions Lakshmi too.
A bath in the morning, water for the amla tree, puja, and the fast, broken as usual on Dwadashi. No amla tree nearby? The story itself says to worship a tulsi instead.
The lesson is simple: thank the tree that keeps you well. You already know amla from Ayurveda, and from triphala.
- 02
The hunter and King Vasuratha
In the kingdom of Vaidisha, King Chitraratha and all his people kept Ekadashi. In Phalguna they bathed in the river and went to a Vishnu temple where an amla tree grew. They worshipped the tree and Parashurama, and kept the night with lamps, bhajans and a vigil.
That night a tired, hungry hunter hid there to watch. Listening to the puja and the stories of Hari, he stayed awake all night. In the morning he went home and ate. The fast and the vigil he never meant to keep made him, in his next birth, Vasuratha, king of Jayanti.
Once, lost while hunting, Vasuratha fell asleep under a tree. Enemies attacked him, but their weapons couldn't touch him. Then a radiant goddess came out of his body and finished every one of them. A voice from the sky said: Keshava protects whoever comes to him without asking for anything.
- 03
In Maharashtra and beyond
Varkaris keep it as always: the fast, the Haripath and bhajans to Vitthal. Where there is an amla tree, it gets water and a puja in the morning.
After this Ekadashi the real run-up to Holi begins. Four days later, on Phalguna Purnima, the Holi fire is lit.
In Kashi this is Rangbhari Ekadashi: Shiva is believed to bring Parvati home to Kashi after their wedding. Gulal flies over Kashi Vishwanath's palkhi, and the city's Holi begins today.
How to do the puja
In short: A light meal on Dashami, the fast and the Name on Ekadashi, and parana after sunrise on Dwadashi.
- 1Eat light the day before, on Dashami.One simple meal is enough. Nothing heavy at night, so your stomach is light on Ekadashi.
- 2Pick the tulsi leaves for the puja the day before.In many homes tulsi is not plucked on Ekadashi.
- 3Bathe in the morning on Ekadashi and make your sankalp for the fast.Decide in your mind: no water at all, water only, fruit and milk, or one fasting meal.
- 4Worship Vishnu or Vitthal.Offer a lamp, incense, sandalwood paste, flowers and tulsi leaves, with fruit or milk as naivedya.
- 5Keep the fast you chose through the day.Leave out rice, wheat, jowar, bajra and dals. Offer your fasting food to God first, then eat.
- 6Spend the day with the name.The Haripath, the Vishnu Sahasranama, bhajans, or the story of that Ekadashi on this page.
- 7In the evening, light the lamp again and do the aarti.Many stay up singing bhajans (jagran). If you work tomorrow, a little while is enough.
- 8Break the fast after sunrise on Dwadashi.If your panchang gives a parana time, keep to it. Offer naivedya first, then eat.
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Frequently asked questions
How is the amla tree worshipped?
After your morning bath, water the amla tree, worship it and keep the fast. Giving food and charity is prescribed today. If there is no tree near you, worshipping Vishnu is enough.
What can I eat on the fast?
It depends on the fast you keep: nothing, water only, fruit and milk, or one fasting meal. A fasting meal can have sabudana, vari bhagar, sweet potato, potato and peanuts. No grains and no dals.
Can I drink water?
Yes, unless you keep it nirjala. The strictest fast has no water until sunrise on Dwadashi, but most people keep a lighter one.
When do I break the fast?
After sunrise on Dwadashi: this is the parana. If the first part of Dwadashi, the harivasar, runs past sunrise, wait until it ends. Your panchang gives the time.
Why does Ekadashi sometimes have two dates?
When a tithi is lost or doubled, the Smarta and Bhagwat (Warkari) traditions follow different rules, so their Ekadashis can fall on different days. Follow your family’s tradition.
Who need not fast?
The sick, pregnant women and anyone with a health problem need not fast, nor young children and the very old. They can have milk and fruit and keep the day with prayer. If you have a medical condition, ask your doctor first.
What if I break the fast by mistake?
Don't worry. Ask God's forgiveness, spend the rest of the day in prayer, and keep the next Ekadashi well.
Dates in 2026
1 times this year, timed for Kolhapur.
Dates by city in 2026
Every date is the same in every city listed.
Dates in 2027
1 times in 2027, timed for Kolhapur.
Set a reminder in the app
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