Vrat · Adhik Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi
Kamala Ekadashi 2026
Both Ekadashis of an Adhik (extra) month are Kamala Ekadashi: the Ekadashi of Purushottam month. A vow that comes only once every two or three years!
Next date
Times are for Mumbai. The app gives times for your city.
Quick facts
- Also known asPadmini Ekadashi (bright half), Parama Ekadashi (dark half)
- WhereAll of India; only in a year with an Adhik month
- Puja forPurushottama (Vishnu)
- In one linePurushottam month is dearest to Vishnu, and its Ekadashis are held the highest of all.
Kamala Ekadashi, in a little more detail
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About the festival
To keep the lunar year in step with the solar year, an extra month comes in about every thirty-two months: the Adhik month. In it the sun does not move into a new rashi.
This month is called Purushottam month, and both its Ekadashis carry one name: Kamala. In the north they are called Padmini and Parama.
The fast is the usual one, with a night vigil, broken on Dwadashi. Today's lesson: don't waste the extra time you've been given. Use it for something good.
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Sumedha and Pavitra
In the city of Kampilya lived a devout Brahmin named Sumedha and his wife Pavitra. They were very poor, yet Pavitra served every guest whatever little they had.
One day the sage Kaundinya came to their home, and they looked after him with all their heart. Sumedha asked: how will this poverty end? The sage said: keep the Ekadashi of the Adhik month, it is dear to Purushottama.
The two kept the fast faithfully. That same night a prince came to them and gave them a house full of wealth and grain. Their poverty was over, and in time they reached Vaikuntha.
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In Maharashtra and beyond
In Maharashtra the Adhik month is also called dhondyacha mahina or malmas. No weddings, thread ceremonies or naming ceremonies are held in it.
Instead: reading the Bhagavat, week-long kathas, holy baths, japa and charity. Married daughters and sons-in-law are given anarse in threes, a copper niranjan and gifts.
At Purushottampuri in Beed district, the Purushottam temple holds a big fair in every Adhik month.
In the north these two Ekadashis are known as Padmini and Parama. Padmini Ekadashi has its own story, Queen Padmini's: through this vow, taught by Anasuya, she had a son like Kartavirya Arjuna.
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
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
2 times this year, timed for Mumbai.
Dates by city in 2026
In these cities the dates below differ from Mumbai; the rest are the same.
Set a reminder in the app
The app sends a notice the day before and on the day, even offline.