Vrat · Chaitra Shukla Ekadashi
Kamada Ekadashi 2026
Chaitra Shukla Ekadashi is Kamada Ekadashi: the first Ekadashi of the new year. Kamada means the one who grants your wishes!
Next date
Times are for Nashik. The app gives times for your city.
Quick facts
- Also known asChaitri Ekadashi
- WhereAll of India
- Puja forVishnu (as Krishna); in Maharashtra, Vitthal
- In one lineThe new year's first fast: a wife freed her husband, cursed into a demon, by keeping this vow.
Kamada Ekadashi, in a little more detail
- 01
About the festival
The new year began on Gudi Padwa, Rama Navami has come and gone, and right after it comes Kamada Ekadashi: the new year's first fast.
The fast is the usual one, broken on Dwadashi. Kamada means the giver of kama, of wishes: a prayer made with your whole heart is believed to come true.
The lesson in the story: love isn't only being together, it's not letting go when things go wrong. A wife kept this vow for her husband, and it changed both their lives.
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Lalit and Lalita
In the city of Ratnapura, at King Pundarika's court, a gandharva named Lalit sang and his wife Lalita danced. One day Lalita wasn't at court. As he sang, Lalit's mind went to her, and he lost the beat.
The naga Karkotaka told the king: this man loves his wife more than his master. In a rage Pundarika cursed Lalit to become a terrible man-eating demon. Heartbroken, Lalita followed him through the forests.
Near the Vindhya hills she met the sage Shringi. Keep Kamada Ekadashi in Chaitra, he said, and it will atone for your husband's sins. Lalita fasted with all her heart and prayed for him to be freed. Lalit was freed from the curse, became a gandharva again, and the two rode a heavenly chariot to svarga.
- 03
In Maharashtra and beyond
Varkaris keep it as always: the fast, the Haripath and bhajans to Vitthal. Pandharpur holds its Chaitri Ekadashi yatra.
At home, a morning bath, puja to Vishnu in his form as Krishna, and darshan at a nearby temple.
As the new year's first Ekadashi, it's when many make their resolve for the year.
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
1 times this year, timed for Nashik.
Dates by city in 2026
In these cities the dates below differ from Nashik; the rest are the same.
Dates in 2027
1 times in 2027, timed for Nashik.
Set a reminder in the app
The app sends a notice the day before and on the day, even offline.