Vrat · Bhadrapada Krishna Ekadashi
Indira Ekadashi 2026
Bhadrapada Krishna Ekadashi is Indira Ekadashi: the Ekadashi of Pitru Paksha. A vow kept for the ancestors!
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Times are for Thane. The app gives times for your city.
Quick facts
- Also known asAshvin Krishna Ekadashi (north India)
- WhereAll of India; in the north it falls in Ashvin Krishna
- Puja forShaligram and Hrishikesha (Vishnu)
- In one lineA son's keeping of this Ekadashi freed his father from Yama's world.
Indira Ekadashi, in a little more detail
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About the festival
In Maharashtra the dark half of Bhadrapada is Pitru Paksha: a fortnight of remembering the ancestors, up to Sarvapitri Amavasya. Indira Ekadashi falls in it.
So the ancestors have a place in this Ekadashi too: tarpan for them at midday, and puja of the Shaligram. The fast is the usual one, with a night vigil, broken on Dwadashi.
Today's lesson: what we are, we owe to the generations before us. Giving them one day is how you say thank you.
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The story of King Indrasena
In Satya yuga, King Indrasena ruled the city of Mahishmati: a protector of his people and devoted to Vishnu. One day the sage Narada came to his court.
Narada said: in Yama's world I saw your father. He lived by dharma, but once he broke an Ekadashi fast too early, and that is why he is there. His message is: my son, keep the coming Indira Ekadashi and give in charity, so that I can rise.
As Narada taught, Indrasena kept the vow with his family: one meal on Dashami, the fast, tarpan and a vigil on Ekadashi, and the fast broken on Dwadashi. Flowers rained from the sky, and Indrasena saw his father rise towards Vaikuntha on Garuda.
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In Maharashtra and beyond
In Pitru Paksha, homes perform the ancestors' shraddha: pinda offerings, and a morsel set out for the crow. If the crow takes it, it is believed to have reached the ancestors.
In the story, the ancestors' pinda goes to a cow as well. At home: the fast, puja of the Shaligram or of Vitthal, and charity as you can afford.
In the north the month ends on the full moon, so there Pitru Paksha falls in Ashvin, and this is Ashvin Krishna Ekadashi. The name, the story and the vow are the same.
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 is done differently on this Ekadashi in Pitru Paksha?
This fast is kept for the ancestors. Offer tarpan to them at midday, give what charity you can, and offer the merit of the fast to them.
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 Thane.
Dates by city in 2026
Every date is the same in every city listed.
Dates in 2027
1 times in 2027, timed for Thane.
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