Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026: Date in the US, Meaning and How to Observe

When is Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026?

Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026 is on Sunday, December 20, 2026. That is the date in Drik Panchang's calendar for New York and in ISKCON's calendar.

In US calendars the Ekadashi tithi itself begins the day before: Drik Panchang's New York calendar lists Mokshada Ekadashi from Saturday, December 19, with Vaikuntha Ekadashi observed on Sunday, December 20. Families who keep the strict fast follow their temple's calendar for the exact fasting day and the time to break the fast (parana) the next morning.

	Date (US)
Vaikuntha Ekadashi	Sunday, December 20, 2026
Gita Jayanti (Mokshada Ekadashi)	Saturday, December 19, 2026

Why is Vaikuntha Ekadashi special?

An Ekadashi is the eleventh day of each half of the lunar month, and there are about 24 in a year. The Ekadashi of the bright half of the month of Dhanurmasa is the most glorified of all: it is Vaikuntha Ekadashi. On this day, devotees believe, the gates of Vaikuntha, the spiritual abode of Lord Vishnu, open for his devotees. The word Vaikuntha means "a place completely free from anxieties".

The Vaikuntha Dwara

Vaikuntha Ekadashi is a major festival in South India, celebrated in every Vishnu temple. Temples set up the Vaikuntha Dwara, a special entrance symbolizing the gateway to Vaikuntha, and devotees line up from before dawn to walk through it. The great Vishnu temples of Srirangam and Tirumala draw enormous crowds, and in the US, Venkateswara and Vishnu temples hold Vaikuntha Dwara darshan too.

How to observe Vaikuntha Ekadashi at home

Devotees keep the Ekadashi fast and remember the Lord by chanting his names and singing his glories:

Fast according to your ability: full fast, fruit and milk only, or simply no grains or beans.
Light a diya before Vishnu, Krishna or Venkateswara.
Chant: the Hare Krishna mantra, Om Namo Narayanaya, or the Vishnu Sahasranamam.
Visit a temple for Vaikuntha Dwara darshan if you can.
Break the fast the next morning (Dwadashi) within the parana time on your temple's calendar.

For the rules of the fast and the year's other Ekadashis, see Ekadashi fasting in the US.

Diya, the app, has Vishnu's prayers and the Vishnu Sahasranamam to chant along with. Diya is available for iPhone. See the Diya app.

Questions people ask

When is Vaikuntha Ekadashi in 2026?

Sunday, December 20, 2026, by the New York calendar of Drik Panchang and by ISKCON's calendar.

How many Vaikuntha Ekadashis are in 2026?

One falls at the end of 2026, on December 20. In some years, because of how the lunar months fall, two Vaikuntha Ekadashis land in one calendar year, one in January and one in December.

Why is Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebrated?

Devotees believe the gates of Vaikuntha, Vishnu's spiritual abode, open on this day. Walking through the Vaikuntha Dwara in a Vishnu temple and keeping the fast are acts of devotion asking for liberation.

What not to do on Vaikuntha Ekadashi?

Those fasting avoid grains and beans (rice above all), as on every Ekadashi. Many also avoid sleeping during the day and keep their mind on God, with chanting and prayer.