Rama Ekadashi 2026: 5 November, the Ekadashi Before Diwali — Vrat Vidhi, Katha and Parana Time

2026-09-17

Rama Ekadashi 2026 falls on Thursday, 5 November. The Ekadashi tithi runs from 11:04 on 4 November to 10:36 on 5 November. Parana is on 6 November, after sunrise at 06:37 and before Dwadashi ends at 10:31.

Rama Ekadashi 2026 falls on Thursday, 5 November. The Ekadashi tithi of Kartik Krishna Paksha begins at 11:04 on 4 November and ends at 10:36 on 5 November. Because Ekadashi is running at sunrise on 5 November (06:36 in Delhi), the fast is kept that day. Parana, the breaking of the fast, is done the next morning, Friday 6 November, after sunrise at 06:37 and before Dwadashi ends at 10:31.

This is the first Ekadashi of Diwali week. The same evening is Govatsa Dwadashi (Vasu Baras), and the next day, 6 November, is Dhanteras. Below are the exact timings, why the fast is on the 5th and not the 4th, a short vidhi, the katha, the parana cut-off, and the questions that trip people up every year.

What are the Rama Ekadashi 2026 date and timings?

All timings here come from our own panchang engine and are for Delhi. Sunrise shifts by a few minutes from city to city, so your parana window moves by the same few minutes.

Ekadashi begins on 4 November, so why is the fast on the 5th?

A tithi is a lunar day. Unlike a calendar date, it does not change at midnight; it can begin and end at any hour. Tradition keeps the fast on the day when the tithi is running at sunrise. This is called udaya tithi, the tithi that is present when the Sun rises.

At sunrise on 4 November the tithi was still Dashami, the tenth, because Ekadashi began only at 11:04. At sunrise on 5 November, 06:36, Ekadashi was running. So the vrat is on 5 November, not the 4th.

Why does the Ekadashi before Diwali matter?

Rama is one of the names of Lakshmi, and this Ekadashi is named after her. Tradition holds that worshipping Vishnu together with Lakshmi on this day carries special merit. Diwali itself is the festival of Lakshmi puja, so Rama Ekadashi is seen as the start of Diwali preparations.

Krishna Paksha is the dark half of the lunar month, the fortnight when the Moon wanes from Purnima (full moon) to Amavasya (new moon). Diwali falls on Kartik Amavasya, and Rama Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi of that same fortnight. The full list of 2026 Amavasya and Purnima dates is in one place here.

Why are Rama Ekadashi and Vasu Baras on the same day?

This is the detail that confuses calendar readers every year. On 5 November, Ekadashi ends at 10:36 and Dwadashi, the twelfth tithi, begins. Govatsa Dwadashi, also called Vasu Baras, is observed on the Dwadashi that is running during pradosh, the period just after sunset. On the evening of 5 November (sunset 17:32) Dwadashi is running, so Vasu Baras falls that evening.

So one day holds the Ekadashi fast in the morning and the cow-and-calf puja in the evening. If your calendar lists both on 5 November, it is not an error. People keeping the fast can do the evening gau puja; it does not break the Ekadashi vrat.

The next day, 6 November, is Dhanteras. The 6-or-7 November confusion and the Yam Deepam timing are covered in the Dhanteras article.

How do you keep the Rama Ekadashi vrat?

The vidhi, the method of observance, is short. This much is enough even for someone keeping Ekadashi for the first time.

1. Evening of 4 November, Dashami: Eat a simple, sattvic (plain vegetarian) meal. By tradition, rice and grains are given up from this evening.
2. Morning of 5 November: Bathe and take the sankalp, the spoken or silent resolve that you are keeping the fast today, and in which form.
3. Puja: Light a diya (lamp) before an image of Vishnu and Lakshmi. Offer tulsi (holy basil) leaves; tradition treats Vishnu puja as incomplete without tulsi. Offer fruit, flowers and whatever sattvic food is available.
4. Through the day: No rice, wheat, pulses or other grains. Fruit, milk, sabudana (tapioca pearls) and water-chestnut flour are allowed. Keep a nirjala (waterless) fast only if your health permits. Why rice is dropped on Ekadashi, and what you can eat instead, is explained in detail here.
5. Evening: Light a diya and chant the name of Vishnu. Those whose tradition includes Vasu Baras do the cow-and-calf puja.
6. 6 November: Break the fast between 06:37 and 10:31.

What is the Rama Ekadashi katha?

According to the katha, King Muchukunda was a devotee of Vishnu, and everyone in his kingdom kept the Ekadashi fast. His daughter Chandrabhaga was married to Shobhana. Shobhana was physically weak and could not bear hunger. While he was staying with his in-laws, Rama Ekadashi arrived.

Chandrabhaga told him that in this kingdom nobody eats grain on Ekadashi. Shobhana hesitated, then resolved to keep the fast, and he completed it. According to the katha, the merit of that single fast earned him a divine city. Later, Chandrabhaga gave him the merit of a lifetime of her own Ekadashi fasts, and the city became permanent.

The point of the story is plain. Shobhana kept one fast with difficulty; Chandrabhaga kept them for years as a rule. Both earned fruit, but permanence came from the rule.

What are the parana rules, and why the 10:31 cut-off?

Parana means breaking the fast. An Ekadashi fast is broken the next morning, during Dwadashi tithi, after sunrise. This is the rule tradition treats as most important: it is held that if parana does not happen within Dwadashi, the vrat stays incomplete.

In 2026, Dwadashi begins at 10:36 on 5 November and ends at 10:31 on 6 November. Sunrise in Delhi on 6 November is 06:37. So the parana window is 06:37 to 10:31, roughly four hours.

• Do not break the fast before sunrise, even though Dwadashi is already running.
• After 10:31, Trayodashi (the thirteenth tithi) begins. Finish parana before that.
• 6 November is Dhanteras. The morning will be busy with puja and shopping, so it is sensible to do parana first thing.
• Begin parana with water and a tulsi leaf, then a simple meal. Tradition considers it auspicious to take grain at parana, so you may break the fast with rice or roti.

If you are outside Delhi, check your own sunrise. The window shifts by a few minutes depending on the city, but do not go past the 10:31 limit.

Panchang for 4, 5 and 6 November 2026 (Delhi)

Nakshatra is the star group the Moon is passing through that day. Rashi is the zodiac sign the Sun or Moon occupies at the time.

In the last days of Krishna Paksha the Moon rises late at night, which is why the moonrise times here, 01:43, 02:42 and 03:40, are after midnight.

Rama Ekadashi 2026: frequently asked questions

When is Rama Ekadashi in 2026?

Thursday, 5 November 2026. The Ekadashi tithi runs from 11:04 on 4 November to 10:36 on 5 November, and because it is present at sunrise on the 5th, the fast is kept that day.

What is the Rama Ekadashi 2026 parana time?

6 November, 06:37 to 10:31 (Delhi). Dwadashi ends at 10:31, so break the fast before then.

Are Rama Ekadashi and Vasu Baras on the same day?

Yes, in 2026 both fall on 5 November. Ekadashi runs until 10:36 in the morning, and Vasu Baras is observed that evening on the pradosh-time Dwadashi.

When is Dhanteras 2026?

6 November 2026, the same day as parana. The date confusion and the Yam Deepam timing are covered in the Dhanteras article.

Can you eat rice on Rama Ekadashi?

By tradition, no. Rice and grains are given up on Ekadashi. Fruit, milk and sabudana are the usual phalahar (fruit-based fasting food).

Why is this Ekadashi called Rama?

Rama is a name of Lakshmi. This Ekadashi is dedicated to both Vishnu and Lakshmi, and it comes just before Diwali.

To check your own city's sunrise, tithi and nakshatra each day, our daily panchang page has them; set your parana time from your local sunrise.