Nirjala Ekadashi 2026: Tuesday, 26 May 2026

Observance days in 2026

Nirjala Ekadashi occurs 3 times in 2026 — the panchang lists every occurrence, including the observance that falls in the adhik (leap) lunar month or repeats across the calendar-year boundary. Each is shown below.

Shubh muhurat windows

Ekadashi is a day of restraint rather than new undertakings. If you must act on it, the Abhijit Muhurat window listed above is the universally auspicious midday window; avoid the day's Rahu Kaal. For major beginnings, pick a date from the muhurat lists instead.

On a Wednesday the day's eighth muhurta — the same span as Abhijit — is itself the durmuhurtam, so classical practice does not count this window shubh. Prefer the day's good choghadiya instead.

The Abhijit Muhurat is the midday window most digests treat as universally auspicious — Wednesdays excepted (what it is and why). Windows are computed for Delhi; your city's exact span shifts with local sunrise — check the city panchang or the Bela app.

What does Nirjala Ekadashi celebrate?

Nirjala Ekadashi is an Ekadashi — the eleventh tithi (lunar day) of a lunar fortnight, sacred to Vishnu. Devotees fast, keep vigil and worship Vishnu; the Puranas praise Ekadashi fasting as the foremost of vows. Nirjala ('without water') is the strictest Ekadashi — one fast said to give the merit of all twenty-four. It falls in the hot Jyeshtha month.

The story and significance of Nirjala Ekadashi

Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi of each fortnight of the lunar month, so it comes twice a month — once in the waxing (shukla) and once in the waning (krishna) half. Each carries its own name and story, and Nirjala Ekadashi is one of the twenty-four that fill the year.

The observance is a fast: grains and beans are avoided, the day is given to Vishnu worship, and the fast is broken (parana) on the next morning within its prescribed window. Smarthas and Vaishnavas sometimes observe on consecutive days when the tithi spans two sunrises — which is why the panchang can list the same Ekadashi twice.

Nirjala Ekadashi dates by year