Shukla Ekadashi in the solar month Dhanu (Margazhi) · All of South India

Vaikunta Ekadasi 2026

Mukkoti Ekadasi

Moonrise in Chennai
2:08 PM
Sunday, 20 December 2026
Tithi begins: Sat 19 Dec, 10:10 PM · Tithi ends: Sun 20 Dec, 8:15 PM

Moonrise in major cities

Sunday, 20 December 2026 · All times in IST

CityMoonrise
Delhi1:55 PM
Mumbai2:29 PM
Bengaluru2:19 PM
Kolkata1:20 PM
Chennai2:08 PM
Hyderabad2:09 PM
Ahmedabad2:24 PM
Pune2:26 PM
Jaipur2:04 PM
Lucknow1:43 PM
Surat2:26 PM
Kanpur1:46 PM
Nagpur2:00 PM
Indore2:11 PM
Bhopal2:04 PM
Patna1:28 PM
Vadodara2:23 PM
Ghaziabad1:54 PM
Ludhiana1:57 PM
Agra1:55 PM

About this festival

Vaikunta Ekadasi is the most important Ekadashi for Vaishnavas in South India. On this day the "gate to Vaikuntam" (Vaikunta Dwaram or Paramapada Vasal) is opened at Vishnu temples such as Srirangam and Tirumala, and devotees pass through it at dawn. It is the Shukla Ekadashi that falls in the solar month Dhanu, so some years have none and some have two.

How it is observed

  • Fasting and night-long vigil (jagaran).
  • Passing through Vaikunta Dwaram at dawn.
  • Parana (breaking the fast) on Dwadashi morning.

All dates

DateNotes
Sunday, 20 December 2026Ekadashi: Sat 19 Dec, 10:10 PM → Sun 20 Dec, 8:15 PM

Questions people ask

Why is there no Vaikunta Ekadasi in some years?

Because it must fall while the Sun is in Dhanu (mid-December to mid-January). Depending on the lunar cycle, a calendar year can have zero, one or two.

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