Nirjala Ekadashi 2026 and 2027

Nirjala Ekadashi date and time

Nirjala Ekadashi falls in Jyeshtha month, Shukla paksha. Dates below use the New Delhi sunrise rule; your city may differ by a day.

• Thu, 25 Jun, 2026: tithi Wed, 24 Jun, 2026, 6:13 PM to Thu, 25 Jun, 2026, 8:10 PM IST.
• Mon, 14 Jun, 2027: tithi Mon, 14 Jun, 2027, 2:13 AM to Tue, 15 Jun, 2027, 2:09 AM IST.

Significance of Nirjala Ekadashi

Nirjala Ekadashi is the strictest Ekadashi, traditionally kept without water, linked with Bhima. Like every Ekadashi it is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

How to keep Nirjala Ekadashi vrat

A simple, common way.

1. On Dashami evening, eat a light sattvic meal.
2. On Ekadashi morning, bathe and pray to Vishnu with tulsi.
3. Keep a fruit and milk fast, or the strictness your family follows.
4. Read or listen to the vrat katha.
5. Break the fast on Dwadashi morning after sunrise.

What to eat and avoid

Grains are avoided.

• Eat: fruit, milk, curd, nuts, sabudana, kuttu, singhara, potatoes, sendha namak.
• Avoid: rice, wheat, pulses, onion, garlic.
• Drink: water, milk, tea by custom.

Nirjala Ekadashi and the Ekadashi year

There are 24 Ekadashis a year. Nirjala Ekadashi comes after Apara Ekadashi and before Yogini Ekadashi.

How we calculate the date

We use the astronomy engine with Lahiri ayanamsa. The observance date is the India date whose sunrise falls inside the Ekadashi tithi.

1. Find when the Moon is 120 to 132 degrees ahead of the Sun.
2. Check the New Delhi sunrise on each day.
3. Pick the day whose sunrise is inside the tithi.

Understanding Nirjala Ekadashi in depth

Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi of each lunar fortnight. A tithi is not a calendar day; it is the time the Moon takes to gain 12 degrees on the Sun, which varies between roughly 19 and 26 hours. That is why the Ekadashi date can fall on different weekdays and why calendars sometimes list two days. Nirjala Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of Jyeshtha month in the Shukla paksha, and it is the strictest Ekadashi, traditionally kept without water, linked with Bhima.

Families across India keep Ekadashi in many ways. Some keep a full fast, some take only fruit and milk, and many simply avoid grains and rice for the day. The idea behind every version is the same: a lighter body, a calmer mind and more time for prayer to Lord Vishnu. Reading the vrat katha, chanting the Vishnu Sahasranama or listening to the Bhagavad Gita are common ways to spend the day.

The fast is usually broken on Dwadashi, the next morning, after sunrise. This is called parana. Tradition prefers that parana happens while Dwadashi is still running and avoids the first quarter of Dwadashi, known as Hari Vasara. Times differ by city, so families abroad use their own local sunrise.

Charity is a gentle part of Nirjala Ekadashi. Giving food, clothes or study material to those who need it is a common custom. None of these steps is compulsory, and anyone who is unwell, pregnant, elderly or young is always encouraged to keep a light, flexible version of the vrat.

Our dates are calculated rather than copied. The astronomy engine finds the exact start and end of the Ekadashi tithi, and the observance date is the India date whose New Delhi sunrise falls inside it. If no sunrise falls inside, the tithi is called kshaya and we list the day it starts.

Ekadashi in Hinglish searches

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