Ekadashi falls on Tuesday, 6 October 2026. If you keep the vrat, it helps to know what you are observing, how the date was chosen, and what to check before you start. This article covers all three.
What Ekadashi is
"Ekadashi" means "eleventh." It is the eleventh tithi of the lunar fortnight. Every lunar month has two pakshas, the waxing and the waning half, and each has its own Ekadashi. So the observance comes around twice a month.
Ekadashi is traditionally dedicated to Vishnu, and the usual way to keep it is a fast. Many families avoid grains and beans for the day. Some eat only fruit, milk, nuts, and light foods like sabudana or potatoes. Others skip food and water altogether, though that is a stricter choice and not required to take part. People often add time for prayer, reading, or chanting, and keep the day quiet.
How strictly to fast is a family and personal matter. Practices differ between communities, and many people adjust for age, health, work, or medication. If a full fast isn't safe for you, a simpler version of the vrat is a perfectly good way to observe.
Why this date
A tithi is not a calendar day. It is a stretch of time defined by the changing relationship between the Sun and the Moon. Each tithi starts and ends at a particular clock time, and that time can fall in the middle of the afternoon or in the small hours of the night. Because of this, a tithi doesn't line up neatly with midnight-to-midnight dates.
That is why the panchang, not a regular calendar, decides when a vrat is kept. For Ekadashi, the question is which civil day the Ekadashi tithi belongs to. Tuesday, 6 October 2026 is the date this Ekadashi is observed.
Two practical points follow from this:
- Timings depend on where you are. Tithi start and end times are calculated for a specific location, so the clock times in one city won't match another's. Always use the times for your own city.
- Traditions can differ. Some communities have their own rules for choosing the day when a tithi spans two dates, and you may see Ekadashi observed a day apart by different groups. If your family or temple follows a particular rule, follow that. Chakra shows the panchang details for your location so you can check the tithi timings yourself.
The detail that matters most: parana
If you take only one thing from this article, make it the parana, the breaking of the fast.
The Ekadashi vrat is not complete when the day ends. It is completed when you break the fast the next morning. Parana is done after sunrise, and it should happen while the Dvadashi tithi, the twelfth, is still running. In other words, parana has a window, and it is possible to miss it if you wake up late or plan the morning carelessly.
Here is how to use that:
- Look up your parana window before you begin fasting. Don't leave it for the morning of. Note the earliest time you can break the fast and the time the window closes, for your city.
- Plan the first meal. After a day of fasting, many people begin with something light and simple, then eat a normal meal later. Have it ready the night before so you aren't scrambling.
- Set an alarm for the window. If you are busy or travelling, the window is easy to lose track of. A reminder takes ten seconds to set and saves a lot of worry.
If your usual morning routine includes prayer or a visit to a temple before eating, factor that in too, so the timing still works.
A short checklist for the day
- Confirm the date: Tuesday, 6 October 2026.
- Check the tithi start and end times for your city.
- Decide how you will fast, and keep it realistic for your health.
- Find your parana window and plan your first meal.
- Set an alarm for the next morning.
None of this is complicated, but a little preparation makes the vrat calmer. Most of the stress around Ekadashi comes from not knowing the timings until the last minute.
Using Chakra for Ekadashi
Open the Chakra calendar for Tuesday, 6 October 2026 and set your location. You will see the tithi details and sunrise for your city, which are the pieces you need to plan the vrat and the parana the next morning. If you use the mobile app, you can set a reminder from the same screen.
Whether you keep a full fast or a lighter one, the aim is the same: set aside the day with some intention, and finish it properly. Knowing your parana window ahead of time is the simplest way to do that.