Ekādaśī
एकादशी
The eleventh tithi of each fortnight, observed as a vrata.
Definition
Ekādaśī is the eleventh tithi of each pakṣa, giving twenty-four in an ordinary year and twenty-six when there is an adhika māsa. It is observed as a vrata, especially in the Vaiṣṇava tradition, and each has its own name, such as Nirjalā or Devotthānī. Smārta and Vaiṣṇava calendars sometimes fix the observance on different days, because the Vaiṣṇava rule requires that the tithi not be touched by daśamī at dawn.
Articles that use this term
- PanchangaExplainer
Ekadashi: the eleventh lunar day
Why a lunar year has 24 Ekadashis and sometimes 26, and why smarta and vaishnava almanacs can print different dates for the same one.
7 min read · 2 October 2026
- PanchangaExplainer
Adhika masa: the leap month
Twelve lunar months fall about eleven days short of the solar year. How the calendar inserts a thirteenth month, when it does so, and what the rare lost month is.
6 min read · 25 September 2026