Rama Ekadashi 2026: Date, Parana Time, Story and Rules

Rama Ekadashi, also called Rambha Ekadashi, is the Ekadashi of the waning fortnight (Krishna Paksha) of Kartik in the North Indian calendar. It falls a few days before Diwali, which makes it the last Ekadashi of the year's biggest festival week.

This guide covers the 2026 date and Parana time, why the day is linked to Lakshmi, the story behind it, and how it is commonly observed. Traditions differ in the details. Your family's practice, your guru or your local temple's panchang is the final word.

Rama Ekadashi 2026: date and times

Note the short window. Dwadashi ends at 10:30 AM on 6 November, so there is no option of breaking the fast late in the morning this time. Plan to break it soon after sunrise. The window above is for New Delhi; it opens earlier in eastern cities such as Kolkata and later in western ones such as Mumbai, so use a panchang for your city.

Outside India the date can move by a day; our guide to why Ekadashi dates differ explains the rules.

Kartik or Ashwin?

If your calendar calls this day "Ashwin Krishna Ekadashi", it is the same fast. North India uses the Purnimanta calendar, where a month ends on the full moon, and places it in Kartik. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and much of the south use the Amanta calendar, where a month ends on the new moon, and there it is still Ashwin. Either way it is the Ekadashi just before Diwali.

Why it is linked to Lakshmi and Diwali

"Rama" here is not Lord Rama of the Ramayana. It is a name of Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort and the goddess of prosperity. Because the day falls in the run-up to Diwali, when Lakshmi is worshipped on the new-moon night, many families worship Vishnu and Lakshmi together on Rama Ekadashi. In 2026 Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November, three days later.

The vrat katha: Chandrabhaga and Shobhana

The story is told by Krishna to Yudhishthira. ISKCON's text places it in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana; some calendars cite the Bhavishya Purana. The outline is the same in both.

King Muchukunda was a devoted follower of Vishnu, and in his kingdom everyone, by royal order, kept the Ekadashi fast. His daughter Chandrabhaga married Shobhana, a prince who was gentle but physically frail.

When Shobhana came to stay at his father-in-law's palace, Rama Ekadashi arrived and the drums announced the fast. Shobhana feared he could not survive a day without food. Chandrabhaga told him that in her father's kingdom no one, not even animals, ate on Ekadashi; if he could not fast, he should leave. Shobhana chose to stay and keep the fast. By the next morning he had died.

Because he had kept Rama Ekadashi, Shobhana was reborn as the ruler of a magnificent city on Mount Mandarachala. But the city was unstable, because his fast had been kept out of duty rather than faith. Chandrabhaga, who had kept Ekadashi faithfully since childhood, learned of this. She went to him and gave him the merit of all her Ekadashi fasts, and the city became permanent. The two were reunited and lived there together.

How it is commonly observed

• The fast. The usual Ekadashi rules apply: no grains, rice, wheat, pulses or beans. Some keep a phalahar fast (fruit, milk, nuts, and permitted foods such as sabudana or kuttu), some take water only, and some keep a full nirjala fast. Our guide to Ekadashi fasting rules and foods allowed covers the options. Anyone with a health condition, pregnant or elderly should choose a lighter form; the tradition itself allows it.
• Worship of Vishnu and Lakshmi. Puja with tulsi leaves, lamps, flowers and fruit. Many homes light the first diyas of the Diwali season on this evening.
• Hearing the katha. Reading or listening to the story above is part of the day.
• Festival food. Diwali sweets are often made in these days. If you are fasting, keep them for after Parana, or make ones from permitted ingredients such as makhana, coconut or singhara flour.

Breaking the fast

The fast is broken on Dwadashi, Friday 6 November, within the Parana window: after sunrise, after Hari Vasara (the first quarter of Dwadashi) has passed, and before Dwadashi ends. In New Delhi that is 06:37 to 08:48 AM. Many people break it with tulsi water or a little fruit, then a simple sattvic meal.

Step-by-step rules, including what to eat first, are in our complete Parana guide.

The next Ekadashi

After Rama Ekadashi comes Prabodhini (Dev Uthani) Ekadashi on Friday 20 November 2026, the day Vishnu wakes and Chaturmas ends. Every date for 2026 and 2027 is in our Ekadashi calendar. In 2027, Rama Ekadashi falls on Monday 25 October.

Dates and times in this guide are for New Delhi, checked against widely used panchangs. Conventions vary by community and region; please confirm with your local temple or family panchang.

References

• ISKCON Bangalore — The Glories of Rama Ekadashi (Brahma Vaivarta Purana account)