Get a reminder before the next Ekadashi (Kerala / Nambudiri)
At 7pm the evening before, each time it comes around. Turn it off anytime.
Remind meDates shown for India (default). Enable JavaScript to set a reminder for your location.
Ekadashi as observed in Kerala — twice monthly on the 11th tithi of both pakshas. Strict no-rice rule (Kerala-specific): only chaama (little millet) or wheat is allowed. Calendar dates are inherited from the Hindu Ekadashi schedule (24 days a year).
Mantra
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Salutations to Lord Vishnu, the indweller of all beings.
How to recite
Bathe before sunrise, visit a Vishnu temple (Guruvayur, Ambalappuzha, Tiruvalla), and observe Ekadashi upavasa with one rice-free meal of chaama or wheat at midday. Widows traditionally observe nirjala. Read Bhagavatam or Vishnu Sahasranamam in the evening; break the fast at Dwadashi sunrise.
Benefits
Ekadashi observance is considered the most powerful Vaishnava vrata in Kerala — granting freedom from karmic debts and purification of mind and body. Guruvayur Ekadashi (Vrishchikam) draws lakhs of pilgrims.
✦ Special Note
Kerala Ekadashi food rule: no rice (use chaama/millet or wheat). Widows traditionally observe nirjala (no water). Guruvayur Ekadashi (Vrishchikam Shukla Ekadashi) and Vaikuntha Ekadashi (Dhanu Shukla Ekadashi) are the two most significant Ekadashis in Kerala.
Foods Allowed
Foods to Avoid
Meal Idea
Chaama kanji with tender coconut water; wheat puttu with banana; ash-gourd curry; fruits.
📜 The story behind this vrat
Once the sage Narada Muni asked Lord Vishnu — "O Lord, what is the greatest vrat a devotee can observe?" Lord Vishnu replied — "Narada, of all vrats Ekadashi is the most sacred. On this day a demon named Mura hid inside grains and pulses to corrupt the minds of humans. When devotees avoid grains on Ekadashi they starve this demon and protect their soul from impurity. I am most pleased by this fast…
Read full katha ›
Once the sage Narada Muni asked Lord Vishnu — "O Lord, what is the greatest vrat a devotee can observe?" Lord Vishnu replied — "Narada, of all vrats Ekadashi is the most sacred. On this day a demon named Mura hid inside grains and pulses to corrupt the minds of humans. When devotees avoid grains on Ekadashi they starve this demon and protect their soul from impurity. I am most pleased by this fast above all others." Narada asked — "Who first observed this vrat?" Lord Vishnu smiled and said — "Long ago a demon named Mura terrorised the heavens and my realm. I fought him for a thousand years and grew weary. I rested in a cave called Badarikashram. From my own divine energy a beautiful maiden emerged — born of my exhaustion and my shakti — and while I slept she fought Mura alone and slew him. When I awoke and saw what she had done I granted her a boon. She said — Lord, give me a name and let those who fast on the day of my birth be freed from all sin. I named her Ekadashi — she who was born on the eleventh day. I blessed her thus: Whoever fasts on Ekadashi shall be freed from the cycle of birth and death. Their devotion shall reach me directly. The sins of seven lifetimes shall be washed away in a single Ekadashi fast observed with pure heart and full devotion. This is why Ekadashi is the most beloved fast among all Vaishnavas. It comes twice every lunar month — on the eleventh day of the waxing moon and the eleventh day of the waning moon. Each Ekadashi carries its own name and its own special blessing. Observe it with devotion, stay awake in prayer if you can, and Lord Vishnu himself will hold you in his heart."
Your family's version of this story may differ — all versions are sacred.
🪔 Aarti
Om Jai Jagdish Hare
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे, स्वामी जय जगदीश हरे । भक्त जनों के संकट, दास जनों के संकट, क्षण में दूर करे ॥ जो ध्यावे फल पावे, दुःख बिनसे मन का । सुख सम्पत्ति घर आवे, कष्ट मिटे तन का ॥ मात-पिता तुम मेरे, शरण गहूं मैं किसकी । तुम बिन और न दूजा, आस करूं मैं जिसकी ॥ तुम पूरन परमात्मा, तुम अंतर्यामी । पारब्रह्म परमेश्वर, तुम सबके स्वामी ॥ तुम करुणा के सागर, तुम पालनकर्ता । मैं सेवक तुम स्वामी, कृपा करो भर्ता ॥ तुम हो एक अगोचर, सबके प्राणपति । किस विधि मिलूं दयामय, तुमको मैं कुमति ॥ दीनबंधु दुःखहर्ता, ठाकुर तुम मेरे । अपने हाथ उठाओ, अपनी शरण में लाओ ॥ विषय विकार मिटाओ, पाप हरो देवा । श्रद्धा भक्ति बढ़ाओ, संतन की सेवा ॥
Related vrats
Prioritising the same tradition and category, with related tradition or family entries when fewer than six exist.
- Ayyappa Mandala Vratham · 2026–27 — November 27, 2026Same tradition
- Ayyappa Mandala Vratham · 2027–28 — November 17, 2027Same tradition
- Karkidaka Masam (Ramayana Masam) · 2026 — July 17, 2026Same tradition
- Karkidaka Masam (Ramayana Masam) · 2027 — July 17, 2027Same tradition
- Karkidaka Vavu Bali — August 12, 2026Same tradition
- Pradosham (Kerala / Shaiva) — January 15, 2026Same tradition
Get a reminder before the next Ekadashi (Kerala / Nambudiri)
At 7pm the evening before, each time it comes around. Turn it off anytime.
Remind meDates shown for India (default). Enable JavaScript to set a reminder for your location.
Track this vrat in the app
Personalised timings, reminders, and fasting guides for your tradition.
Open VRAT App →