Vaikunta Ekadashi 2026 (Mukkoti Ekadasi) date: Dec 20 India, Dec 19 US · fast, parana time and story
By Kulasekhar Mittapalli · Updated
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Vaikunta Ekadashi, called Mukkoti Ekadashi (Mukkoti Ekadasi) in Telugu homes, is on Sunday, December 20, 2026 in India, when Tirumala, Srirangam and Vishnu temples everywhere open the northern gate, the Vaikunta Dwaram. In the US and Canada the fast falls a day earlier, on Saturday, December 19, and is broken on Sunday afternoon.
1The story behind Vaikunta Ekadashi
Vaikunta Ekadashi is the bright-half Ekadashi of Dhanurmasa, the solar month when the Sun is in Dhanu (Margazhi in Tamil), from mid-December to mid-January. Dhanurmasa is held to be the early dawn, the Brahma muhurta, of the gods' day, which makes this the most sacred of the twenty-four Ekadashis.
The gates of Vaikuntha
A widely told legend says that Vishnu opened the northern gate of his abode, Vaikuntha, on this day for two asuras who had been granted his grace, and promised that anyone who sees him come through that gate on Vaikunta Ekadashi would reach Vaikuntha. That is why temples open a northern door, the Vaikunta Dwaram or Uttara Dwaram, only on this day and the days that follow.
Ekadashi and the demon Mura
The Padma Purana tells how Vishnu, resting in a cave after a long battle, was attacked by the demon Mura. A radiant goddess born from Vishnu's own power slew Mura; Vishnu named her Ekadashi and blessed all who fast on her day. Every Ekadashi fast honours her, and this one above all.
Mukkoti: the thirty-three crore devatas
The Telugu name Mukkoti Ekadashi recalls the belief that all the mukkoti, the thirty-three crore devatas, come to Vaikuntha on this day to see Vishnu. In North India the same Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi is Mokshada Ekadashi, and Gita Jayanti, the day Krishna taught the Bhagavad Gita, is also kept on it.
2How to keep Vaikunta Ekadashi at home, in India or abroad
- Dashami (the day before): eat one simple meal, before sunset if you can, and avoid rice from the evening on.
- Ekadashi: rise early, bathe, and light a lamp before Vishnu or Venkateswara. Fast fully, or on fruit and milk, or skip grains, as your health and family custom allow. Recite the Vishnu Sahasranama or read a chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
- Darshan: visit a temple and pass through the Vaikunta Dwaram. At home, many families open the north-facing door at dawn and offer a lamp there.
- Jagaranam: stay awake late into the night with bhajans and Vishnu nama, if that is your custom.
- Dwadashi: break the fast in the parana window shown above, with a little Tulasi water and a simple meal; in many South Indian homes the Dwadashi meal includes amla and agathi greens.
Vishnu dhyana verse (traditional):
शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं
विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम् ।
Shāntākāraṃ bhujaga-shayanaṃ padmanābhaṃ sureshaṃ, vishvādhāraṃ gagana-sadṛshaṃ megha-varṇaṃ shubhāṅgam.
Meaning: I bow to Vishnu, peaceful in form, resting on the serpent, lotus-naveled, lord of the gods, support of the universe, vast as the sky, dark as a rain cloud, auspicious in every limb.
3Checklist: what you need
8 items
- Vishnu / Venkateswara picture
- Tulasi leaves and garland
- Yellow flowers, sandalwood, akshata
- Ghee lamp to keep lit through the night
- Vishnu Sahasranamam book or app
- Fruits, milk and (if you take them) fasting foods
- Dwadashi parana: rice dish and the parana time for your city
- Temple visit plan for the Uttara dwaram darshan
4A priest, or do it yourself
Vaikunta Ekadashi puja (Telugu) · Machiraju Kiran Kumar · YouTubeA video by another channel, added after our review. If your family’s custom differs, follow it.
5Puja items near you
Indian groceries and puja stores near the city you picked above.
6Fast and parana (breaking the fast) by city
| City | Fast (Smarta) | Break the fast |
|---|---|---|
| New York | Sat, Dec 19 Vaishnava Sun 20 | Sun, Dec 20 after 3:06 PM |
| Dallas | Sat, Dec 19 Vaishnava Sun 20 | Sun, Dec 20 after 2:06 PM |
| Chicago | Sat, Dec 19 Vaishnava Sun 20 | Sun, Dec 20 after 2:06 PM |
| Bay Area (San Jose) | Sat, Dec 19 Vaishnava Sun 20 | Sun, Dec 20 after 12:06 PM |
| Toronto | Sat, Dec 19 Vaishnava Sun 20 | Sun, Dec 20 after 3:06 PM |
| London | Sun, Dec 20 | Mon, Dec 21 8:06 – 9:39 AM |
| Dubai | Sun, Dec 20 | Mon, Dec 21 7:01 – 9:07 AM |
| Singapore | Sun, Dec 20 | Mon, Dec 21 7:02 – 9:26 AM |
| Sydney | Sun, Dec 20 | Mon, Dec 21 7:06 – 8:34 AM |
| Hyderabad | Sun, Dec 20 | Mon, Dec 21 6:42 – 8:55 AM |
| Chennai | Sun, Dec 20 | Mon, Dec 21 6:27 – 8:43 AM |
| Bengaluru | Sun, Dec 20 | Mon, Dec 21 6:37 – 8:53 AM |
| Delhi | Sun, Dec 20 | Mon, Dec 21 7:10 – 9:14 AM |
Ekadashi tithi: India Sat, Dec 19, 10:10 PM → Sun, Dec 20, 8:15 PM · US Eastern Sat, Dec 19, 11:40 AM → Sun, Dec 20, 9:45 AM · US Central 10:40 AM → 8:45 AM · US Pacific 8:40 AM → 6:45 AM · London Sat, Dec 19, 4:40 PM → Sun, Dec 20, 2:45 PM · Sydney Sun, Dec 20, 3:40 AM → Mon, Dec 21, 1:45 AM.
Your city isn't listed? Open Global Panchang and pick it; the app has a Smarta / Vaishnava switch for every Ekadashi.
Vaikunta Ekadashi in your city
Each city page has every day of the festival with local times, and the dates in India.
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More about Vaikunta Ekadashi
Why the US fast is on Saturday
An Ekadashi fast has to be broken on Dwadashi, the next lunar day. In New York, Ekadashi is in force at sunrise only on Sunday, December 20, but Dwadashi then ends at 7:07 AM on Monday, nine minutes before sunrise. A Sunday fast would leave no Dwadashi morning to break it, so the Smarta rule moves the fast to Saturday and the parana to Sunday afternoon, after Hari Vasara (the first quarter of Dwadashi). The same happens across the Americas.
Vaishnava and ISKCON calendars decide by Arunodaya, 96 minutes before sunrise, and keep the fast on Sunday, December 20. Many temples abroad hold the Vaikunta Dwara darshan on Sunday with India. Follow your family's tradition, and check your temple's timings for darshan.
How temples and regions celebrate
| Where | What happens |
|---|---|
| Tirumala | The Vaikunta Dwaram around the sanctum opens in the early hours of Dec 20 and usually stays open for ten days (expected Dec 20–29); the first days need a darshan token booked in advance |
| Srirangam | The Paramapada Vasal (Sorgavasal) opens before dawn as Namperumal passes through it, the high point of the twenty-day Adhyayana Utsavam with Pagal Pathu and Ra Pathu |
| Bhadrachalam, Yadagirigutta | Uttara Dwara darshanam: devotees see the Lord at the northern gate; Telangana and Andhra Vishnu temples hold the same |
| Karnataka, Kerala | Vaikunta Dwara darshan at Venkateswara and Krishna temples; Guruvayur keeps the day as Swargavathil Ekadashi |
| North India, ISKCON | Mokshada Ekadashi fast and Gita Jayanti: readings and recitation of the Bhagavad Gita |
| Abroad | Many Venkateswara and Balaji temples set up a decorated Vaikunta Dwaram for the day and the weekend; queues start before dawn |
ముక్కోటి ఏకాదశి 2026: తెలుగులో
ముక్కోటి (వైకుంఠ) ఏకాదశి డిసెంబర్ 20, 2026 ఆదివారం (భారత్). తిరుమలలో ఆ రోజు తెల్లవారుజామున వైకుంఠ ద్వారం తెరుచుకుంటుంది; భద్రాచలం, యాదగిరిగుట్ట వంటి ఆలయాల్లో ఉత్తర ద్వార దర్శనం. పారణ డిసెంబర్ 21 సోమవారం ఉదయం: హైదరాబాద్ 6:42 – 8:55 AM. అమెరికాలో స్మార్త ఏకాదశి ఉపవాసం డిసెంబర్ 19 శనివారం; పారణ డిసెంబర్ 20 ఆదివారం మధ్యాహ్నం (డాలస్ 2:06 PM తర్వాత, న్యూయార్క్ 3:06 PM తర్వాత). వైష్ణవ సంప్రదాయం పాటించేవారికి ఉపవాసం ఆదివారం. మీ నగరానికి ఖచ్చితమైన సమయం కోసం Global Panchang తెరవండి.
Frequently asked questions
When is Vaikunta Ekadashi in 2026?
Sunday, December 20, 2026, in India, the UK, the Gulf, Singapore and Australia. Tirumala and Srirangam open the Vaikunta Dwaram early that morning. In the US and Canada the Smarta fast falls on Saturday, December 19, and Vaishnava (ISKCON) calendars keep Sunday, December 20.
What is the Mukkoti Ekadasi 2026 date?
Mukkoti Ekadasi (Vaikunta Ekadashi) is on Sunday, December 20, 2026 in India, when the Vaikunta Dwaram opens at Tirumala and other Vishnu temples. In the US and Canada the fast is on Saturday, December 19 and is broken on Sunday afternoon (Dallas after 2:06 PM, New York after 3:06 PM).
Why is the fast on Saturday, December 19 in the US?
In the Americas Ekadashi is in force at sunrise only on Sunday, but the next tithi, Dwadashi, ends a few minutes before Monday's sunrise (New York 7:07 AM, sunrise 7:16 AM). The fast must be broken during Dwadashi, so the Smarta rule moves the fast to Saturday and the parana to Sunday afternoon. Vaishnava calendars decide at Arunodaya and keep Sunday.
Are Vaikunta Ekadashi and Mukkoti Ekadashi the same?
Yes. Mukkoti Ekadashi is the Telugu name: the day the mukkoti (the thirty-three crore) devatas gather to see Vishnu. Tamil Nadu calls it Vaikunta Ekadashi; North India knows the same Ekadashi as Mokshada Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti in years when they coincide, as in 2026.
When should I break the Vaikunta Ekadashi fast?
On Dwadashi, in the parana window. In India that is Monday, December 21: Hyderabad 6:42 – 8:55 AM, Chennai 6:27 – 8:43 AM, Delhi 7:10 – 9:14 AM. In the US, after the Saturday fast, it is Sunday, December 20 after Hari Vasara: New York after 3:06 PM, Dallas after 2:06 PM.
When is the next Vaikunta Ekadashi?
Saturday, January 8, 2028 in India. Vaikunta Ekadashi follows the solar month Dhanu (mid-December to mid-January), and in 2027 the bright-half Ekadashi falls before the Sun enters Dhanu, so there is none in calendar year 2027.
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Calculated for each city's own sunrise and sunset; times are shown to the minute in local time, including daylight saving. Panchangams can differ by a few minutes, and family and temple traditions vary. For general information only; it may contain errors and is not religious, astrological or medical advice. Always confirm important dates and muhurtams with your priest or temple. See the disclaimer and terms.
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