Utpanna Ekadashi 2026 on December 4: parana times and why dates differ

Utpanna Ekadashi, the Ekadashi fast that tradition treats as the origin of all Ekadashi observances, falls on Friday, 4 December 2026, according to the Drik Panchang calendar, with the fast to be broken (parana) on Saturday, 5 December. For New Delhi, Drik Panchang gives the parana window as 6.59 am to 9.04 am on 5 December. Other calendar sites give windows that differ by a few minutes, and Drik Panchang's listing for Sydney shows a separate Vaishnava date of Saturday, 5 December, a reminder that Ekadashi dates are worked out for each location. The Ekadashi tithi (lunar day) runs from about 11 pm on Thursday, 3 December to about 11.44 pm on Friday, 4 December, in most calendars consulted.

Ekadashi, the eleventh day of each lunar fortnight, is one of the most widely kept fasts in Hindu practice, observed twice a month by many families. Utpanna Ekadashi holds a special place among them because, in the traditional account, it is the day the observance itself began. The name means "the Ekadashi that was born". For that reason, devotional writers often describe it as a good day for someone who wants to start keeping Ekadashi fasts, though that is a recommendation of practice, not a rule found in the texts.

The story told for the day, as devotional sources give it, is that a demon named Mura drove the gods from heaven and fought Vishnu for a very long time. When Vishnu rested, in some versions in a cave at Badrikashram, Mura tried to attack him, and a goddess arose from Vishnu's body and killed the demon. Because she was born on the eleventh lunar day, Vishnu named her Ekadashi and blessed those who would fast on that day. The details, such as how long the battle lasted, differ between versions, and they are matters of belief reported here as tradition tells them.

The timings show how the lunar calendar works. A tithi is defined by the angle between the Sun and the Moon, so it begins and ends at any hour of the civil day and can be shorter or longer than 24 hours. Parana, the breaking of the fast, is set for the morning after Ekadashi, within a window that depends on local sunrise. That is why two calendar sites for nearby cities give windows a few minutes apart, and why a city on the other side of the world can list a different date. Some Vaishnava traditions follow their own rule for choosing the fasting day, which is why a calendar can show a separate Vaishnava date.

Peepals calculation: In the timings most calendars give, the Ekadashi tithi lasts about 24 hours and 44 minutes, from about 11 pm on 3 December to about 11.44 pm on 4 December, roughly three-quarters of an hour longer than a civil day. The New Delhi parana window lasts 2 hours 5 minutes (6.59 to 9.04 am); Prokerala's Ujjain window lasts 2 hours 7 minutes (6.58 to 9.05 am); GaneshaSpeaks gives 2 hours 10 minutes (7.06 to 9.16 am). The earliest and latest start times are 8 minutes apart. Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Families who keep Ekadashi can plan the fast for Friday, 4 December and the parana for the morning of Saturday, 5 December, checking a calendar set for their own city for the exact window.

Long-term: Every year, small differences between calendars and between cities raise the same questions. Knowing that tithi and parana times are calculated for a place, and that some Vaishnava traditions follow their own rule, helps families in India and abroad set their dates with confidence.

Who is affected: Devotees who keep Ekadashi fasts, temples and priests who publish calendars, and Indian families abroad who follow local panchang listings.

What to watch next: The parana window on the morning of Saturday, 5 December 2026.

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