Panchang 20 Dec 2026: Vaikuntha Ekadashi & Gita Jayanti

Quick answer: Sunday 20 December 2026 is Vaikuntha (Mukkoti) Ekadashi, Gita Jayanti and Mokshada Ekadashi, all on Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi. Drik Panchang for Hyderabad gives Ekadashi until 8:14 PM IST and Ashwini nakshatra until 2:55 PM. Devotees fast, seek darshan through the Vaikuntha Dwaram (northern gate) of Vishnu temples, and read the Bhagavad Gita. The fast is broken on Monday 21 December.

This is one of the most important days in the Vaishnava year, and it falls on the fifth dawn of Dhanurmasam. This page gives the day's panchang and a short summary of each observance. For full details, follow the in-depth guides linked below rather than relying on a daily page.

Our in-depth guides for today

Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026 (Mukkoti Ekadashi) in India: date, fasting, Vaikuntha Dwaram and parana.
Tirumala Vaikuntha Ekadasi 2026: Vaikuntha Dwara darshan: what TTD is expected to do, and how to follow official announcements.
Gita Jayanti 2026 and Mokshada Ekadashi: the vrat and how to read the Gita.
Why the Vaikuntha Dwaram at Tirumala is so sacred.
Vaikuntha Ekadashi in Telangana: Yadadri and Chilkur Balaji.

Today's Panchang (Hyderabad)

Panchang element	Hyderabad, IST
Date and weekday	Sunday 20 December 2026
Lunar month	Margashirsha (amanta, as followed in the Telugu states); Margashirsha in the purnimanta calendar of North India
Paksha	Shukla paksha
Tithi	Ekadashi until 8:14 PM, then Dwadashi
Nakshatra	Ashwini until 2:55 PM, then Bharani
Yoga	Parigha until 8:10 AM
Karana (first of the day)	Vanija
Sunrise / sunset	6:41 AM / 5:47 PM
Moonrise / moonset	2:13 PM / 3:25 AM
Observances listed by Drik Panchang	Gita Jayanti, Mokshada Ekadashi, Vaikuntha Ekadashi
Rahu Kalam, Yamagandam, muhurta	Not included here; check a local panchang for your city

Source: Drik Panchang day panchang for Hyderabad, Telangana (IST). Tithi and nakshatra end times are the same instant everywhere in India; sunrise, sunset and moonrise shift by a few minutes from city to city.

Religious significance

Vaikuntha Ekadashi

Of the twenty-four Ekadashis of the year, the one in Dhanurmasam is honoured in South India as Vaikuntha Ekadashi. Vishnu temples open a special northern doorway, called Vaikuntha Dwaram, Uttara Dwaram or Paramapada Vasal, and devotees pass through it as a symbol of entering the Lord's abode. The festival at Srirangam is among the grandest. At Tirumala, the Vaikuntha Dwaram is opened for a period of days; as of 9 October 2026, TTD had not announced the 2026 schedule, so follow only TTD's official channels.

Gita Jayanti

By tradition, Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi is the day Krishna taught the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna at Kurukshetra. The Gita is the best-known part of the Mahabharata (Bhishma Parva), seven hundred verses in eighteen chapters. Kurukshetra in Haryana holds large Gita Jayanti celebrations, and ISKCON and many other organisations hold readings around the world.

Mokshada Ekadashi

"Mokshada" means "giver of liberation." In the traditional vrat katha, a king named Vaikhanasa observes this Ekadashi on a sage's advice and dedicates its merit to his departed father, who is thereby released from suffering. For this reason many families remember their ancestors on this day. The katha comes from Puranic and vrat literature rather than the Vedas, and versions differ.

Puja vidhi at home

Wake before sunrise (6:41 AM in Hyderabad), bathe and wear clean clothes. Read the day's Tiruppavai pasuram if you are following Dhanurmasam.
Light a ghee lamp before Vishnu, Krishna or Venkateswara. Offer Tulasi leaves (plucked the day before, as Tulasi is customarily not plucked on Ekadashi), flowers and sandal paste.
Chant the mantra below, or the Vishnu Sahasranama if you know it.
Read at least one chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. Chapter 12 has just twenty verses.
Offer fruit, milk or a non-grain naivedyam suited to the fast.
In the evening, light lamps, sing bhajans, and stay awake for a while in devotion (jagaran) if your health allows.

No materials? Read one Gita verse aloud and chant the Lord's name. On Gita Jayanti, the book itself is the offering.

Mantra for the day

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

Meaning: "Om, salutations to Lord Vasudeva (Krishna)." This twelve-syllable mantra (dvadashakshari) is well known from the Bhagavata Purana tradition and suits both Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti. Chant it as remembrance and surrender; no particular outcome is promised.

Ekadashi fasting guidance

Traditional options range from a nirjala fast (no water) to a fast with fruit and milk, or a single meal without grains and pulses. Most households avoid rice on Ekadashi. Choose what suits your health; a moderate fast kept with devotion is better than a strict one that makes you unwell. Parana is on Monday 21 December during Dwadashi, which ends at 5:36 PM IST; check a local panchang for the exact window. Elderly people, pregnant women, children and anyone with a medical condition should not feel obliged and should consult a doctor.

What you can do today

Visit a Vishnu temple and pass through the Vaikuntha Dwaram, or watch a live telecast if you cannot go.
Read the Bhagavad Gita, even one chapter, for Gita Jayanti.
Keep the Ekadashi fast in a form that suits your health.
Offer a prayer for your ancestors, in the spirit of Mokshada Ekadashi.
Donate food, clothes or a copy of the Gita.
Avoid quarrels and harsh speech; Ekadashi is as much a fast of the mind as of the stomach.
Plan tomorrow's parana and Dwadashi meal in advance.

For families and children

Gather the family for a short Gita reading. Children can read one verse each, or listen to the story of Arjuna's doubt and Krishna's answer. Let them draw the chariot with Krishna as charioteer. Children should eat normally; they can take part through prayer and reading.

Hindus abroad: Sun 20 Dec at local sunrise

Outside India, go by your local sunrise, not Indian clock times. The table gives local sunrise and sunset and the tithi and nakshatra at local sunrise, computed with HinduTone's panchang calculator, validated against Drik Panchang; festival dates abroad can differ by a day — follow your temple's panchang.

Country	City	Sunrise	Sunset	Tithi at sunrise	Nakshatra at sunrise
USA	New York	7:14 AM	4:32 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Bharani
UK	London	8:00 AM	3:55 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Ashwini
Canada	Toronto	7:45 AM	4:44 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Bharani
Australia	Sydney	5:38 AM	8:06 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Ashwini
Brazil	São Paulo	5:15 AM	6:53 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Ashwini
UAE	Dubai	6:57 AM	5:34 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Ashwini
Singapore	Singapore	6:59 AM	7:04 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Ashwini
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	7:11 AM	7:10 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Ashwini
Germany	Frankfurt	8:18 AM	4:26 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Ashwini
South Africa	Durban	4:49 AM	6:56 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Ashwini
Europe	Amsterdam	8:45 AM	4:30 PM	Shukla Ekadashi	Ashwini

Ekadashi prevails at sunrise on 20 December in every city in the table. Country guides: USA, UK and Ireland, Canada, Australia, Europe and Singapore.

Frequently asked questions

Is Vaikuntha Ekadashi on 20 December 2026?

Yes. Drik Panchang lists Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Mokshada Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti on Sunday 20 December 2026 for Hyderabad. Shukla Ekadashi prevails at sunrise and lasts until 8:14 PM IST.

Why are Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Mokshada Ekadashi on the same day?

Mokshada Ekadashi is the name of Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi in the lunar calendar. Vaikuntha Ekadashi is the Shukla Ekadashi that falls in the solar month of Dhanus (Margazhi). In 2026 Dhanurmasam began on 16 December, so the two coincide.

When is the parana for Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026?

The fast is broken on Monday 21 December during Dwadashi, which lasts until 5:36 PM IST in Hyderabad. Our panchang data does not include the exact parana window, so please check a local panchang for your city.

Why is it called Mukkoti Ekadashi?

Mukkoti means three crore. In Telugu tradition it is said that the three crore deities come to have darshan of Vishnu on this day, which is why devotees throng Vishnu temples and pass through the northern gate (Uttara Dwaram).

How should I celebrate Gita Jayanti at home?

Read the Bhagavad Gita, even one chapter or a few verses, offer a lamp and flowers to Krishna, and discuss one teaching with your family. Many people read chapter 12 (Bhakti Yoga) or chapter 15, which are short. See our Gita Jayanti 2026 guide for a reading plan.

Who should not keep the Ekadashi fast?

Children, elderly people, pregnant or nursing women, and anyone with diabetes, low blood pressure or another medical condition should not feel obliged to fast and should consult a doctor. Prayer, Gita reading and charity are complete observances on their own.

A closing thought

The Gita was spoken on a battlefield, to a man who did not know what to do. Whatever confusion you carry today, Vaikuntha Ekadashi invites you to sit, listen and walk through a doorway into a calmer, clearer place. Tomorrow is Dwadashi, the day to break the fast with gratitude.

Previous day: Panchang Saturday 19 December 2026. Next day: Panchang Monday 21 December 2026. Whole month: December 2026 Hindu festivals, dates and rituals.

Editor's note

Editor's note (9 October 2026): Panchang timings and festival observances can vary by location, regional calendar and family tradition. This guide follows Drik Panchang for Hyderabad (IST). Please verify local puja timings with a trusted panchang or priest.