Dev Uthani Ekadashi and Tulsi Vivah 2026 in the UK: Date City-Wise, Smarta and Vaishnava Days, Puja at Home

Quick answer: Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026 UK date is Friday 20 November 2026, and Tulsi Vivah 2026 UK date is Saturday 21 November 2026 (Drik Panchang, UK). Our city-by-city check gives Friday 20 November for both Smarta and Vaishnava families in all six UK cities below, so both traditions keep the same day. In India the fast splits: Smarta on Friday 20 November and Vaishnava on Saturday 21 November.

Dev Uthani Ekadashi, also known as Devutthana, Prabodhini, Devuthani Gyaras or Karthika Shukla Ekadashi, ends the four months of Chaturmas. As commonly told, Lord Vishnu wakes from his yogic sleep on this day. The next day, families celebrate Tulsi Vivah, the wedding of the holy basil plant to Vishnu as Shaligram. The day also reopens the wedding season and starts the five days of Bhishma Panchak.

How these dates were made: the country dates are from Drik Panchang. City dates are calculated with HinduTone's calculator using the sunrise-tithi method that Drik follows. Confirm for your own town on Drik Panchang, and follow your mandir or community calendar.

Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026 UK and Tulsi Vivah 2026 UK: dates at a glance

In India, Drik also lists Kansa Vadh on Friday 20 November and Guruvayur Ekadashi on Saturday 21 November. Kartika Purnima, Dev Diwali and Karthigai Deepam follow on Tuesday 24 November.

Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026: city-wise dates in the UK

An Ekadashi fast is kept on the day when the Ekadashi tithi is present at local sunrise. All UK cities are on GMT by then, as the clocks went back on 25 October. The calculation gives:

The result is the same everywhere: Friday 20 November for both traditions. The same applies to other UK towns such as Wembley, Harrow, Croydon, Bradford, Coventry or Cardiff, but check Drik Panchang for your exact location. This table gives calendar dates only; use Drik for the parana window on Saturday morning.

Why India has two dates and the UK has one

According to Drik, in India the Dashami tithi is still running at sunrise on Friday 20 November, and Ekadashi begins shortly after. It then ends before sunrise on Saturday. Since Ekadashi does not hold a full sunrise on either day in India, the two traditions use different rules: Smarta families fast on Friday, and Vaishnava families, who avoid an Ekadashi touched by Dashami at dawn, fast on Saturday.

The UK is five and a half hours behind India in November. By the time the sun rises over London or Glasgow on Friday, Dashami has already ended and Ekadashi is fully present, so Smarta and Vaishnava reckoning agree on Friday. That is why a WhatsApp forward saying 'Ekadashi on 21 November' may be right for India and wrong for Britain.

Some UK mandirs print calendars based on Indian dates or their own sampradaya's rules. If your mandir announces a different day, follow it.

What Dev Uthani Ekadashi means

Chaturmas begins on Devshayani Ekadashi in Ashadha, when, as commonly told, Vishnu lies down on the serpent Shesha in the ocean of milk. Weddings, griha pravesh and other new beginnings are traditionally avoided during these four months. On Prabodhini Ekadashi the deity is 'woken' with conch, bells and bhajans. A widely recited waking verse begins:

Uttishthottishtha Govinda tyaja nidram Jagatpate — "Rise, O Govinda, Lord of the world; give up your sleep." Many families chant Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya or recite the Vishnu Sahasranama instead. Follow your family tradition.

Gujarati and Punjabi homes in Britain often call it Dev Uthi Agiyaras or Devuthani Gyaras. In many North Indian homes the deity's footprints are drawn in rice flour, offerings are covered with a basket or sieve, and in the evening the family sings to wake the gods, offering sugarcane, water chestnut, sweet potato and jaggery. In Maharashtra, Kartiki Ekadashi is one of Pandharpur's great Vitthal pilgrimages. Telugu families keep the following Dwadashi as Ksheerabdi Dwadasi; see our Ksheerabdi Dwadasi and Tulasi Vivah guide and the Karthika Ekadashi (Prabodhini) 2026 guide.

How to keep the Ekadashi fast in the UK

• Choose your level: nirjala (no water), phalahar (fruit, milk and nuts), or one simple grain-free meal. All are traditional.
• No grains or beans: rice, wheat, dal and most pulses are avoided; many families also skip onion and garlic.
• A working Friday: carry fruit and nuts to work, and keep the main puja for the evening. It will be dark soon after 4 PM, so plan the puja indoors.
• Parana: break the fast on Saturday 21 November after sunrise, within the parana window for your city. Check Drik Panchang; we do not list times.
• Health first: if you are pregnant, older, diabetic or on regular medication, keep a light fast or speak to your GP first.

Tulsi Vivah at home: simple steps

As commonly told, Tulsi was once Vrinda, the faithful wife of the asura Jalandhara, and Vishnu blessed her to be worshipped as the tulsi plant and married to him in his Shaligram form. Families re-enact this wedding each year. A simple home ceremony needs no priest:

1. Clean the area around the tulsi pot and draw a rangoli. Many families make a small mandap of four sugarcane stalks tied at the top; in Britain, sugarcane is sometimes sold by Indian and Caribbean grocers, or you can use a simple floral arch.
2. Dress the tulsi as a bride with a red or yellow chunari, bangles, a touch of kumkum and flowers.
3. Place the Shaligram, or a small image of Vishnu or Krishna, beside the tulsi. Bathe it with water or panchamrit and offer chandan and a yellow cloth.
4. Light a diya and incense. Offer flowers, fruit, sugarcane pieces, amla and a homemade sweet.
5. Join the two with a sacred thread or tie their cloths, and take the Shaligram around the tulsi seven times, like the saptapadi. Family members sprinkle akshata as blessing.
6. Chant a Vishnu mantra or a Tulsi prayer. A widely used Tulasi pranam is: Vrindayai Tulasi-devyai priyayai Keshavasya cha, Vishnu-bhakti-prade devi Satyavatyai namo namah — "Salutations to Vrinda, goddess Tulasi, dear to Keshava, who grants devotion to Vishnu."
7. Finish with aarti, share prasad, and give to charity if you can.

For the full vidhi, longer mantras and the story, read our main Tulsi Vivah 2026 guide.

A British winter tip: tulsi dislikes cold and damp. Keep the plant on a bright indoor windowsill away from radiators, and hold the ceremony beside it. Place diyas on a metal tray, well away from curtains and smoke alarms, and never leave a flame alone.

Start of the wedding season and Bhishma Panchak

With Vishnu 'awake', the shaadi season traditionally resumes. Families planning a wedding, mundan or griha pravesh in the UK often ask their pandit for a muhurat from late November; take the exact time from your family priest or panchang.

Bhishma Panchak, the last five days of Kartika, begins on Devutthana Ekadashi and ends on Kartika Purnima, Tuesday 24 November 2026. As commonly told, Bhishma taught dharma to the Pandavas during these days while lying on his bed of arrows. Some devotees keep a simple diet for all five days, light lamps and recite the Vishnu Sahasranama, which tradition places in Bhishma's mouth.

Where Dev Uthani Ekadashi falls in the UK festival season

Diwali in the UK is Sunday 8 November. Twelve days later comes Dev Uthani Ekadashi on Friday 20 November, then Tulsi Vivah on Saturday 21 and Kartika Purnima on Tuesday 24 November. See our Karthika Masam 2026 UK guide, the Diwali 2026 UK city-by-city guide and the November 2026 Hindu festival calendar.

• Dark, wet evenings: we are on GMT after the clocks went back on 25 October, and late-November sunsets come around 4 PM. Plan the evening puja and any travel to the mandir with that in mind.
• Weekend mandir visits: with the Ekadashi on a Friday and Tulsi Vivah on a Saturday, many families visit a mandir at the weekend. Check your mandir's website for its programme; we do not list temple events or timings.
• In India for a wedding? If you fly to India for the start of the wedding season, use India's dates there: Smarta Friday 20 and Vaishnava Saturday 21 November.

Dev Uthani Ekadashi and Tulsi Vivah 2026 UK: frequently asked questions

When is Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026 in the UK?

Friday 20 November 2026. That is Drik Panchang's date for the UK, and our calculation gives Friday 20 November in London, Leicester, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.

Is Dev Uthani Ekadashi on 20 or 21 November for ISKCON and Vaishnava families in the UK?

Our UK calculation gives Friday 20 November for both Smarta and Vaishnava reckoning, so both traditions keep the same day. Saturday 21 November is the Vaishnava date in India, not in the UK. If your temple or sampradaya publishes its own calendar, follow it.

When is Tulsi Vivah 2026 in the UK?

Drik Panchang gives Saturday 21 November 2026 for Tulasi Vivah in the UK. Many families hold it that evening; some communities perform it on any convenient day up to Kartika Purnima, Tuesday 24 November.

What time is parana for Dev Uthani Ekadashi in London?

The fast is broken on the morning of Saturday 21 November, after sunrise and inside the parana window for your city. Check Drik Panchang for London or your own town; we do not publish parana times.

How do I do Tulsi Vivah at home in the UK if my tulsi plant has died?

Tulsi struggles in a British winter. Use an indoor plant on a bright windowsill, buy a fresh pot from an Indian grocer if you can find one, or use a picture of Tulsi Devi. The devotion matters more than the plant's size.

Why does India show two dates for Prabodhini Ekadashi 2026?

In India the Ekadashi tithi begins just after sunrise on Friday and ends before sunrise on Saturday, so Smarta families fast on Friday 20 November and Vaishnava families on Saturday 21 November. In the UK, Ekadashi is already running at Friday's sunrise, so both keep Friday.

Editor's note

Editor's note (6 October 2026): This guide has been restored at its original address after the earlier version was lost. Dates marked Drik are from Drik Panchang. City dates are calculated by our calculator (sunrise and sunset by the Drik method; moonrise is the standard astronomical moonrise, checked against the US Naval Observatory). Please confirm on Drik Panchang for your town and follow your mandir or community calendar. We do not list parana times, temple events or darshan timings.

Frequently asked questions

When is Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026 in the UK?

Friday 20 November 2026 in London, Leicester, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow, for both Smarta and Vaishnava families. Tulsi Vivah follows on Saturday 21 November.

Why does India have two Ekadashi dates but the UK only one?

In India Dashami is still running at sunrise on Friday, so Smarta families fast on Friday and Vaishnava families on Saturday. The UK is five and a half hours behind India, so by sunrise in London or Glasgow Ekadashi is fully present and both traditions agree on Friday.

When should UK families break the Dev Uthani Ekadashi fast?

On the morning of Saturday 21 November, after sunrise and within the parana window for your city. Check Drik Panchang for the exact window.

How can I perform Tulsi Vivah at home in the UK?

Dress the tulsi as a bride, place a Shaligram or a small image of Vishnu or Krishna beside it, offer flowers, fruit and sugarcane, join them with a sacred thread and finish with aarti. No priest is needed, and a floral arch can replace the sugarcane mandap.

What can I eat while keeping the Ekadashi fast?

Choose nirjala (no water), phalahar (fruit, milk and nuts) or one simple grain-free meal. Rice, wheat, dal and most pulses are avoided, and many families also skip onion and garlic.

What is Bhishma Panchak and when does it end in 2026?

It is the last five days of Kartika, beginning with Dev Uthani Ekadashi and ending on Kartika Purnima, Tuesday 24 November 2026. Some devotees keep a simple diet, light lamps and recite the Vishnu Sahasranama.

Related guides

• Dev Uthani Ekadashi and Tulsi Vivah 2026 in the USA
• Dev Uthani Ekadashi and Tulsi Vivah 2026 in Canada
• Dev Uthani Ekadashi and Tulsi Vivah 2026 in Australia
• Tulsi Vivah 2026: date, vidhi, mantras and NRI guide
• Karthika Ekadashi 2026: Prabodhini, Vishnu wakes
• November 2026 Hindu festival calendar
• Karthika Masam 2026 in the UK
• Shiva temples for Karthika Masam 2026 in the UK