Ksheerabdi Dwadasi 2026: Date (Saturday 21 November), Tulasi-Damodara Kalyanam with Usiri, Deepalu and Dates Abroad

Quick answer: Ksheerabdi Dwadasi 2026 is on Saturday 21 November 2026 (Drik Panchang), the day after Utthana (Prabodhini) Ekadashi on Friday 20 November. The Dwadashi tithi begins at 6:31 AM IST on 21 November, and Telugu families perform the Tulasi-Damodara puja that evening at the Tulasi Kota. Abroad, the USA, Canada, the UK and the UAE also keep Saturday 21 November; Australia keeps Sunday 22 November.

Last updated: 18 October 2026. This guide has been rewritten with Drik Panchang dates, a country table and a fuller Telugu puja vidhi.

Ksheerabdi Dwadasi is the twelfth day (Dwadasi) of the bright fortnight of Karthika, one of the most loved evenings of Karthika Masam 2026. In Telugu homes it is also called Chilukuri Dwadasi. The courtyard Tulasi Kota is washed and decorated, an usiri (amla) branch is placed beside the Tulasi plant, rows of lamps are lit, and the family worships Tulasi and Lord Vishnu together. North Indian families mark the same season as Tulsi Vivah; see our Tulsi Vivah 2026 guide for that tradition. This page focuses on the Telugu Ksheerabdi Dwadasi puja.

Ksheerabdi Dwadasi 2026 date and tithi

Source: Drik Panchang day panchang for Hyderabad. Sunset on 21 November is 5:40 PM. Drik lists Tulasi Vivah and the Ekadashi parana on Saturday 21 November. Because the Dwadashi tithi begins just after sunrise on Saturday and ends before sunrise on Sunday, Saturday is the only day for the Dwadasi puja in India. See the Panchangam for Saturday 21 November 2026 for the full day panchang.

Those who fasted on Ekadashi break the fast (parana) on Saturday morning; our Dev Uthani (Prabodhini) Ekadashi 2026 guide gives Drik Panchang's parana times for Indian cities and abroad.

Dates abroad

A tithi begins at the same moment worldwide, but local sunrise decides the calendar day, so a few countries keep Ksheerabdi Dwadasi a day later than India. Do not convert India's timings to your local clock.

Country guides with sunset times and local tips: USA, Canada, UK, Australia, UAE, Singapore and Europe. If your temple announces a different day, follow your temple.

The meaning of Ksheerabdi Dwadasi

"Ksheera abdhi" means the ocean of milk. As commonly told, the devas and asuras began churning the ocean of milk on this Dwadasi, which is why Telugu homes also call it Chilukuri Dwadasi, from the word for churning. Out of the churning rose Goddess Lakshmi, who chose Lord Vishnu, so the day is remembered as an evening of Lakshmi and Narayana together.

Another popular belief is that Lord Vishnu, having woken from his four-month yoga nidra on Utthana Ekadashi, comes with Lakshmi to the Brindavanam, the Tulasi grove, on Dwadasi. Families therefore worship the Tulasi plant, seen as a form of Lakshmi, together with an usiri branch that stands for Vishnu as Damodara, the name of Krishna bound with a rope by Yashoda. Damodara is the presiding name of Karthika for many Vaishnava families.

The day also closes Chaturmasya, the four sacred months that began on Toli Ekadashi in Ashadha. Many families wait until after this period for weddings and house-warmings.

Ksheerabdi Dwadasi puja vidhi at home (Telugu tradition)

The steps below follow common Telugu practice. Family customs vary, so keep what your elders taught you.

1. In the morning, after the Ekadashi parana if you fasted, clean the Tulasi Kota (brindavan) or the pot and the area around it.
2. Decorate the Tulasi Kota with turmeric, kumkum and a muggu (rangoli) in front. Tie a small cloth or a thread around the plant if that is your custom.
3. Place a fresh usiri (amla) branch with leaves inside the Tulasi Kota, beside the plant, to represent Lord Vishnu as Damodara. Some families use a Krishna or Vishnu idol, or a Saligrama, instead.
4. In the evening, after sunset, light lamps around the brindavan. Many families light usiri deepalu: amlas hollowed out and filled with ghee and a wick. Others light rows of clay diyas or the 365-wick lamp.
5. Offer flowers, turmeric, kumkum, akshatas and naivedyam. Common offerings are pulihora, chalimidi, sweet pongali, fruit and amlas.
6. Perform the Tulasi-Damodara kalyanam as your family does it: some recite a short kalyanam with mangala haarati and akshatas, others simply worship the two together with a prayer.
7. Do pradakshina around the Tulasi Kota, offer haarati and share the prasadam with family and neighbours.

Our daily Tulasi pooja guide for Karthika Masam has the everyday Tulasi Kota routine, a materials list and plant-care tips that carry through the month.

What to keep ready

• A Tulasi plant in a Tulasi Kota or pot, washed and decorated
• A fresh usiri (amla) branch with leaves, or a few amlas
• Turmeric, kumkum, akshatas (rice mixed with turmeric), flowers and a small cloth or thread
• Ghee or sesame oil, cotton wicks, clay diyas, and amlas for usiri deepalu if you make them
• Naivedyam: pulihora, chalimidi, sweet pongali, fruit or whatever your family offers
• A bell, incense and a plate for haarati

Nothing here is compulsory. A single lamp at the Tulasi with a sincere prayer completes the puja for anyone who cannot arrange the rest.

Food, fasting and the parana

Ksheerabdi Dwadasi itself is not a fasting day for most families; it is the day the Ekadashi fast ends. Those who kept the Utthana Ekadashi fast on Friday break it on Saturday morning with a light sattvic meal, often including amla in some form, and then prepare the evening naivedyam. Some families keep a light diet through the day and eat after the evening puja. Elderly people, pregnant or nursing women, children and anyone with a medical condition should eat normally and consult a doctor before any fast.

Involving children

• Let children draw the muggu in front of the Tulasi Kota and help arrange flowers.
• Show them how to make an usiri deepam with adult help, and let them light the lamps under supervision.
• Tell the story of the churning of the ocean of milk and of Lakshmi choosing Vishnu, in simple words.
• Teach them to water the Tulasi daily through Karthika, so the plant becomes part of family life.

Mantras for the evening

Chant the name of Lord Vishnu during the lamp lighting and pradakshina:

ॐ नमो नारायणाय॥

oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya||

Meaning: Salutations to Narayana, Lord Vishnu.

ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः॥

oṃ śrīṃ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ||

Meaning: Salutations to Goddess Mahalakshmi.

Chanting is an act of devotion and gratitude; it does not promise any particular result.

Ksheerabdi Dwadasi and Tulsi Vivah: how they differ

• Telugu and Kannada homes: Ksheerabdi or Chilukuri Dwadasi, a Tulasi-Damodara puja with an usiri branch and lamps on Karthika Shukla Dwadasi.
• North Indian homes: Tulsi Vivah, a ceremonial wedding of Tulasi with Vishnu or Shaligram, often with a sugarcane mandap and wedding songs; some families hold it on any day from Prabodhini Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima. See our Tulsi Vivah 2026 guide.
• Both: honour Tulasi as dear to Lord Vishnu, follow the waking of the Lord on Ekadashi, and mark the end of Chaturmasya.

Ksheerabdi Dwadasi for families abroad

• In cold countries, keep the Tulasi pot indoors near a sunny window, and do the puja there. A healthy plant matters more than its size.
• If amla branches are not available, use a few amlas from an Indian grocery, or a picture of Lord Vishnu as Damodara.
• Use electric diyas or a few tea lights on a metal tray if your home or building restricts open flames, and never disable a smoke alarm.
• In the USA, Canada, the UK and the UAE the date is a Saturday, so the evening puja can be a family gathering. In Australia it is Sunday 22 November.
• Many Telugu associations and temples hold Karthika programmes; check your temple's own website or notice board for times.

Ksheerabdi Dwadasi in the Karthika calendar

Ksheerabdi Dwadasi sits in the second half of Karthika, after Nagula Chavithi (13 November) and Akshaya (Amla) Navami (Akshaya Navami 2026, 18 November), and before Karthika Pournami on Tuesday 24 November (Karthika Pournami 2026). The amla tree is honoured throughout the month, including at Karthika Vana Bhojanalu, and many homes keep an Akasha Deepam burning through Karthika. See every date in the Karthika Masam 2026 day-by-day calendar.

Also read: Tulasi Stotram with meaning and Damodarashtakam: full text with meaning.

Frequently asked questions

When is Ksheerabdi Dwadasi in 2026?

Saturday 21 November 2026 in India, per Drik Panchang. Utthana (Prabodhini) Ekadashi is the day before, on Friday 20 November. The Dwadashi tithi begins at 6:31 AM IST on 21 November, and the puja is done that evening.

Is Ksheerabdi Dwadasi the same as Tulsi Vivah?

They fall in the same season and both honour Tulasi with Lord Vishnu. Telugu and Kannada families keep Ksheerabdi Dwadasi with a Tulasi-Damodara puja using an usiri (amla) branch, while many North Indian homes celebrate Tulsi Vivah as a full ceremonial wedding of Tulasi and Vishnu. Our Tulsi Vivah 2026 guide covers the North Indian custom.

Why is an usiri branch placed with the Tulasi?

In Telugu tradition, the amla (usiri) branch represents Lord Vishnu as Damodara, and the Tulasi plant represents Lakshmi as Tulasi devi. Worshipping them together in the Tulasi Kota is the Tulasi-Damodara kalyanam of the evening.

When is Ksheerabdi Dwadasi abroad?

Saturday 21 November in the USA, Canada, the UK and the UAE, the same day as India, and Sunday 22 November in Australia (Drik Panchang). Our calculation also gives Sunday 22 November for Singapore and Saturday 21 November for Europe. Follow your temple.

Why is it called Chilukuri Dwadasi?

As commonly told, Dwadasi is the day the churning (chilukuta) of the ocean of milk began, so many Telugu homes call it Chilukuri Dwadasi. Spellings and stories differ slightly between families.

Can I do the puja without a Tulasi plant?

Yes. Light a lamp before a picture of Tulasi and Lord Vishnu, offer a flower and a fruit, and chant Om Namo Narayanaya. Devotion matters more than materials.

Editor's note (18 October 2026)

This guide was upgraded in place on 18 October 2026 with Drik Panchang dates for India and abroad and a fuller Telugu puja vidhi. Family customs and regional panchangams may differ; follow your elders or your temple.

Related guides

• Tulsi Vivah 2026
• Dev Uthani (Prabodhini) Ekadashi 2026
• Tulasi pooja in Karthika Masam 2026
• Karthika Masam 2026: North and South India
• Ksheerabdi Dwadashi 2026 in the USA
• Karthika Pournami 2026