Magazine-style articles with practical takeaways on Panchang concepts and auspicious timing.
Chaturmas is the four-month period from Devshayani to Prabodhini Ekadashi when weddings stop, vrats intensify, and the monsoon resets the rhythm of life. Here is how the tradition actually works.
A deep partial lunar eclipse — 96% of the Moon — falls on Raksha Bandhan, 28 August 2026. Not visible from India, so no Sutak applies and the rakhi muhurat is unaffected.
The total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 peaks at 11:16 PM IST — after sunset across India. Not visible from any Indian city, so Sutak does not apply. Timings, visibility and what it means for Hariyali Amavasya.
The calmest answer to the most-searched eclipse question. What the classical rules really say about pregnancy and grahan, why visibility decides everything, and which widely-forwarded warnings have no basis in the shastras.
On 2 August 2027 a solar eclipse will be visible from most of India as a partial eclipse — deepest in the far south and west. Sutak will genuinely apply that day. Timings, city visibility and how to prepare.
Somvati Amavasya is the new moon that falls on a Monday, joining Shiva worship to the ancestor rites of Amavasya. Get its date, the Peepal-tree vrat vidhi and the katha for your city.
Shani Amavasya is the new moon that falls on a Saturday, held the strongest day to propitiate Shani Dev. See its date, the puja, remedies and Sade Sati relief for your city.
Mauni Amavasya is the most sacred bathing day of Magha, kept in silence for inner purity. Get the Sangam snan at Prayagraj, the Magh Mela link, how to observe, tarpan and your city's date.
Sarva Pitru Amavasya — the Mahalaya new moon that ends Pitru Paksha — is the day for shraddha and tarpan for all ancestors, including any whose tithi of death is unknown. Get the date, tithi timing and vidhi for your city.
Shani Pradosh Vrat is the Saturday Trayodashi fast for Shiva — the prime day to seek Saturn relief. See its date, the Pradosh-kaal window and remedies for your city.
Som Pradosh is the Trayodashi that falls on a Monday, Lord Shiva's own day, and the most auspicious of the weekday Pradoshas. Get its date, the Pradosh-kaal window and the vrat vidhi for your city.
Bhaum Pradosh is the Trayodashi that falls on a Tuesday, kept for Lord Shiva to seek Rin Mochan — relief from debt — and ease from Mangal dosha. See its date, the Pradosh-kaal window and how to observe it for your city.
Guru Pradosh Vrat is the Trayodashi that lands on a Thursday, a fast for Shiva kept in the pradosh-kaal. Get the date, the twilight puja window, katha and vidhi for your city.
Ravi (Bhanu) Pradosh is the Pradosh Vrat on a Sunday — Shiva puja in the Pradosh-kaal for health, vitality and standing. See its date, vidhi and timing for your city.
Shukra Pradosh — also Bhrigu Pradosh — is the Trayodashi that falls on a Friday, kept for Lord Shiva in the Pradosh-kaal for love, marriage and domestic harmony. See its date and the evening window for your city.
Budh Pradosh, also called Saumya Pradosh, is the Shiva fast kept when Trayodashi lands on a Wednesday — Mercury's day for intellect, speech and trade. Read its meaning, the Pradosh-kaal window, and how to keep it.
Guru Purnima, the Ashadha full moon (Vyasa Purnima), honours one's guru and Ved Vyasa. Get its significance, the guru-puja vidhi, guru-dakshina, snan-daan and your city's date.
Sharad Purnima is the year's brightest full moon, when kheer is left out in the moonlight and Lakshmi roams asking who is awake. Get the Kojagari vigil, the Braj Raas, the snan, daan, how to observe and your city's date.
Magha Purnima is the concluding, most sacred bath of Magha's month of Maghi snan. Get the Prayagraj Sangam bath, the end of Kalpavas, the Satyanarayan puja, daan, how to observe and your city's date.
Vat Purnima is the Jyeshtha full moon kept by married women for their husband's long life — the banyan-tree vrat, the Savitri katha, and why the north keeps it on Amavasya. Dates for your city.
Paush Purnima is the full moon of Pausha that opens the Magha snan and Kalpavas at Prayag, and is kept as Shakambhari Jayanti with a pre-dawn holy bath, charity and vows. Get the date and tithi window for your city.
Devshayani Ekadashi marks the start of Chaturmas, when Lord Vishnu enters his four-month cosmic sleep. Find the date, tithi timing, vrat vidhi and parana rules for your city.
The waterless fast said to carry the merit of all 24 Ekadashis. Find the date, tithi timing, the Bhima story, vrat vidhi and parana rules for your city.
Dev Uthani (Prabodhini) Ekadashi wakes Lord Vishnu and ends Chaturmas, reopening the wedding season. Find the date, Tulsi Vivah, vrat vidhi and parana rules for your city.
The Ekadashi that gives liberation — for oneself and for one's ancestors — and the day the Bhagavad Gita was spoken. Find the date, tithi timing, vrat vidhi and parana rules for your city.
Yogini Ekadashi is the sin-absolving fast of Ashadha's dark fortnight — the last Ekadashi before Devshayani and Vishnu's sleep. Find the date, tithi timing, the Hem Mali katha, vrat vidhi and parana rules for your city.
The Pausha winter fast whose name means 'fruitful.' Find the date, tithi timing, the story of Lumpaka, vrat vidhi and parana rules for your city.
The Ekadashi that began them all — the day a goddess rose from Vishnu to slay the demon Mur and was named Ekadashi, and the fast we still keep took its start. Read the origin katha, why devotees begin the year's vow here, and find the date, vidhi and parana for your city.
The last Ekadashi before Diwali, named for Ramaa — Goddess Lakshmi — and not Lord Rama. Its date, tithi timing, the story of Shobhana and Chandrabhaga, and the vrat and parana rules for your city.
Papankusha means the goad that curbs sin — and this Ekadashi promises the merit of great yajnas from a single sincere fast for Padmanabha Vishnu, opening the way to heaven and liberation even without severe austerity. Find its meaning, vrat vidhi, and the date and tithi timing for your city.
The amla-tree Ekadashi that falls two days before Holi — and Kashi's Rangbhari day, when Shiva brings Parvati and the first gulal is played at Vishwanath. The tree worship, the vrat and parana, with the date and tithi timing for your city.
Apara Ekadashi — also called Achala — is the Jyeshtha Krishna Paksha fast for Vishnu Trivikrama, kept for boundless merit and to wash away grave sins. Read its meaning, the katha of the king's freed spirit, the vrat vidhi and parana rules, with the date for your city.
The Ekadashi named for Vishnu's enchantress form at the churning of the ocean, kept to shed moha — delusion. Find the date, tithi timing, the katha of Dhrishtabuddhi and the vrat rules for your city.
The first Ekadashi of the Hindu lunar year — the wish-granting fast said to lift even curses. The story of Lalit and Lalita, why it opens the year, the vrat vidhi and parana, with the date and tithi timing for your city.
The last Ekadashi of the Hindu year, Papamochani is the Chaitra fast said to wash away even grave sin. Read the meaning of the name, the story of Medhavi and Manjughosha, how the vrat is kept and the parana rules — with the date for your city.
Varuthini takes its name from varutha — armour. The eleventh tithi of Vaishakha's dark fortnight is kept as a shield: Vishnu's protection, the story of a king mauled in the forest, and a fast where charity does as much work as hunger.
Halfway through Vishnu's four-month cosmic sleep, tradition says the god turns from one side to the other — and the bright eleventh of Bhadrapada takes its name, Parivartini, from that turning. Read the day tied to the Vamana avatar and King Bali, how it is observed, and the parana rules, with the date and tithi timing for your city.
The story of King Harishchandra — the truthful king who lost everything and won it back through this Bhadrapada fast — and what the name Aja, one of Vishnu's, means. Find the date, tithi timing and parana rules for your city.
The one Ekadashi that falls inside Pitru Paksha, kept for the release of one's ancestors — its merit offered to the departed rather than kept. Find the date, tithi timing, vrat vidhi and parana rules for your city.
The Magha-shukla Vishnu fast whose name means victory, kept above all to win release from the pret yoni. Inside: the katha of two cursed performers, and how the fast and its night vigil are observed.
The Magha winter fast built on six uses of sesame — bath, paste, fire-offering, tarpan, food and daan. Get the date, tithi timing, the katha of the miserly brahmin woman, the vrat vidhi and parana for your city.
Before Rama could cross the ocean to Lanka, his army stood halted at the shore — and a sage told him to keep the Vijaya Ekadashi fast. The story behind the 'victory' Ekadashi, its place in the dark fortnight of Phalguna, and the vrat and parana rules for your city.
The winter Ekadashi kept by couples longing for a child — and the one to tell apart from its August namesake. The date, the story of King Suketuman, the vrat and its parana for your city.
All Sawan Somwar 2026 dates — Aug 3, 10, 17, 24 in North India, plus separate Amanta dates and Mangala Gauri Tuesdays. Know exactly which Mondays to fast.
Day-by-day Sawan 2026 calendar — every Somwar vrat, Ekadashi, Pradosh, Amavasya and Purnima in one place. Accurate Panchang-based dates for the full month.
Sawan Shivratri 2026 falls on the night of Tuesday 11 August. Get the Nishita Kaal midnight puja window, the four-prahar timings and the jalabhishek vidhi for New Delhi.
Hariyali Amavasya 2026 is on Wednesday, 12 August. Get the Amavasya tithi timing, the morning snan-daan muhurat, pitru puja vidhi and the tree-planting tradition behind the festival.
Hariyali Teej 2026 falls on Saturday 15 August. Get the Shukla Tritiya timings, the puja muhurat, the Teej vrat puja vidhi and the vrat katha for New Delhi.
Nag Panchami 2026 falls on Monday 17 August — also a Sawan Somwar. Get the Panchami tithi timings, the morning puja muhurat, the Naga Devta puja vidhi and the katha.
Shravan Putrada Ekadashi 2026 is on Sunday, 23 August (Vaishnava: Monday 24 August). Get the Ekadashi tithi timing, the parana window, vrat vidhi and the katha.
Kamika Ekadashi 2026 is on Sunday, 9 August. Get the Ekadashi tithi timing, the parana (fast-breaking) window on 10 August, the vrat vidhi and the Ekadashi katha.
Mangala Gauri Vrat 2026 falls on the Tuesdays of Sawan — 4, 11, 18 and 25 August. Full puja vidhi, samagri, vrat katha and significance for married women.
Two Pradosh Vrats fall in Sawan 2026 — Som Pradosh on Monday 10 August and Bhaum Pradosh on Tuesday 25 August. Pradosh Kaal timings, puja vidhi and significance.
Raksha Bandhan 2026 is on Friday, 28 August. There is no Bhadra on the 28th, so the rakhi muhurat is the clear morning window from about 05:57 AM to 09:50 AM IST. Here is why the 28th, and the Bhadra rule explained.
Varalakshmi Vratam 2026 is on Friday, 28 August (North / Drik New Delhi), while the South-Indian tradition keeps it on Friday, 21 August. Morning puja is preferred. Here is the kalash puja vidhi, vrat katha and significance.
Kanwar Yatra 2026 runs through Sawan, from Thursday 30 July, with the main jalabhishek on Sawan Shivratri, 11 August. Here are the dates, the kanwariya niyam, the major routes and the meaning of the jalabhishek.
A step-by-step Sawan Somwar vrat vidhi — sankalp, jalabhishek and Shiva puja, the vrat rules (niyam), the full samagri list, how to do parana, with separate guidance for married and unmarried women.
A clear Sawan vrat food guide — the phalahar foods you can eat (fruit, milk, sabudana, kuttu and singhara flour, sendha namak dishes, potato), what to avoid (grains, common salt, onion, garlic), and a few simple vrat recipes.
The Sawan month dos and don’ts — avoid non-veg and alcohol, keep a sattvic life, worship Shiva daily — plus exactly what to offer Lord Shiva (water, bel patra, white flowers, bhang, dhatura) and what never to offer (tulsi, haldi, ketaki, coconut water on the ling).
The Solah Somwar vrat — sixteen consecutive Mondays of Shiva worship. Read the classic vrat katha, the puja vidhi, the niyam to keep, and the concluding udyapan ceremony.
A step-by-step Rudrabhishek vidhi with the full samagri checklist, the abhishek dravya (water, milk, curd, honey, ghee, sugarcane juice, panchamrit) and the fruit each is said to bestow, its benefits and the best days to perform it in Sawan.
The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra with its authentic text, a word-by-word meaning, the jaap vidhi, the 108-count mala rule, the benefits for health, longevity and courage, and its special significance in Sawan.
Why Sawan is the dearest month to Lord Shiva — the Samudra Manthan and the halahal poison, Shiva as Neelkanth, and the meaning of jalabhishek and the bilva-patra offering.
What the Shiv Chalisa is, the meaning and benefits of its forty verses, and how and when to recite it — especially on the Mondays of Sawan.
The Shiv Aarti “Om Jai Shiv Omkara” — its meaning, when it is sung, and its place in Sawan worship, with the well-known opening lines.
The Shiv Tandav Stotram composed by Ravana — its meaning, significance and benefits, and how and when to recite it, with the famous opening verse.
Detailed month-by-month calendar of Masik Shivratri dates and exact timings for the year 2026.
Akshaya Tritiya 2026 falls on April 19 — but the Tritiya Tithi only begins at 10:51 AM. Here's every auspicious Choghadiya window for New Delhi and Mumbai, why Rahu Kaal matters even on this self-auspicious day, and what 'Abujh Muhurat' actually means.
Complete 2026 calendar for the 5-day Panchak period. Learn exact start and end timings, the affected Nakshatras, and understand the five types of Panchak.
Complete 2026 calendar for Gandmool Nakshatra periods. Exact Moon transit timings through the 6 Gandmool Nakshatras — Ashwini, Ashlesha, Magha, Jyeshtha, Moola & Revati.
The eclipse gets the headlines. Sutak is the part that changes your day. Everything the tradition teaches about the hours before the shadow falls — and why Indian households still observe them.
A comprehensive month-by-month calendar of Bhadra Kaal (Vishti Karana) dates and start/end timings for the year 2026. Essential for planning Muhurats.
Why do temples close during eclipses? What is Sutak? From the Samudra Manthan myth to the math of the Surya Siddhanta — the full story of Grahan.
Bhadra is often misunderstood as a time of total caution. But did you know she has an 'abode' that can actually make her harmless? Let's demystify the logic.
Diwali date & Lakshmi-puja muhurat made simple: tithi, pradosh, tie-breakers, city-based timing, and classical rules trusted by Panchang makers.
Rahu Kaal is a short daily window to avoid fresh auspicious starts. Here's what it actually means, the common myths, and how to use it without fear.
Adhika Masa explained: why the lunar calendar adds an extra month every 2.5 years, how to calculate it using solar sign changes, and what to do during this intercalary period.
