Bhadrapada Krishna Ekadashi (amanta: Shravana)
Aja Ekadashi
Also known as Annada Ekadashi
Aja Ekadashi, also called Annada, falls on the eleventh day of the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada, three days after Krishna Janmashtami.
2026
Monday, 7 September 2026
2027
Saturday, 28 August 2027
The day at a glance
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Significance
Its katha is Harishchandra’s: the king who kept his given word until it had cost him his kingdom, his wife and his son, and who was restored after the sage Gautama set him to this fast. The story is told for the plainness of the virtue in it rather than for what came of it.
How Aja Ekadashi is observed
Devotees fast from grains and keep the day for Vishnu with tulsi, lamps and reading. Giving food away, the sense of the name Annada, belongs to the vrat, and the fast is broken at the Dwadashi parana.
FAQ
Why is it called Annada?
Anna-da, “the giver of food”: the gift of food is the day’s characteristic charity. Aja, its other name, means unborn, and is a name of Vishnu.
What is the story of Aja Ekadashi?
King Harishchandra, who lost his kingdom and his family rather than break his word, was restored after keeping this fast at the sage Gautama’s instruction.
Where does it fall relative to Janmashtami?
Three days after Krishna Janmashtami, in the same dark fortnight of Bhadrapada.
Around the same season
Plan around Aja Ekadashi
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