Hindu Festivals in May 2026

Tuesday · Vishnu

Varuthini Ekadashi falls on the Krishna Paksha Ekadashi of Vaishakha month and is glorified by Shri Krishna himself to Yudhishthira in the Bhavishyottara Purana as the bestower of varutha — divine armour and protection. The vrata commemorates the rescue of King Mandhata, who while performing tapasya was seized by a bear; Vishnu appeared as Varaha-rupa and not only delivered the king but, in compassion, granted moksha to the bear as well. Observed across Vaishnava sampradayas from Vrindavan to Udupi, the ekadashi is particularly associated with charitable giving of grain, gold and cow (godana) to qualified brahmanas at sunrise on dwadashi.

Tuesday · Lord Narasimha

Appearance day of Narasimha — Vishnu's lion-headed avatar who killed Hiranyakashipu to protect devotee Prahlad. Fast from sunrise to sunset, break at dusk.

Wednesday · Vishnu

Nirjala Ekadashi, falling on the Shukla Paksha Ekadashi of Jyeshtha month, is the most austere of all twenty-four Ekadashis because devotees abstain from even a single drop of water for twenty-four hours. The vrata is also called Bhimseni Ekadashi after the Pandava prince Bhima, who according to the Mahabharata could not fast on the regular Ekadashis due to his enormous appetite and was advised by sage Vyasa to observe this single waterless fast to obtain the cumulative merit of all twenty-four. The festival is observed across India with special intensity in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, where water-distribution camps (jal seva) and clay-pot donations are organized. Vaishnava temples conduct elaborate abhishekams of Lord Vishnu with panchamrita and ganga jala. In the scorching pre-monsoon heat of Jyeshtha, the vrata becomes a powerful test of bhakti, discipline, and surrender to Narayana.

Saturday · Vishnu

Narasimha Jayanti commemorates the appearance of Lord Vishnu in his fierce half-man half-lion avatar to protect his young devotee Prahlada and slay the tyrant Hiranyakashipu. The festival falls on the Chaturdashi of the bright fortnight of Vaishakha and is observed at sandhya, the twilight hour, because the Puranas record that Narasimha emerged at precisely that liminal moment which is neither day nor night, fulfilling the boon that had made the demon king invulnerable in every familiar way. Devotees across India, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka where Narasimha shrines abound, observe a fast through the day and break it after the evening puja. The mood of the festival is one of protective ferocity tempered by tenderness, for the same lord who tore apart Hiranyakashipu cradled Prahlada on his lap. Reciting the Narasimha Kavacha is considered especially auspicious for removing fear, illness, and persistent obstacles.