Tulsi Vivah 2026: Date, and How to Do It at Home the Braj Way
Tulsi Vivah is the ceremonial wedding of the tulsi plant to Vishnu, or to Krishna, kept in the bright half of Kartik as the four months of Chaturmas end. In 2026 most panchangs give the date as Saturday, 21 November, Kartik Shukla Dwadashi, the day after Dev Uthani Ekadashi. ISKCON and other Vaishnava calendars keep the Tulsi Shaligram wedding on Tuesday, 24 November, Kartik Purnima. Both are correct within their own tradition, and the scriptures allow any day in that window. Below are the 2026 dates side by side, why they differ, how Vrindavan keeps the day, and a simple way to do Tulsi Vivah at home.
In this article
- When is Tulsi Vivah in 2026?
- Why do calendars give different dates for Tulsi Vivah?
- What is Tulsi Vivah and why is it celebrated?
- How is Tulsi Vivah kept in Vrindavan?
- How do you do Tulsi Vivah at home?
- How is Tulsi Vivah kept across India?
- Frequently asked questions
When is Tulsi Vivah in 2026?
The wedding is held in the evening, at dusk. These are the days around it this year. Where a household panchang and a Vaishnava calendar differ, both are given.
| Day | Household panchang | Vaishnava calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Dev Uthani (Utthana) Ekadashi | Fri 20 Nov | Sat 21 Nov |
| Tulsi Vivah | Sat 21 Nov (Dwadashi) | Tue 24 Nov (Purnima) |
| Bhishma Panchaka | Not usually marked | Sat 21 to Tue 24 Nov |
| Kartik Purnima | Tue 24 Nov | Tue 24 Nov |
Household dates follow Drik Panchang for New Delhi, where Dwadashi runs from 6:31 am on 21 November to 4:56 am on 22 November. Vaishnava dates follow Drik Panchang's ISKCON calendar for the same city and ISKCON Delhi's festival listing. A tithi can shift with your city's sunrise, so check a local panchang before you fast.
Why do calendars give different dates for Tulsi Vivah?
Because the texts themselves give a window, not a single day. Drik Panchang notes that the Padma Purana places Tulsi Vivah on Kartik Shukla Navami, the ninth day of the bright fortnight, while other texts treat the five days from Prabodhini (Dev Uthani) Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima as especially auspicious for it. Each tradition settled on a day inside that window.
- Most households in North and West India keep it on Dwadashi, the day after Vishnu wakes on Dev Uthani Ekadashi. In 2026 that is 21 November.
- ISKCON and Gaudiya Vaishnava calendars keep the Tulsi Shaligram wedding on Kartik Purnima, the last day of Bhishma Panchaka and of the month of Damodar. In 2026 that is 24 November.
- Some families begin on Dev Uthani Ekadashi itself, or hold the wedding on any evening in between.
None of these is a mistake. The simple rule is to follow the calendar your family or your temple already keeps. If you are observing Kartik with a Vaishnava calendar, as our guide to Kartik month in Vrindavan does, the 24th will sit naturally at the end of your month.
What is Tulsi Vivah and why is it celebrated?
The story behind it, told in the Padma Purana, is the story of Vrinda. She was the wife of the asura Jalandhar, and her devotion to her husband made him impossible to defeat. To end his cruelty, Vishnu came to her in Jalandhar's form and broke the protection of her vow, and Jalandhar fell. When Vrinda saw what had happened she cursed Vishnu to become stone, which is the Shaligram. Vishnu in turn blessed her to be reborn as tulsi, worshipped in every home, and promised to marry her each year. Tulsi Vivah keeps that promise.
The day also turns the calendar. Chaturmas, the four months when Vishnu is said to rest and weddings wait, ends on Dev Uthani Ekadashi, and Tulsi Vivah opens the wedding season. Couples without a daughter often take the part of Tulsi's parents and give her away, because the kanyadaan of Tulsi is said to carry the merit of a daughter's marriage.
How is Tulsi Vivah kept in Vrindavan?
Vrindavan is named after tulsi. The Sanskrit Vrndavana means a grove of vrnda, the holy basil, so Tulsi Vivah is in a sense the town's own festival. In Braj the groom is Krishna rather than Vishnu in general, and three things set the day apart.
- Tulsi is in every temple. Drik Panchang notes that every old Krishna temple in Vrindavan keeps a tulsi enclosure, and that no bhog is offered to the deity without tulsi leaves. The wedding is a celebration of a plant the temples tend every day of the year.
- It is a full wedding. Homes and temples across Braj hold every wedding custom, haldi, mehendi, the exchange of garlands, the pheras and the baraat, and set up a wedding tableau of Tulsi and Krishna.
- It closes the month of Damodar. Many devotees fast through the day and hold the ceremony in the evening. Those following the Vaishnava calendar keep it on Kartik Purnima, the last evening of the Kartik lamp.
You do not need a temple to keep it this way. A tulsi plant, a picture or murti of Krishna, and an evening are enough. A tulsi ki mala is the usual companion for chanting Krishna's names after the wedding evening.
How do you do Tulsi Vivah at home?
Think of it as a small family wedding with Tulsi as the bride. You do not need a priest. Gather these during the day:
- The bride: your tulsi plant in its pot, watered, with dry leaves removed.
- The groom: a Shaligram if your family has one, or an image or murti of Krishna or Vishnu.
- For the bride: a small red chunri, a bindi, a few bangles, haldi and kumkum.
- For the mandap: four sugarcane stalks, if you can find them.
- For the puja: a ghee diya, incense, flowers and two small garlands, akshat, a length of mauli thread, and fruit and sweets for bhog. Amla and sugarcane are traditional.
- Prepare the space. Clean around the tulsi pot, draw a small rangoli if you like, and tie the sugarcane stalks over the pot as a canopy.
- Dress the bride. Drape the chunri over the plant without crushing it, and add the bindi and bangles. Tulsi is a living plant, so nothing should smother or break it.
- Seat the groom. Place the Shaligram or Krishna's image on a clean cloth beside the plant.
- Begin at dusk. Light the diya, and take a sankalp: a quiet resolve, in your own words, that you are holding Tulsi's wedding with devotion.
- Give Tulsi away. The eldest couple, or whoever is acting as her parents, offers her to the groom. This is the kanyadaan, the heart of the ceremony.
- Join them and walk the pheras. Tie the mauli between the plant and the groom, exchange the garlands, and carry the Shaligram or murti around the tulsi, seven times if you can.
- Offer bhog and aarti. Offer the fruit and sweets, each with a tulsi leaf, sing the aarti, and share the prasad.
If you have no plant, tulsi leaves before Krishna's image with a lamp and a short prayer are a complete offering. The fast is a family choice. If you are unwell, pregnant, elderly or on medication, keep the lamp and the prayer and speak to a doctor before fasting. Our guide to setting up a daily puja at home covers the altar itself.
Pure tulsi wood, uncoated, offered at Shri Banke Bihari Temple before it is sent. Tulsi beads are the ones Vaishnavas keep for Krishna's names.
How is Tulsi Vivah kept across India?
The ceremony is the same wedding everywhere, but each region adds its own custom.
| Region | What sets it apart |
|---|---|
| Braj (Vrindavan, Mathura) | Tulsi is married to Krishna, with every wedding custom from haldi to baraat. |
| Maharashtra | A white cloth, the antarpat, is held between bride and groom while the Mangalashtak is recited, then lowered as akshat is showered. |
| Saurashtra, Gujarat | At two Rama temples, Lalji's wedding procession travels from the groom's temple to the bride's, with an invitation card sent ahead. |
| Andhra Pradesh and Telangana | Kept as Tulsi Kalyanam, with a branch of the amla tree standing for Vishnu beside the tulsi. |
The Braj and regional customs above are as Drik Panchang describes them on its Tulsi Vivah page. Practice varies from family to family within every region.
Related reading
- Kartik Month 2026 in Vrindavan: Dates, Deep Daan and How to Observe It at Home
- Bihar Panchami 2026: Banke Bihari's Appearance Day, and How to Celebrate at Home
- Tulsi in Hindu Worship: Mala Benefits, Rules and How to Wear One
- How to Identify an Original Tulsi Mala
Frequently asked questions
When is Tulsi Vivah in 2026?
Most panchangs give Saturday, 21 November 2026, Kartik Shukla Dwadashi, with the wedding held in the evening. ISKCON and other Vaishnava calendars keep the Tulsi Shaligram wedding on Tuesday, 24 November, Kartik Purnima. Follow the calendar your family or temple keeps.
Why does ISKCON keep Tulsi Vivah on Kartik Purnima?
The texts allow Tulsi Vivah on any day from Prabodhini Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima. Vaishnava calendars keep it on the Purnima, the last day of Bhishma Panchaka and of the month of Damodar, so the wedding closes the Kartik vow. In 2026 that is 24 November.
Can Tulsi Vivah be done at home without a Shaligram?
Yes. A Shaligram is traditional, but most homes use an image or murti of Krishna or Vishnu as the groom. In Braj, Tulsi is married to Krishna. What matters is the devotion with which the wedding is held.
What is offered at Tulsi Vivah?
Tulsi is dressed as a bride with a red chunri, bindi and bangles, and the couple is offered flowers, garlands, akshat, a ghee lamp and bhog. Sugarcane, used for the mandap, and amla are traditional, along with seasonal fruit and sweets, each offered with a tulsi leaf.
Who performs the kanyadaan in Tulsi Vivah?
Usually the eldest couple of the household, acting as Tulsi's parents. Couples who have no daughter often take this role, because giving Tulsi away in marriage is said to carry the merit of a daughter's kanyadaan.
Is Tulsi Vivah the same as Dev Uthani Ekadashi?
No. Dev Uthani Ekadashi is the day Vishnu is said to wake from his four-month rest, ending Chaturmas. Tulsi Vivah follows it, most often the next day. In 2026 Dev Uthani Ekadashi is 20 November in household panchangs and 21 November in Vaishnava calendars.
Tulsi, after the wedding
The wedding is one evening, and tulsi stays in the home all year, in the pot and in the beads of a mala. Ours is offered at Shri Banke Bihari Temple before it reaches you.
See the 108 Beads Tulsi Mala →Free shipping above ₹999.