Dates for 2026, what each festival means, and how to celebrate — even if you're just getting started. No prior knowledge needed.
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Everything is written in plain English, with Sanskrit terms explained as you go.
Every major festival in 2026 — when it falls, what it celebrates, and how to observe it.
Step-by-step instructions for common pujas (worship rituals), from a simple morning prayer to a housewarming ceremony.
Short verses from the Gita and Upanishads — the original Sanskrit, what it says, and when it helps.
All festival and fasting dates, month by month. Add any of them to your phone calendar in one tap.
Three foundational mantras (sacred chants) — their meaning, and a syllable-by-syllable pronunciation guide.
The Satyanarayan Katha (a popular devotional story) told as an illustrated, easy-to-follow visual story.
Punditji is an AI guide to Hindu festivals, rituals and daily practice, grounded in classical sources like the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads and the Puranas. It's not a substitute for your family priest — think of it as a friendly first stop.
Every guide cites where its steps and verses come from, and festival dates are checked against established panchang (Hindu calendar) sources. Spotted something off? Tell us — corrections are welcome.
More about Punditji.ai →The next dates on the Hindu calendar, with a short note on what each one means.
Nirjala Ekadashi is the strictest and most celebrated Ekadashi of the year — devotees of Lord Vishnu fast without even water from sunrise until the next morning. Observing this one fast sincerely is believed to carry the merit of all twenty-four Ekadashis, and people donate water, fans, and sherbet to others in the summer heat.
On Snana Yatra, the deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are carried out of the Puri temple and bathed in public with 108 pots of sacred herbal water — their grand annual bath on the Jyeshtha full moon. After the bath the deities are said to fall "ill" and rest out of sight, reappearing renewed for the Rath Yatra in July.
Vat Purnima is the full-moon version of the Vat Savitri vrat, observed in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and the south. Married women fast and pray for their husbands' long life, remembering Savitri, whose devotion won her husband back from Yama — tying threads around a banyan tree and circling it with prayers.
Yogini Ekadashi falls in the dark fortnight before the Rath Yatra and is observed with a fast dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is traditionally believed to wash away harm done to others and to restore health — its story tells of a cursed gardener healed by keeping this very fast.
On Rath Yatra, the deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra leave their temple in Puri and ride huge wooden chariots through the streets, pulled by thousands of devotees. It is one of the few days the Lord comes out to meet everyone, whoever they are.
On Devshayani Ekadashi, Lord Vishnu is said to begin his four-month cosmic sleep, opening the sacred season of Chaturmas, when weddings and big ventures pause and spiritual practice deepens. In Maharashtra it is Ashadhi Ekadashi, when lakhs of warkari pilgrims complete their long walk to Vitthal's temple at Pandharpur.
Get an email a few days before each festival, with the date and a simple guide on how to prepare.
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