Pradosh Vrat 2026 Dates: Next Pradosh and Full List

What Pradosh Vrat is

Pradosh means the start of the night. In the Shiva Purana and Skanda Purana, the evening of Trayodashi is described as the time when Shiva dances in joy on Mount Kailash and is easily pleased. The vrat is kept on the day when Trayodashi is running at sunset, which is why its date is set by the evening and not by sunrise.

The weekday gives each Pradosh its own name and traditional focus: Soma Pradosh (Monday) for peace of mind and wishes, Bhauma Pradosh (Tuesday) for health and relief from debts, and Shani Pradosh (Saturday), often kept by couples praying for children.

How Pradosh Vrat is observed

Devotees fast from sunrise and bathe again before evening. In Pradosh Kaal, Shiva is worshipped, often as a Shivalinga, with water or milk (abhishek), bel (bilva) leaves, white flowers, a lamp and incense, together with Parvati, Ganesha, Kartikeya and Nandi. The Pradosh katha is read and Om Namah Shivaya is chanted. The fast is broken after the evening puja.

Shiva temples hold special Pradosham worship, and in South India the abhishek of Nandi in the evening is a central part of the day.

Simple rules many families follow

Fasting is optional. Children, older people, anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, and anyone with diabetes, low blood pressure or another health condition should eat normally or keep a light fruit-and-milk (phalahar) fast, and check with a doctor first. Traditionally the intention and the prayer matter more than going without food.

• If not keeping a full fast, eat fruit and milk during the day and one simple sattvik meal after the evening puja.
• Grains, onion, garlic and non-vegetarian food are usually avoided until the puja is done.
• Do the puja in the evening twilight; the exact Pradosh Kaal depends on your city's sunset.
• Bel leaves offered to Shiva should be whole, with three leaflets.

Why the date can differ in your city

A vrat's day is set by when its tithi is running at sunrise, sunset or moonrise, and those come at different clock times in different places. The dates above are for New Delhi. Across India they are almost always the same; abroad, especially in the Americas, a vrat can fall a day earlier because the tithi changes before local sunrise there. Your city's Panchang shows the local tithi times, sunrise, sunset and moonrise, and its month calendar shows the vrats by your own sunrise.

• New Delhi, Delhi PanchangMonth calendar
• Mumbai, Maharashtra PanchangMonth calendar
• Kolkata, West Bengal PanchangMonth calendar
• Chennai, Tamil Nadu PanchangMonth calendar
• Bengaluru, Karnataka PanchangMonth calendar
• London, United Kingdom PanchangMonth calendar
• New York City, United States PanchangMonth calendar
• Toronto, Canada PanchangMonth calendar
• Dubai, UAE PanchangMonth calendar
• Singapore, Singapore PanchangMonth calendar

Another city? Panchang by city covers over 400 places.