Vishnu — Ranganatha, Venkateshwara
Vaikuntha Ekadashi
The north gate opens — one day the door to Vaikuntha stands visibly ajar.
Tithi: The Shukla Ekadashi of the solar Dhanur/Margazhi month.
In the simplest words
The south's greatest Ekadashi — temple doors open a special northern gate, and walking through it is walking through Vaikuntha's own doorway.
The story & purpose
On this Ekadashi the Vaikuntha Dwaram — the northern gate of Vishnu temples, shut all year — is opened, and to pass through it with the Lord's name is held as walking the door of Vaikuntha itself. At Srirangam, Ranganatha himself processes through the Paramapada Vasal at dawn before lakhs; Tirumala's queue runs longest of the year.
When it falls in Margashirsha, as in 2026, this is also the north's Mokshada Ekadashi — the Gita's own day; in the 2027-28 season it is the Pausha Shukla Ekadashi instead. The Muran story gives the fast its name-lore: Ekadashi herself, born of Vishnu's yoga-nidra radiance, felled the demon while the Lord slept — so the day's vigil belongs to her.
What is done
Vaikuntha Dwaram
Passing the opened north gate at a Vishnu temple; at home, the altar's 'door' opened with lamps at dawn.
Upavasa & jagran
The strict Ekadashi fast with night vigil and Vishnu nama-sankirtan.
Gita path
Where the day meets Gita Jayanti — a chapter, or the whole, read aloud.
Best timings
The gate-passage and darshan at dawn; the fast till next morning's parana.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition — for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
Srirangam's festival runs twenty-one days — ten of day, ten of night, and the gate between.
Nammalvar's ascent to Vaikuntha is enacted at Alwar Tirunagari this season.
The 2027-28 season falls on 8 January 2028 — the Dhanurmasa Ekadashi skips the calendar year 2027 entirely.