Pradosh Vrat Dates 2026 and 2027: Vrat Days and Puja Windows

Pradosh Vrat is a fortnightly fast for Shiva, kept on the thirteenth day (Trayodashi) of each half of the lunar month, so it comes twice a month, 24 or 25 times in a year. Devotees fast through the day and worship Shiva in the evening twilight, the Pradosh, with water, milk and bilva leaves at a lingam, before breaking the fast with a simple meal.

The rule is based on the evening: the vrat is kept on the civil day on which Trayodashi is in force during Pradosh, the period after sunset. The window in the tables is that Pradosh period for each city, which is the time for the evening puja. When Trayodashi covers Pradosh on two evenings, or neither, calendars use tie-break rules that put the vrat on the day the tithi covers more of Pradosh.

Why do cities differ? Sunset is at a different clock time in every city and changes with the season, and high-latitude cities have much longer and shorter evenings than those near the equator. A tithi may still be running at dusk in one city and have ended in another, so the vrat date can differ by a day, and the puja window always does.

A calm note: fasting is a personal choice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, nursing or take medicine, speak to your doctor about how to keep the vrat, and a simple evening prayer with a lamp is a complete observance. The tables below cover five cities for both years. Every one of the 49 cities has its own page with all Pradosh Vrat dates.

Frequently asked questions