QUICK ANSWER:
Tulsi Vivah 2026 falls on Saturday, 21 November 2026. The tithi is Kartik Shukla Dwadashi, the day right after Dev Uthani Ekadashi. The puja is performed in the evening, and it marks the reopening of the Hindu wedding season.
What Is Tulsi Vivah? Meaning and Significance
Tulsi Vivah is the ceremonial wedding of the Tulsi plant to Lord Vishnu. Devotees treat the plant as Goddess Vrinda, the bride, and a Shaligram stone or Krishna idol as the groom.
The ritual closes Chaturmas, the four-month period when weddings and other auspicious events pause. Once the vivah is done, families and temples across India resume planning weddings, griha pravesh and other ceremonies.
Performing the vivah also counts as Kanyadaan, the act of giving away a daughter in marriage. Hindus consider Kanyadaan one of the most meritorious acts a household can perform.
Tulsi Vivah 2026 Date, Confirmed
Tulsi Vivah 2026 falls on Saturday, 21 November 2026, on Kartik Shukla Dwadashi. This tithi begins on the evening of 20 November and runs through the evening of 21 November.
The date follows Dev Uthani Ekadashi, also called Prabodhini Ekadashi, which lands on 20 November 2026. On this day, tradition holds that Lord Vishnu wakes from four months of Yogic sleep.
Is Tulsi Vivah the Same as Dev Uthani Ekadashi?
No. Dev Uthani Ekadashi and Tulsi Vivah are two separate days. Dev Uthani Ekadashi falls first, on the eleventh lunar day, when Vishnu wakes from his cosmic sleep.
Tulsi Vivah falls one day later, on the twelfth lunar day, Dwadashi. Some families extend the observance and perform the vivah any day between Ekadashi and Kartik Purnima, based on local and family tradition.
Keep both dates on your calendar. Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026 is 20 November, and Tulsi Vivah 2026 is 21 November.
Why Does the Date Change Every Year?
Hindu festivals follow the lunar calendar, not the fixed 365-day Gregorian calendar. A lunar month runs shorter than a solar month, so festival dates drift earlier each year on the Gregorian grid.
Tulsi Vivah always falls on Kartik Shukla Dwadashi. The Gregorian date that this tithi lands on shifts by roughly 10 to 12 days annually, and occasionally jumps further when a leap lunar month occurs.
Tulsi Vivah Dates 2025 to 2029, at a Glance
| Year | Gregorian Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 November | Sunday |
| 2026 | 21 November | Saturday |
| 2027 | 11 November | Thursday |
| 2028 | 29 October | To confirm nearer the date |
| 2029 | To confirm nearer the date | To confirm nearer the date |
Tulsi Vivah Puja Muhurat 2026
The puja happens in the evening, during Pradosh Kaal, the period right after sunset. Most households across India perform the wedding rites once the Dwadashi tithi is active after dusk on 21 November 2026.
Exact minute-level muhurat windows shift by city and by the panchang source you follow. Do not rely on a fixed time from any single article for your city.
| City | Date | General Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 21 November 2026 | Evening Pradosh Kaal window. Confirm exact minutes using a live Panchang. |
| Mumbai | 21 November 2026 | Evening Pradosh Kaal window. Confirm exact minutes using a live Panchang. |
| Bengaluru | 21 November 2026 | Evening Pradosh Kaal window. Confirm exact minutes using a live Panchang. |
| Kolkata | 21 November 2026 | Evening Pradosh Kaal window. Confirm exact minutes using a live Panchang. |
| Chennai | 21 November 2026 | Evening Pradosh Kaal window. Confirm exact minutes using a live Panchang. |
| Ahmedabad | 21 November 2026 | Evening Pradosh Kaal window. Confirm exact minutes using a live Panchang. |
Check Drik Panchang's city-wise Tulasi Vivah page a day or two before the festival. Enter your city to get sunrise-adjusted timing.
Tulsi Vivah Puja Vidhi, Step by Step
The ceremony mirrors a real Hindu wedding. Here is the sequence most households and temples follow.
- Prepare the mandap. Build a small wedding canopy around the Tulsi plant using sugarcane stalks, amla branches and flowers.
- Decorate the bride. Dress the Tulsi plant like a bride, with a red chunari, bangles, sindoor and flower garlands.
- Place the groom. Set a Shaligram stone, or a Vishnu or Krishna idol, beside the Tulsi plant.
- Light the diyas. Place lit brass diyas around the mandap for the evening rites.
- Perform Kanyadaan. Recite the wedding mantras and symbolically give the Tulsi plant in marriage to Vishnu.
- Complete the pheras. Circle the deity and plant together, following the mantras a priest or family elder leads.
- Sing the aarti. Close the ceremony with the Tulsi aarti and distribute prasad to everyone present.
Setting up the mandap yourself? Ornativo's Pooja Essentials collection and Brass Diyas cover most of what this step needs.
Tulsi Vivah Puja Samagri List
Gather these items a day or two in advance. The list below follows what temples and household priests commonly recommend for the ceremony.
| Samagri Item | Purpose | Shop It |
|---|---|---|
| Shaligram or Vishnu/Krishna Idol | Represents the groom in the ceremony | God Idols |
| Brass Diyas | Lit around the mandap during the evening rites | Brass Diyas |
| Sugarcane Stalks and Amla Branches | Frame the mandap square around the plant | Source fresh from a local market |
| Red Chunari and Bangles | Bridal dressing for the Tulsi plant | Pooja Essentials |
| Sindoor and Kumkum | Applied during the wedding rites | Pooja Essentials |
| Flower Garlands | Decorate the bride, groom, and mandap | Source fresh from a local florist |
| Fruits and Sweets | Offered as bhog and later shared as prasad | Source fresh from a local market |
| Aarti Thali and Bell | Used for the closing aarti | Pooja Essentials |
The Story of Tulsi Vivah
The legend starts with Vrinda, a devoted wife married to the demon king Jalandhara. Her unbroken devotion to Vishnu made her husband nearly impossible to defeat in battle.
To end the war Jalandhara waged against the gods, Vishnu took his form and approached Vrinda. Her devotion, tied to her chastity, broke the moment she was deceived, and Jalandhara fell in battle soon after.
Discovering the trick, Vrinda cursed Vishnu to turn to black stone, the Shaligram. She then gave up her own life and was reborn as the Tulsi plant, forever linked to Vishnu.
Vishnu accepted the curse and made a promise in return. He vowed that no offering to him would ever be complete without a Tulsi leaf. Every year, Tulsi Vivah renews that promise through a formal wedding.
Regional Variations Across India
Tulsi Vivah changes shape depending on where you are in India. Each region adds its own local color to the same core ritual.
- Maharashtra: Families hold a white cloth, the Antahpata, between the plant and the idol during the Mangalashtaka chant. The cloth drops on the final verse, and guests shower coloured rice.
- Vrindavan and Braj: Temples stage a full wedding tableau with Haldi, Mehendi, Jaimala and Baraat, since no offering here is complete without Tulsi leaves.
- Saunja village, Bihar: The whole village celebrates together over three days, with Ramcharitmanas recitations, a ShobhaYatra procession, and a shared feast of 56 dishes.
- Saurashtra: Two Rama temples exchange a formal wedding invitation, and a palanquin procession carries Lalji, a Vishnu form, to the bride's temple overnight.
- Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: Telugu households mark Tulasi Kalyanam using an amla branch to stand in for Vishnu, alongside a full Shodashopachara Puja.
Where to Place Tulsi at Home
Vastu Shastra recommends keeping the Tulsi plant in the north, east, or northeast part of the home, ideally near a window that gets morning sun. Avoid the south direction and areas near the bathroom.
If you're rearranging your pooja corner around the festival, Ornativo's Vastu and Fengshui Decor collection has pieces suited to that placement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is the exact date of Tulsi Vivah 2026?
Tulsi Vivah 2026 falls on Saturday, 21 November 2026. The tithi is Kartik Shukla Dwadashi, the day after Dev Uthani Ekadashi.
Q2. Is Tulsi Vivah the same day as Dev Uthani Ekadashi?
No. Dev Uthani Ekadashi falls on 20 November 2026, and Tulsi Vivah follows the next day, on 21 November 2026.
Q3. What time should Tulsi Vivah be performed?
Most households perform it in the evening, during Pradosh Kaal, right after sunset. Confirm the exact minute-level window for your city on a current panchang.
Q4. Who gets married in Tulsi Vivah?
The Tulsi plant, worshipped as Goddess Vrinda, is ceremonially married to Lord Vishnu, represented by a Shaligram stone or a Krishna idol.
Q5. What items are needed for Tulsi Vivah puja?
You need a Shaligram or Vishnu idol, brass diyas, sugarcane and amla branches, a red chunari, sindoor, flowers, fruits and an aarti thali.
Q6. Can unmarried women perform Tulsi Vivah?
Yes. Many unmarried women observe the vrat and puja, seeking a good marriage, alongside married women who observe it for their family's wellbeing.
Q7. Why does Tulsi Vivah mark the start of the wedding season?
It falls right after Chaturmas ends, the four-month period when Hindu weddings and other auspicious ceremonies pause. Vishnu's awakening reopens the calendar for such events.
Q8. Does the Tulsi Vivah date change every year?
Yes. It follows the lunar Hindu calendar, so the Gregorian date shifts by about 10 to 12 days each year, sometimes more.
Q9. What is the story behind Tulsi Vivah?
It comes from the tale of Vrinda and Jalandhara. After Vishnu tricked Vrinda to defeat her demon husband, she cursed him to stone and was reborn as the Tulsi plant.
Q10. Is Tulsi Vivah celebrated the same way across India?
No. Maharashtra, Vrindavan, Bihar, Saurashtra and Andhra Pradesh each add distinct regional rituals to the same core ceremony.
