97 festivals in 2026
Appearance day of Goddess Gayatri, the personification of the Gayatri Mantra revealed to Sage Vishwamitra. Observed on Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi. Devotees recite the Gayatri Mantra 108 times and conduct a special havan.
The most rigorous of all 24 Ekadashi vrats. Devotees observe a waterless fast (nirjala = without water) from sunrise to next day's sunrise. Believed to grant the merit of all 24 annual Ekadashis combined. Also known as Bhima Ekadashi.
Maharashtrian and Gujarati observance on Jyeshtha Purnima where married women tie ceremonial threads around a banyan tree (vat) seven times and pray for the long life of their husbands. Commemorates Savitri's devotion that brought back her husband Satyavan from death.
