Solah Somvar Vrat
A guide to the vow of sixteen Mondays for Shiva and Parvati, with the katha, weekly vidhi, food rules and udyapan.
Somvar Vrat
The weekly Monday fast for Lord Shiva: its purpose, the merchant's katha, simple vidhi, food rules and health advice.
Mangalvar Vrat
The Tuesday fast for Lord Hanuman and Mangal Dev, with its katha, step-by-step vidhi, food rules and udyapan.
Budhvar Vrat
The Wednesday fast for Ganesha and Budh Dev, with its katha, weekly vidhi, green offerings, food rules and udyapan.
Guruvar (Brihaspativar) Vrat
The Thursday fast for Vishnu and Brihaspati Dev, with the katha, banana tree puja, yellow offerings and food rules.
Shukravar Santoshi Mata Vrat
A simple Friday fast of gur, chana and patience, kept for sixteen weeks for contentment and peace at home.
Shanivar Vrat
A Saturday fast for Shani Dev, kept with mustard oil, black sesame, the peepal tree and quiet acts of service.
Ravivar Vrat
A Sunday fast for Surya Dev, with morning arghya, red flowers and a single salt-free meal before sunset.
Satyanarayan Vrat
The beloved household puja of Lord Vishnu as Truth itself, with its five-chapter katha and sweet sheera prasad.
Purnima Vrat
The monthly full moon fast, kept from sunrise to moonrise with Satyanarayan puja, daan and an arghya to Chandra.
Amavasya Vrat
The new moon fast for remembering ancestors, offering tarpan, serving the peepal tree and giving food to the needy.
Sankashti Chaturthi Vrat
The monthly Ganesha fast of the waning moon, kept from sunrise until moonrise to remove obstacles and sorrows.
Masik Shivaratri Vrat
The monthly night of Shiva on Krishna Chaturdashi, kept with abhishek, bilva leaves and a quiet midnight prayer.
Pradosh Vrat
The twice-monthly twilight fast for Shiva on Trayodashi, when the Lord is believed to dance in joy on Mount Kailash.
Bhaum Pradosh Vrat
The Tuesday Trayodashi fast honouring Shiva, Hanuman and Mangal, traditionally kept for health and relief from debt.
Shani Pradosh Vrat
The Saturday Trayodashi fast for Shiva and Shani Dev, traditionally kept by couples praying for a child.
Mangala Gauri Vrat
The Tuesday fast of Shravan kept by newly married women for a long, happy married life, with sixteen offerings to Gauri.
Vaibhav Lakshmi Vrat
A Friday fast for Goddess Lakshmi as the giver of abundance, kept for 11 or 21 weeks with kheer and Shree Yantra.
Mahalakshmi Vrat (16 Days)
A sixteen-day observance from Bhadrapada Shukla Ashtami, with a sixteen-knot thread and a closing Gajalakshmi puja.
Jivitputrika (Jitiya) Vrat
The three-day observance kept by mothers of Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern UP and Nepal for their children's long life.
Hal Shashti Vrat
Balarama's birthday fast, kept by mothers with food grown without a plough and the milk of a buffalo, not a cow.
Rishi Panchami Vrat
A day of gratitude to the Saptarishis on Bhadrapada Shukla Panchami, with a cleansing bath and unploughed food.
Kokila Vrat
A rare vrat of Ashadha Purnima remembering Sati's penance in the form of a koel, kept for a happy married life.
Sakat Chauth Vrat
The Magha Sankashti fast of North India, when mothers pray to Ganesha with til and gur for their children.
Masik Durgashtami Vrat
The monthly Shukla Ashtami fast for Goddess Durga, kept for courage, protection and inner strength.
Kalashtami Vrat
The monthly Krishna Ashtami fast for Kaal Bhairav, the fierce guardian form of Shiva and protector of Kashi.
Skanda Shashti Vrat
The Shashthi fast for Lord Murugan, culminating in the six-day Kanda Shashti festival and Soorasamharam.
Lalita Shashti Vrat
A Bhadrapada Shukla Shashthi vrat honouring Goddess Lalita, kept by mothers for their children's happiness.
Bhishma Ashtami Vrat
The Magha Shukla Ashtami observance for Bhishma Pitamah, when tarpan is offered for the grandsire who had no children.
Navratri Vrat
Nine nights of fasting and worship of the nine forms of Durga, from ghatasthapana to kanya pujan and parana.
Janmashtami Vrat
The midnight fast for Lord Krishna's birth on Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami, with abhishek, jhula and makhan-mishri.
Maha Shivaratri Vrat
The great night of Shiva, kept with fasting, four prahar abhishek, bilva leaves and wakeful chanting till dawn.
Ekadashi Vrat (General Rules)
Everything a beginner needs for the twice-monthly fast of Lord Vishnu, from Dashami preparation to Dwadashi parana.
Vrat Parana (Breaking the Fast)
How and when to complete a Hindu fast correctly, from Ekadashi and Navratri to moonrise and sunrise vrats.
Nirahar and Phalahar Fasting
A clear guide to the main kinds of Hindu fasts, from nirjala and nirahar to phalahar and ekabhukta, and how to choose.
Durva Ashtami Vrat
The Bhadrapada Shukla Ashtami worship of sacred durva grass, kept by women for family well-being and long life.
Vinayaka Chaturthi Vrat
The monthly Shukla Chaturthi fast for Ganesha, with midday puja, 21 durva and modaks, and no gazing at the moon.
Anant Chaturdashi Vrat
The Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturdashi worship of Vishnu as Ananta, with a fourteen-knot thread and the story of Sushila.
Kamada Saptami Vrat
A Shukla Saptami vrat for Surya Dev, traditionally believed to fulfil righteous wishes and support good health.
Surya Shashthi Vrat
The four-day Chhath vrat of Kartik and Chaitra, when devotees offer arghya to the setting and rising sun from the water.
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