Tulsi Vivah 2026: Date, the Story of Vrinda and Puja Vidhi

Tulsi Vivah 2026 falls on Saturday, 21 November, the day after Dev Uthani Ekadashi. On this day families celebrate the wedding of the tulsi (holy basil) plant to Vishnu in the form of a Shaligram stone or an image of Krishna. It is treated as the first wedding of the season, after which marriage muhurats open across India. Here is the story behind Tulsi Vivah and how to perform it at home.

Tulsi Vivah 2026 date

Tulsi Vivah is usually performed on Kartik Shukla Dwadashi, Saturday 21 November 2026, though many families hold it on the Ekadashi evening of 20 November, and some continue it until Kartik Purnima on 24 November. Follow your family or temple’s custom and check a local panchang for the auspicious time.

The story of Vrinda and Shaligram

The best-known version, found in the Padma Purana and retold in Shaiva tradition, centres on Vrinda, the devoted wife of the powerful asura Jalandhar. Her purity and devotion made her husband invincible, and even the gods could not defeat him in battle with Shiva. To break that protection, Vishnu took on Jalandhar’s form and came to Vrinda. When her vow was broken, Jalandhar fell in battle.

Discovering the deception, Vrinda cursed Vishnu to become a stone, which is why he is worshipped as the Shaligram, a black fossil stone from the Gandaki river. She then gave up her life, and from her ashes grew the tulsi plant. Moved by her devotion, Vishnu blessed her: she would be worshipped in every home, no offering to him would be complete without tulsi leaves, and he would marry her every year as Shaligram. Tulsi Vivah is that marriage.

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana tells a parallel story in which Tulsi is the wife of the asura Shankhachuda. The details differ, but in both, tulsi is honoured as a form of Lakshmi and the beloved of Vishnu.

How to perform Tulsi Vivah at home

1. Prepare the bride: clean the tulsi pot, decorate it with rangoli, and dress the plant in a red chunari with bangles, bindi and a small mangalsutra.
2. Prepare the groom: place a Shaligram or a small image of Krishna beside the tulsi, dressed in yellow.
3. Build the mandap: tie four or more sugarcane stalks over the pot as a wedding canopy.
4. Puja: offer haldi, kumkum, flowers, fruits, sweets and a lamp to both.
5. Wedding rites: tie a sacred thread between them, perform the pheras by carrying the Shaligram around the tulsi seven times, and shower rice as blessings.
6. Celebrate: sing wedding songs, perform aarti, such as Om Jai Jagdish Hare, and share prasad.

The meaning of Tulsi Vivah

Tulsi Vivah honours devotion that even the gods must respect. Vrinda’s faithfulness earns her a place in every Hindu courtyard, and the yearly wedding reminds families that every marriage begins with the blessing of the divine. Childless couples often perform the kanyadaan of tulsi, which tradition holds brings great merit.

Frequently asked questions