Akhaṇḍa means unbroken. This Dvādaśī is kept as a special vrata of Viṣṇu pūjā, offered so that the prosperity of the house may continue without interruption. It falls on the morning after Mokṣadā Ekādaśī, so for those who fasted on that Ekādaśī it is also the day of pāraṇa. How the day is fixed: The lunar month is Mārgaśīrṣa, counted from new moon to new moon, and the day is the one with Śukla Dvādaśī at local sunrise. If Mārgaśīrṣa is doubled in a year, the day is kept in the regular month and not in the adhika one. Keep in mind: In the south, the Ekādaśī just before is called Vaikuṇṭha Ekādaśī in years when it falls in the solar month of Dhanus. In those years Akhaṇḍa Dvādaśī is also the pāraṇa morning after Vaikuṇṭha Ekādaśī, though the two remain separate days in the calendar. This year: The 2026 date shown here is worked out from sunrise at the place you chose, so in another city the same day can fall a day earlier or later. Viṣṇu pūjā: After an early bath, Viṣṇu is worshipped with tulasī, a lamp and naivedya. The prayer of the day is that the good fortune of the house should continue unbroken. Pāraṇa of the Ekādaśī fast: Those who fasted on the Ekādaśī break the fast this morning after sunrise, within Dvādaśī and outside Hari Vāsara, and take the offered food as prasāda. Worth remembering: If a Mahādvādaśī falls on this Dvādaśī, the Ekādaśī fast itself moves here and pāraṇa shifts to the next morning. Beyond Viṣṇu pūjā and pāraṇa, how the day is kept is left to local custom. Common pañcāṅgas carry little about this vrata beyond its name and its Viṣṇu pūjā, so each family keeps it in its own way. The elders of one's own house are the best guide to how it has been kept.
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