Āmalakī Ekādaśī is the bright-fortnight Ekādaśī of Phālguna, and its heart is the worship of the āmalakī, the Indian gooseberry tree. The Purāṇas agree that the tree is sacred and that Viṣṇu dwells in it, and one account says it sprang from Brahmā's tears of joy when he first beheld Viṣṇu. On this day the tree is honoured alongside Viṣṇu, so the fast is joined to a pūjā under an open sky. Coming a few days before Holi, it is among the last Ekādaśīs of the lunar year. How the day is fixed: The fast is kept on Phālguna Śukla Ekādaśī, on the day that Ekādaśī prevails at sunrise. It falls a few days before the Holi full moon. Keep in mind: The fast begins on Daśamī evening, and Pāraṇa is taken on Dvādaśī morning within the usual window. That window should be confirmed against a local pañcāṅga. This year: The 2027 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. Worship at the gooseberry tree: The tree is worshipped together with Viṣṇu. Devotees walk around it in pradakṣiṇā, light a lamp at its foot, tie a thread around the trunk and offer water and flowers at the roots. The fast and Pāraṇa: The fast follows the usual Ekādaśī custom, with no grains or beans from Daśamī evening, and most households keep it as phalāhāra. It is broken the next morning with Pāraṇa on Dvādaśī. Worth remembering: Some retellings attach a story of a hunter or forest-dweller who was saved by unknowingly sheltering under an āmalakī tree on this tithi. Its names and details differ from source to source, so it is best heard as regional tradition, while the worship of the tree remains the firm basis of the day. Holi, a few days later, is a separate festival. How the tree is honoured varies from home to home and region to region. Some tie a thread, some light a lamp at the trunk, some visit a temple grove, and some keep a gooseberry on the Dvādaśī leaf. Where there is no tree nearby, a branch or fruit is often worshipped in its place. The surest guide is the way the elders of one's own house keep the day.
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