देवशयनी एकादशी · દેવશયની એકાદશી
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14 July 2027
Wednesday · Shukla Ekadashi
Lord Vishnu goes to sleep: Chaturmas begins. No weddings or auspicious events for 4 months.
Vishnu descends into yogic sleep on Shesha in the ocean of milk for four months. In the older account it follows his binding of Bali, Vishnu, having granted Bali the boon of his presence, spends these months in the netherworld.
The great pilgrimage day in Maharashtra: the Pandharpur Wari, where palkhis carrying the sandals of Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram arrive at Vitthal's temple after weeks of walking, with hundreds of thousands of warkaris singing abhangs. Elsewhere, Vishnu is put ceremonially to rest and a four-month vow is often taken.
Fasting on the day; the Chaturmas dietary restrictions begin, leafy greens are given up in Shravana.
In Maharashtra this is one of the biggest days of the year, entirely because of the Wari. Elsewhere it is observed more quietly as the start of Chaturmas.
