Kamika Ekadashi

Kamika Ekadashi falls on the eleventh day of the waning moon in the month of Shravana and is considered one of the more powerful ekadashis for the removal of past sins, as described in the Padma Purana. The name 'Kamika' is associated with the fulfillment of sincere desires undertaken through devotion. Devotees observe a fast from grains and, in stricter traditions, from all food and water, while spending the day in prayer to Lord Vishnu, particularly in his form as Sri Hari. Reading or listening to the Kamika Ekadashi vrat katha is considered an essential part of the observance, along with lighting a ghee lamp before Vishnu through the night. The fast is broken the following morning, Dwadashi, at a prescribed time after further prayer, a practice known as Parana. The vrat is especially popular in Vaishnava households and temples across India, where bhajans and kirtans are often organized through the night.