Tulsi Vivah 2026 – Ceremonial Marriage of Tulsi and Vishnu
Date: 21 November 2026
Full Date
21 November 2026 Morning (after sunrise) – 21 November 2026 Evening (before sunset)
Muhurat Timings in India
Tulsi Vivah Ceremony at Home
Families decorate their Tulsi plant and perform the wedding ritual in the evening of November 21, 2026, exchanging garlands and offering blessings for marital harmony and prosperity.
21 November 2026 Evening after sunset – 21 November 2026 Night (before midnight)
Introduction
Tulsi Vivah is a vibrant Hindu festival celebrated on the day of Kartika Shukla Dwadashi (or close to it) where the sacred Tulsi plant is ceremonially ‘married’ to Lord Vishnu (or his avatar Krishna/Shaligram). This marks the auspicious start of the marriage season and symbolizes purity, devotion and the union of nature with the divine.
Other Names
Tulasi Kalyanam, Tulsi Marriage Ceremony
Pooja Vidhi
- Begin by cleaning and purifying the worship area, dress in clean traditional clothes.
- Place the Tulsi plant pot on the right side and Vishnu image on the left (or vice-versa as per family custom).
- Decorate the area with rangoli, mango leaves, flowers and lighting (diyas or lamps).
- Offer water and flowers to the Tulsi plant, then perform abhisheka/ sprinkling water over the Vishnu image if applicable.
- Offer haldi paste and kumkum to both Tulsi and Vishnu; tie a red cloth around the Tulsi pot to signify bridal attire.
- Exchange garlands between the Tulsi plant and Vishnu idol; tie a sacred thread or mango-leaf garland around them for ‘gathbandhan’.
- Offer dakshina (token gift) to the priest or elders, then distribute prasad to all family members and conclude with bhajan or kirtan.
Rituals
- Decorate the Tulsi plant (often in a pot) with cloth, flowers and traditional jewelry.
- Set up a small mandap (wedding canopy) around the plant with sugar-cane or banana-stalk pillars.
- Place an idol or image of Lord Vishnu (or Shaligram/Krishna) near the Tulsi plant.
- Perform pūja: offer haldi (turmeric), kumkum, flowers, sweets and fruits to both Tulsi and Vishnu.
- Exchange garlands (var-mala) between the Tulsi plant and the Vishnu idol, symbolising the marriage.
- Conclude with aarti, distribute prasad and seek blessings for marital harmony and prosperity.
Regional Highlights
- In North India, Tulsi Vivah is celebrated with the wedding-mandap for the Tulsi plant and is viewed as the formal start of the wedding season.
- In many Bengali households, elaborate rituals mark the day with singing of bhajans and community gatherings.
- In Gujarat and Maharashtra, the Tulsi plant is decorated with jewelry and treated as a bride; in temples, special kalyanam ceremonies are held.
- After Tulsi Vivah, people often begin wedding planning and set auspicious dates for marriages in the coming months.
History
According to Hindu mythology, the Tulsi plant is considered the earthly manifestation of the goddess Vrinda (or Tulasi), who was married to the demon king Jalandhara. When Lord Vishnu defeated Jalandhara and Vrinda’s curse transformed him into a Shaligram stone, Vrinda was then transformed into the Tulsi plant. Vishnu then married her on the eleventh lunar day of Kartika month. This festival marks that divine union and also the ending of the monsoon-period (Chaturmas) in which marriages are traditionally avoided. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Additional Information
- Tulsi Vivah symbolises the union of nature (Tulsi) and divinity (Vishnu) and marks the end of the monsoon’s inauspicious phase (Chaturmas). :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
- Holding the Tulsi plant in high regard and celebrating its ‘wedding’ reinforces the plant’s spiritual significance in Hindu homes.
- After this day, the traditional wedding season (vivah-ritu) begins in many parts of India.