When is Vat Purnima in 2026?

The main day is Monday, 29 June 2026 (Jyeshtha Purnima); the three-day vrat begins Saturday, 27 June.

Why is Vat Purnima celebrated?

Savitri won her husband Satyavan's life back from Yama; by tradition, this episode is linked to the banyan tree, so married women worship the banyan tree for their husband's long life.

What's the difference between Vat Purnima and Vat Savitri Vrat?

They're the same vrat, observed on different dates — Jyeshtha Purnima in Maharashtra (Vat Purnima), and Jyeshtha Amavasya in North India (Vat Savitri), roughly 15 days earlier.

How many times do you circle the banyan tree on Vat Purnima?

Most Marathi tradition holds seven pradakshina; some traditions mention 108 circuits.

How many days does the Vat Purnima vrat last?

In Maharashtra it's observed over three days — Trayodashi, Chaturdashi, and Purnima — with the main puja on Purnima.

What boons did Savitri ask Yama for?

In the original Mahabharata account, four boons — her father-in-law's eyesight, his kingdom, a hundred sons for her father, and a hundred sons of her own by Satyavan; the last boon forced Yama to restore Satyavan's life.

Who receives the vaan gift on Vat Purnima?

Married women present at the puja are given haldi-kumkum and a vaan gift (usually mango and wheat); the number and form vary by region.

Vat Purnima

Vat Purnima is the vrat where married women worship the banyan (vat) tree for their husband's long life, observed on Jyeshtha Purnima. Behind it lies the legend of Savitri winning back her husband Satyavan's life from Yama. In Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, and South India, the vrat is observed over three days — starting on Trayodashi and culminating on Purnima. This year (2026): the vrat begins Saturday, 27 June; the main day is Monday, 29 June (Jyeshtha Purnima).

Deity: Savitri and the Vat tree (banyan)

This year's dates (2026)

Significance

Savitri, through her devotion and quick wit, won her husband Satyavan's life back from Yama himself — so this vrat is regarded as a symbol of marital devotion and long life. Married women worship the banyan tree, praying for their husband's longevity and unbroken marital fortune. Because the banyan tree is long-living and vast in spread, it's held as a symbol of enduring marital fortune.

The banyan tree's ecological importance is also cited alongside this vrat — the vat vriksha produces oxygen on a large scale, supports many birds and animals, and lives for a very long time; the vrat is thus also seen, in part, as an expression of gratitude toward the tree.

The legend

The story is drawn from the Savitri-Satyavan Upakhyana in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata. King Ashwapati of the Madra kingdom had no children; after rigorous penance, he was blessed with a daughter by the grace of the goddess Savitri — he named her Savitri. When she came of age, Savitri chose her own husband — Satyavan, son of the blind, kingdom-dispossessed King Dyumatsena of the Shalva kingdom. Even after the sage Narada told her that Satyavan had only one year left to live, Savitri held to her choice.

A year after the wedding, on the very day fate had marked for Satyavan's death, Savitri accompanied him into the forest to gather wood. As Satyavan cut wood up in a tree, he grew faint and collapsed with his head in Savitri's lap; at that moment, Yama himself arrived to take his life. Savitri followed Yama as he departed; pleased by her devotion and her scripture-grounded arguments, Yama offered her boons, one after another — excluding Satyavan's life.

In the original Mahabharata account, Savitri asked for four boons: (1) that her blind father-in-law Dyumatsena regain his eyesight, (2) that Dyumatsena's lost kingdom be restored to him, (3) that her own father Ashwapati be blessed with a hundred sons, and (4) that she herself be blessed with a hundred sons by Satyavan. The moment she asked for the fourth boon, Yama found himself cornered — that boon couldn't be fulfilled without Satyavan alive — so he had no choice but to restore Satyavan's life. Marathi household retellings often shorten this sequence to just three boons (dropping the third) — the full Mahabharata sequence is given here for reference.

By tradition, this episode is linked to the banyan tree — the original Mahabharata account gives the tree no major role in the story, but later Marathi tradition places Satyavan's death and revival beneath it — and it's this link that's held to be why the custom of worshipping the banyan tree began.

Who observes it

Married women (suhasini) — particularly those with a living husband — observe this vrat for their husband's long life.

Vrat vidhi

The sequence below is compiled from multiple sources as a general guide — not a fixed, single-correct ritual; it can vary by family and local custom.

After a morning bath, married women dress in new clothes and jewellery, and wear the full solah shringar (sixteen adornments).
They go to a nearby banyan tree, water its roots, and offer haldi-kumkum, akshata, flowers, and fruit.
A raw cotton thread is wound around the trunk while circling the tree in pradakshina — most commonly seven times, though some traditions mention circling 108 times.
The Savitri-Satyavan legend is read, recited, or narrated aloud.
After the puja, married women present are given haldi-kumkum and vaan (a ritual gift) — traditionally mango and wheat; this custom varies by region.
On returning home, the husband is given an aukshan (a small aarti of welcome), completing the vrat.

Puja samagri

Raw cotton thread, haldi-kumkum, akshata, flowers and garlands, fruit (including mango), naivedya, wheat and mangoes for the vaan gift, solah shringar items (bangles, bindi, mangalsutra, etc.), and a puja thali.

Fasting / dietary rules

Most married women observe a waterless or fruit-only fast through the day; the fast is broken at the appointed time on Purnima (once the puja and pradakshina around the banyan tree are complete, sometimes at night) — the exact clock-time varies by tithi and location; check the day page for the precise time. Tradition allows the concession of fasting only on Purnima if a full three-day fast isn't possible. How strict the fast is varies by family tradition — some households allow only fruit throughout the day.

Mantra / aarti

During the puja and with every pradakshina, the prayer is offered in the spirit of "may my husband have a long life and unbroken marital fortune." Some versions record the Savitri prayer as beginning "Savitri Brahmavadini sarvada priyabhashini…" — meaning: Savitri, who is learned in Brahma-knowledge and ever gentle-spoken. The full mantra/aarti text and its verified form will be added once confirmed; the exact aarti used varies by tradition.

The banyan tree's symbolic significance

By some accounts, the Trimurti is held to reside within the banyan tree — Brahma at the root, Vishnu in the trunk, and Shiva at the crown. On this reading, worshipping the banyan tree is regarded as equivalent to worshipping the Trimurti itself.

Regional customs — Maharashtra vs. North India

This is a genuine date difference, not merely a difference in name:

Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, and South India (amanta panchang): the vrat falls on Jyeshtha Purnima — observed as "Vat Purnima." This year, that's Monday, 29 June 2026.
North India (purnimanta panchang): the same vrat falls on Jyeshtha Amavasya — observed as "Vat Savitri Vrat," roughly 15 days earlier than Maharashtra's date, and coinciding with Shani Jayanti.

This isn't just an amanta-versus-purnimanta naming quirk — the two regions genuinely observe the vrat on different tithis, roughly 15 days apart.

Good to know

A three-day vrat — in Maharashtra it begins on Trayodashi, with the main puja on Purnima.
North India's date differs — the same vrat falls there on Jyeshtha Amavasya (coinciding with Shani Jayanti), roughly 15 days earlier.
The pradakshina count varies by tradition — most commonly seven, sometimes 108.
The vaan gift's form follows local custom — mango and wheat are common, but it varies by region.

FAQ

When is Vat Purnima in 2026?: The main day is Monday, 29 June 2026 (Jyeshtha Purnima); the three-day vrat begins Saturday, 27 June.
Why is Vat Purnima celebrated?: Savitri won her husband Satyavan's life back from Yama; by tradition, this episode is linked to the banyan tree, so married women worship the banyan tree for their husband's long life.
What's the difference between Vat Purnima and Vat Savitri Vrat?: They're the same vrat, observed on different dates — Jyeshtha Purnima in Maharashtra (Vat Purnima), and Jyeshtha Amavasya in North India (Vat Savitri), roughly 15 days earlier.
How many times do you circle the banyan tree on Vat Purnima?: Most Marathi tradition holds seven pradakshina; some traditions mention 108 circuits.
How many days does the Vat Purnima vrat last?: In Maharashtra it's observed over three days — Trayodashi, Chaturdashi, and Purnima — with the main puja on Purnima.
What boons did Savitri ask Yama for?: In the original Mahabharata account, four boons — her father-in-law's eyesight, his kingdom, a hundred sons for her father, and a hundred sons of her own by Satyavan; the last boon forced Yama to restore Satyavan's life.
Who receives the vaan gift on Vat Purnima?: Married women present at the puja are given haldi-kumkum and a vaan gift (usually mango and wheat); the number and form vary by region.