Swargavathil Ekadasi, the Ekadasi of heaven's door, is the bright-fortnight Ekadasi that falls in the Malayalam month of Dhanu. It is the same day the rest of the south calls Vaikuntha Ekadasi. On this day a particular door of the Vishnu temple is opened, and to pass through it is counted as passing through the gate of Vaikuntha. The fast is the strictest of the year.
The story
At the Padmanabhaswamy temple a door within the inner enclosure is decorated as the Swargavathil, and the head of the Travancore family, who by tradition rules only as the servant of Padmanabha, is among those who pass through it.
Kerala has another great Ekadasi of its own a month earlier: Guruvayur Ekadasi, in Vrischikam, when the temple stays open all night and an elephant race and a music festival are held.
How it is kept
- SwargavathilDevotees queue to pass through the door.
- The fastNo grain; many take nothing but water until Dwadasi morning.
- Night vigilWith the Vishnu Sahasranamam and the Narayaneeyam.
- Ponnum SheeveliAt Thiruvananthapuram the Lord is taken round in procession at night.
Why this date
Swargavathil Ekadasi is the Ekadasi of the bright fortnight that falls while the Sun is in Dhanu. Some calendar years have none and some two.
Swargavathil Ekadasi in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Friday | |
| 2026 | Sunday | |
| 2028 | Saturday | |
| 2029 | Sunday |
More Kerala festivals
8 NovemberDeepavaliദീപാവലി
15 January 2027Makaravilakkuമകരവിളക്ക്
21 OctoberVijayadashami and Vidyarambhamവിജയദശമി · വിദ്യാരംഭം
13 February 2027Ratha Saptamiരഥസപ്തമി
20 OctoberMahanavamiമഹാനവമി
6 March 2027Maha Shivaratriമഹാശിവരാത്രി
Where to see Swargavathil Ekadasi
In Kerala
- Padmanabhaswamy Temple, ThiruvananthapuramKeralaThe door of heaven is opened in the evening, and the temple is lit with lamps.
- Guruvayur TempleKeralaKerala's Ekadasi temple above all others.
- Thirunelli Temple, WayanadKeralaA Vishnu temple in the forest, called the Kashi of the south.
- Aranmula Parthasarathy TempleKeralaOne of the five Pandava temples on the Pampa.
Across India
- SrirangamTamil NaduThe Paramapada Vasal is opened in the middle of a twenty-one-day festival.
- TirumalaAndhra PradeshThe Vaikuntha Dwaram is opened for ten days.
- UdupiKarnatakaThe Krishna Matha keeps every Ekadasi as a total fast.