Vivah Panchami 2026 is on Monday, 14 December (Drik Panchang). The Panchami tithi runs from 4:49 PM on 13 December to 7:17 PM on 14 December (Drik: 4:47 PM to 7:15 PM), so Panchami holds at sunrise on 14 December. By tradition Shri Rama and Sita were married at Janakpur on Margashirsha (Aghan) Shukla Panchami; on this day Rama and Sita are worshipped, the wedding episode is read, and temples in Janakpur, Mithila and Ayodhya hold the wedding festival.
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At a glance
- Date
- Monday, 14 December 2026
- Tithi
- Margashirsha (Aghan) Shukla Panchami
- Panchami tithi
- 4:49 PM on 13 December to 7:17 PM on 14 December (Drik Panchang: 4:47 PM to 7:15 PM)
- Festival of
- the wedding of Shri Rama and Sita
- Place
- Janakpur (Mithila), the city of King Janaka
- Texts
- Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, sargas 66–73; Ramcharitmanas, Balkand, dohas 206–361
- The four brothers’ weddings
- Rama–Sita, Lakshmana–Urmila, Bharata–Mandavi, Shatrughna–Shrutakirti
- Main festivals
- Janakpur Dham (Nepal), Mithila, Ayodhya
Vivah Panchami 2026: 14 December
Drik Panchang gives Vivah Panchami 2026 on Monday 14 December. For New Delhi, Drik has the Panchami tithi from 4:47 PM on 13 December to 7:15 PM on 14 December (our calculation 4:49 PM to 7:17 PM, about 2 minutes later), so Panchami holds at sunrise on 14 December (Drik: 7:06 AM). Drik Panchang gives no separate puja muhurat for the day; the puja is done after the morning bath, and temples hold the wedding festival at their own hours.
Why this day is Vivah Panchami
By tradition Shri Rama and Sita were married at Janakpur on Margashirsha Shukla Panchami (Drik Panchang; Nepal Tourism Board). The texts give no tithi: the Valmiki Ramayana gives the nakshatra Uttara Phalguni for the wedding (Bala Kanda 71.24, 72.13), and the Ramcharitmanas gives the month, Aghan in the Hemanta season (Balkand, doha 312), and the hour, Godhuli. The Panchami comes from tradition.
The story of the wedding, in short
After the sacrifice was guarded, Vishvamitra took Rama and Lakshmana to King Janaka’s Mithila. Janaka told how Sita had come to him from the furrow (sita) as he ploughed the sacrificial ground, and how he had vowed that she would marry the one who could string Shiva’s bow. Rama lifted and strung the bow, and as he drew the string it broke. Envoys were sent to Ayodhya, King Dasharatha came with the wedding party, and the four brothers were married under one canopy: Rama to Sita, Lakshmana to Urmila, Bharata to Mandavi and Shatrughna to Shrutakirti. The full katha, as both Valmiki and Tulsidas tell it, is on the katha page.
Swayamvara or a bride won by valour
In the Valmiki Ramayana Sita is “viryashulka”, to be won by valour, and there is no assembly of kings that day: the kings had failed earlier. The Ramcharitmanas calls it “Siya swayambar”, where the bow breaks before an assembly of kings and Sita places the jaymala on Rama.
Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda 66–67; Ramcharitmanas, Balkand, dohas 240–264Parashurama
In the Manas Parashurama comes to the Janakpur assembly as soon as the bow breaks; in the Valmiki Ramayana he meets the wedding party on its way back to Ayodhya after the wedding.
Ramcharitmanas, Balkand, dohas 268–285; Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda 74–76The flower garden
The episode in Janaka’s garden, where Rama and Sita first see each other and Sita worships Gauri, is in the Ramcharitmanas only.
Ramcharitmanas, Balkand, dohas 226–237What is done on the day: custom
The customs below are tradition and the events held on the day; they vary by region.
Puja and reading
A bath and resolve in the morning, and puja of images or pictures of Shri Rama and Sita with incense, a lamp, flowers, fruit, naivedya and panchamrit; the episode of Sita’s swayamvara and the wedding is read from the Valmiki Ramayana or the Ramcharitmanas, and in the evening there are wedding tableaux, bhajan-kirtan and wedding songs.
Drik PanchangThe katha ends at the wedding
In many places the day’s katha or Manas reading is brought to a close at the wedding episode.
Webdunia; DNA Hindi (2022)Janakpur Dham (Nepal)
The Janaki Mandir and its Vivah Mandap are the heart of the festival; for about a week the wedding of Rama and Sita is celebrated with processions.
Nepal Tourism Board (ntb.gov.np); Drik PanchangThe wedding party from Ayodhya
Every year a barat of Rama goes from Ayodhya to Janakpur.
The Rising Nepal (28 November 2022); Amar Ujala (26 November 2024)How to perform the puja
- Step 1
Bath and resolve
After the morning bath make the resolve of the puja; many also fast (Drik Panchang).
- Step 2
Rama and Sita
Place images or pictures of Shri Rama and Sita together at the place of worship.
- Step 3
Puja
Offer incense, a lamp, flowers, fruit, naivedya and panchamrit.
- Step 4
Reading the wedding episode
Read or listen to the episode of Sita’s swayamvara and the wedding from the Valmiki Ramayana (Bala Kanda) or the Ramcharitmanas (Balkand).
- Step 5
Aarti and wedding songs
Sing a stuti such as “Shri Ramchandra Kripalu Bhaju Man” and do the aarti; in the evening families and temples sing wedding songs.
Verses
हिम रितु अगहनु मासु सुहावाSita: relations
See in the knowledge graphFamily
Source: Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, sarga 66, verses 13–14; Bala Kanda, sarga 71, verses 20–22; Ramcharitmanas, Bala Kand, doha 324, chaupais 1–2; Valmiki Ramayana; Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, sargas 117–118; Valmiki Ramayana, Uttara Kanda, sarga 66Deities, figures and sages 5
Frequently asked questions
When is Vivah Panchami 2026?
On Monday, 14 December, Margashirsha Shukla Panchami (Drik Panchang). The Panchami tithi runs from 4:49 PM on 13 December to 7:17 PM on 14 December.
On what day were Rama and Sita married?
By tradition on Margashirsha Shukla Panchami. The texts give no tithi: the Valmiki Ramayana gives the nakshatra Uttara Phalguni (Bala Kanda 71.24) and the Ramcharitmanas the month of Aghan (Balkand, doha 312).
Are weddings held on Vivah Panchami?
Beliefs differ. According to ETV Bharat (Darbhanga, 2020) and DNA Hindi (2022), many families in Mithila do not marry their daughters on this day, because Sita’s life after her wedding was full of hardship; this is a folk belief, not a rule of scripture. The Nepal Tourism Board calls the day auspicious for weddings. In our December 2026 vivah muhurat list (New Delhi), 14 December is not a wedding muhurat day; ask your own purohit.
Who else was married along with Rama and Sita?
All four brothers, under one canopy: Rama to Sita and Lakshmana to Urmila (both daughters of Janaka), and Bharata to Mandavi and Shatrughna to Shrutakirti (daughters of Janaka’s brother: Kushadhvaja in Valmiki, Kusaketu in the Manas).
What should one read on Vivah Panchami?
By custom, the episode of Sita’s swayamvara and the wedding from the Bala Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana or the Ramcharitmanas (Drik Panchang). At the end of its Balkand (doha 361) the Manas says that those who sing or hear the wedding of Sita and Rama with love always have joy.
Sources
- Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, sargas 31, 49–50, 66–77 (Sanskrit: valmikiramayan.net and Sanskrit Wikisource)
- Ramcharitmanas, Balkand, dohas 206–361 (Gita Press text; checked on mnsgranth.com and swargarohan.org)
- Drik Panchang: Vivah Panchami 2026 (New Delhi; tithi, significance and puja) and the panchang of 14 December 2026
- Nepal Tourism Board: Vivah Panchami (ntb.gov.np); Wikipedia: Vivaha Panchami
- The Rising Nepal (28 November 2022) and Amar Ujala (26 November 2024): the festival at Janakpur and the barat from Ayodhya
- ETV Bharat, Darbhanga (2020), DNA Hindi (2022) and Webdunia: the beliefs of Mithila
- Tithi, sunrise, sunset and moonrise: SanatanBodh panchang calculation (astronomy-engine, Lahiri ayanamsha), checked against Drik Panchang (New Delhi, 2026; read on 20 October 2026)
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