Vat Savitri Vrat 2026वट सावित्री
Vat Savitri Vrat 2026 is on Saturday, May 16, 2026. The katha of Savitri and Yama, the banyan puja and parikrama, the nirjala vrat and how Vat Purnima differs.
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The story of Vat Savitri Vrat
Savitri chose Satyavan knowing what Narada had told her: that he had one year to live. She married him anyway, went with him into the forest, and on the appointed day followed him out to gather wood. When he lay down with a pain in his head and Yama came to take him, she followed the god of death itself down the road, and would not turn back. Yama offered her boons to be rid of her; she asked for her father-in-law’s sight, then his kingdom, then a hundred sons of her own. He granted them all, and only then did he understand what he had promised, for she could not have sons without the husband he was carrying away. He returned Satyavan, and she brought him back to life beneath the vat, the banyan tree.
Vat Savitri is kept in her memory, and the banyan is its centre: a tree that lives for centuries and drops down new roots from its own branches, so that it never quite dies. Married women circle it with a raw cotton thread, seven times or a hundred and eight, tying their prayer for their husband’s life into the same trunk Savitri stood beneath.
How Vat Savitri Vrat is celebrated
| The vrat | a day fast, nirjala where health allows, kept by married women for the long life of their husbands. |
| Vat puja | the banyan is bathed with water, offered roli, akshat, flowers and gud-chana, and a lamp is lit at its root. |
| Parikrama | raw cotton thread is wound around the trunk with each round, seven or a hundred and eight times. |
| Katha | the Savitri and Satyavan katha is read or told, and the fast is broken with mango, jackfruit and the offerings of the day. |
The North and Bihar keep Vat Savitri Amavasya in Jyeshtha; Maharashtra, Gujarat and the South keep Vat Purnima on the full moon of the same month, fifteen days later; and both honour the same Savitri under the same tree.
Frequently asked questions
When is Vat Savitri Vrat in 2026?
Vat Savitri Vrat is on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Maharashtra and Gujarat keep Vat Purnima on Jun 28.
What is the difference between Vat Savitri and Vat Purnima?
They are the same vrat on two different tithis of the same month. The North keeps it on the Jyeshtha Amavasya and the West and South on the Jyeshtha Purnima, fifteen days apart, following their own panchang tradition.
Why is the banyan tree worshipped?
Savitri brought Satyavan back to life beneath a banyan. The tree also lives for centuries and sends down new roots from its branches, so it stands for a life that renews itself, which is exactly what the vrat asks for.
Can the vrat be kept without a banyan nearby?
Yes. Where no banyan is near, a branch or a small potted vat is worshipped at home, or the puja is done before an image; the thread, the katha and the intention are what carry the vrat.
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Dates are verified against authoritative Panchang sources (Drik Panchang, New Delhi). Traditions vary by family and region; for muhurat and puja vidhi please also consult your family panditji.