Vivah Panchami 2026 is on Monday, 14 December, on Margashirsha Shukla Panchami. It celebrates the wedding of Shri Ram and Mata Sita in Mithila, with grand festivities in Ayodhya and in Janakpur in Nepal, Sita's birthplace. In Vrindavan the same day is Bihar Panchami, the appearance day of Shri Banke Bihari. And the story most of us know comes partly from later retellings: in Valmiki's Ramayana there is no crowd of kings at a svayamvara, and no garden meeting before the wedding. Here is the wedding as Valmiki tells it.
The whole Ramayana, from Valmiki's own Sanskrit.
All seven kandas retold simply, 21 key shlokas with meaning, and "Valmiki says" notes on the details told differently today. In English, or in Telugu with shlokas in both Devanagari and Telugu script.
English edition · ₹249 తెలుగు edition · ₹299Vivah Panchami 2026 at a glance
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Date | Monday, 14 December 2026 |
| Tithi | Margashirsha (Agahan) Shukla Panchami |
| Celebrates | The wedding of Shri Ram and Mata Sita |
| Biggest celebrations | Ayodhya, Janakpur (Nepal), Sitamarhi and across Mithila |
| Also on this day | Bihar Panchami in Vrindavan |
The wedding as Valmiki tells it (Bala Kanda)
- Sita from the earth. King Janaka found Sita in a furrow while ploughing a field for a sacrifice, and raised her as his daughter. Her name means "furrow".
- Shiva's bow. Janaka's family had kept a great bow of Shiva for generations. He had declared that Sita would be given only to one whose strength could match it. Many kings had tried even to lift it and failed.
- Rama in Mithila. Rama and Lakshmana came to Mithila with the sage Vishvamitra, who asked Janaka to show the young prince the bow. It was brought in a huge iron chest.
- The bow breaks. Rama lifted it with ease, strung it, and drew it until it broke in the middle with a sound like thunder.
- Messengers to Ayodhya. Janaka sent word to King Dasharatha, who came with Vasishtha and the whole court. The two family lineages were recited, as at every Vedic wedding.
- Four weddings. Rama married Sita; Lakshmana married her sister Urmila; Bharata and Shatrughna married Mandavi and Shrutakirti, daughters of Janaka's brother Kushadhvaja.
- Parashurama on the road. On the way home to Ayodhya, the party met Parashurama, angered by the breaking of Shiva's bow. Rama strung Vishnu's bow too, and Parashurama recognised who he was.
At the wedding, Janaka places Sita's hand in Rama's with words still spoken at Hindu weddings today:
इयं सीता मम सुता सहधर्मचरी तव ।
प्रतीच्छ चैनां भद्रं ते पाणिं गृह्णीष्व पाणिना ॥
iyaṁ sītā mama sutā sahadharmacarī tava, pratīccha cainām bhadraṁ te pāṇiṁ gṛhṇīṣva pāṇinā
"This is Sita, my daughter, your partner in dharma. Accept her, bless you; take her hand in yours." (Bala Kanda, sarga 73)
What comes from later retellings
| Popular detail | Valmiki | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| A grand svayamvara with kings from everywhere | No. Rama is shown the bow privately at Janaka's request | Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas and later tellings |
| Rama and Sita first see each other in the flower garden | Not in Valmiki | Ramcharitmanas (Pushpa Vatika) |
| Parashurama storms into the wedding hall | No. He meets the party on the road home | Ramcharitmanas |
Both are loved and both are part of the tradition. Knowing which is which simply lets you enjoy each telling for what it is. Our Ramayana of Valmiki marks these differences throughout, from the Lakshmana Rekha (not in Valmiki) to Hanuman carrying the herb mountain twice.
How to celebrate Vivah Panchami at home
- Decorate the shrine of Ram and Sita with flowers, a small mandap of mango leaves, and red chunri for Mata Sita.
- Read the wedding from the Bala Kanda as a family, or the Sita-Ram vivah from the Ramcharitmanas.
- Offer haldi, kumkum, sweets and fruit, and sing a Ram-Sita bhajan or aarti.
- A note on weddings: in parts of Mithila and Bihar, families traditionally avoid fixing their own weddings on Vivah Panchami itself, because of the sorrows Sita later faced. Follow your family's custom.
If your family reads the Sundar Kand on Tuesdays, see our Sundarkand path vidhi.
Read the whole story this Vivah Panchami.
From the krauncha bird to Lava and Kusha, every event checked against Valmiki's Sanskrit, with maps of the exile, the people of the Ramayana and a glossary. A5 PDF, reads well on your phone.
Download the English edition · ₹249 తెలుగు edition · ₹299Frequently asked questions
When is Vivah Panchami in 2026?
Monday, 14 December 2026, on Margashirsha Shukla Panchami.
Did Rama win Sita at a svayamvara?
In Valmiki's Ramayana, Janaka had promised Sita to whoever could match Shiva's bow, but Rama is shown the bow at Janaka's court at Vishvamitra's request, not at a gathering of kings. The svayamvara scene comes from later retellings such as the Ramcharitmanas.
Who did Rama's brothers marry?
Lakshmana married Urmila, Sita's sister. Bharata and Shatrughna married Mandavi and Shrutakirti, the daughters of Janaka's brother Kushadhvaja.
Where is Vivah Panchami celebrated most?
In Ayodhya and in Janakpur, Nepal, and across the Mithila region of Bihar.