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About Vat Savitri

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About Vat Savitri

Vat Savitri is a fast kept by married women for the long life of their husbands. In North India it falls on the new moon of Jyeshtha, in May or June; in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa it is kept as Vat Purnima on the full moon of Jyeshtha.

It remembers Savitri, who followed Yama, the god of death, when he came for her husband Satyavan, and through her wisdom and devotion won his life back. The story is set under a banyan (vat) tree.

Women fast, dress in bridal clothes, worship the banyan tree, tie raw cotton threads around its trunk while walking around it, and listen to the Savitri Satyavan story. The banyan, which lives for centuries, stands for long life and a deep-rooted family.

  • Jyeshtha Amavasya or Purnima
  • May or June
  • Prayer at the banyan tree
  • North India and Maharashtra

Where it began

Vat means the banyan tree. The tree lives for a very long time, and so it stands for long life and strength.

Legend says Princess Savitri married Satyavan, though she knew he would live only one year. When Yama came to take his life, she followed him and spoke so wisely that Yama gave Satyavan back.

The story is told in the Mahabharata, and women retell it under the banyan on this day.

A royal couple at prayer beneath a great tree, in an old court paintingMewar, Rajasthan

How it grew over time

  1. Ancient times

    The story of Savitri and Satyavan appears in the Mahabharata.

  2. Medieval period

    Women in many regions keep a fast in Jyeshtha and pray at banyan trees.

  3. Modern times

    Groups of women gather at old banyans in towns and cities to pray together.

  4. Today

    The day is kept across India, and many women also plant banyan trees.

How it is celebrated in different places

  • Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

    Women keep the fast on the new moon, offer fruit and wind thread around the banyan.

  • Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa

    Vat Purnima is kept on the full moon, about two weeks later, with prayers at the tree.

  • Odisha

    Savitri Brata is kept with a fast and the reading of the Savitri story.

  • Nepal

    Women in the Terai keep the fast and pray at banyan trees.

Vat Savitri moments

Savitri pleads with Yama for the life of SatyavanKolkata, West Bengal
Yama comes for Satyavan, and Savitri will not let him go
A banyan of about 400 years, a picture of long lifeBengaluru, Karnataka
A shrine sits in the shade of an old banyanGaya, Bihar
Temples among the roots of a banyan, in an old engraving

Vat Savitri today

Women wear bright clothes, carry plates of fruit, flowers and sweets to the banyan, and walk around it as they wind cotton thread. They listen to the Savitri story and end the fast later in the day.

How people celebrate Vat Savitri

  • Fasting through the day
  • Worship of the banyan tree
  • Tying threads around the trunk
  • Hearing the Savitri Satyavan katha
  • Offering fruit, soaked gram and sweets

How to wish well

  • Send wishes in the morning, before the banyan puja.
  • Wishes about lasting love and deep roots fit the day.
  • Check whether friends keep it on the amavasya or as Vat Purnima two weeks later.

Questions about Vat Savitri

When is Vat Savitri 2026?

In North India, Vat Savitri Vrat is on 16 May 2026. Vat Purnima in Maharashtra and Gujarat comes about two weeks later.

Why is the banyan tree worshipped on Vat Savitri?

Savitri won back Satyavan's life under a banyan tree, and the long-living banyan stands for a long married life.

What is the difference between Vat Savitri and Vat Purnima?

They are the same vow. North India keeps it on Jyeshtha amavasya, and western India on Jyeshtha purnima as Vat Purnima.

Who was Savitri?

A princess in the Mahabharata who, through wisdom and devotion, won her husband Satyavan's life back from Yama.

What do you say on Vat Savitri?

Say "Happy Vat Savitri" or "Sada suhagan raho". In Hindi, "Vat Savitri Vrat ki hardik shubhkamnayein".

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