Pradosh vrat: Shiva's twilight fast, twice a month

What Pradosh is, why it is kept at dusk, the differences between Som, Bhaum and Shani Pradosh, and a simple evening puja you can keep every fortnight.

6 min readReviewed 26 September 2026

Pradosh falls on Trayodashi, the thirteenth day of each half of the lunar month, so it comes twice a month. It is Shiva's day the way Ekadashi is Vishnu's. The fast is kept through the day and the puja is done at pradosh kaal, the time of dusk, when the tradition says Shiva dances on Kailash and every deity attends.

Pradosh is named for the weekday it falls on. Som Pradosh, on a Monday, and Shani Pradosh, on a Saturday, are kept with special care; Bhaum Pradosh falls on a Tuesday. Your panchang names each one as it comes.

When

Pradosh kaal is the window around sunset, roughly an hour and a half before and after it. The panchang gives the exact time for your city.
The fast runs from sunrise until the evening puja. The meal is taken after it.

What to keep ready

A Shivling, or a picture of ShivaNarmadeshwar Shivling →
Gangajal and a lotaKashi Gangajal, Sealed Copper Flask →
MilkA little, for the abhishek
Bel patra · 11 leavesShiwalay Dried Bel Patra →
White flowers
Chandan and bhasmaShiwalay Vibhuti →
A ghee diyaBrass Diya →
A bellBrass Ghanti with Nandi Handle →
A rudraksha mala5 Mukhi Rudraksha Japa Mala →

The day

Bathe in the morning and take the sankalp for the Pradosh vrat. Keep phalahar through the day, or one sattvic meal if your health asks for it. Many people bathe again before dusk, wear white or pale clothes, and prepare the altar before the sun sets.

The evening puja

1
Nandi first
At pradosh kaal, light the diya and ring the bell. Offer a flower to Nandi, or to a picture of him, before Shiva. On Pradosh, Nandi is honoured first.
2
Abhishek
Gangajal, then milk with water, then clean water, poured slowly while chanting Om Namah Shivaya.
3
Offer
Chandan, bhasma, bel leaves smooth side down, white flowers and akshat.
4
Katha and japa
Read the Pradosh vrat katha for the weekday, then 108 rounds of Om Namah Shivaya on the rudraksha mala.
5
Aarti and the meal
The aarti Om Jai Shiv Omkara, then the evening meal to close the fast.

Why dusk

The Puranas tell that when the gods and asuras churned the ocean, the poison halahala rose first, and Shiva drank it to protect the world, holding it in his throat. It was the thirteenth day, and at dusk he danced. Pradosh remembers that evening. It is also a fortnightly practice that fits a working life: a short fast, and a puja at the hour most people are coming home.

What usually goes wrong

Doing the puja at midday. The whole point of Pradosh is the twilight hour.
Skipping Nandi. On Pradosh he is honoured first.
Keeping the fast so strictly that the evening puja is rushed. A phalahar fast with a calm puja is the better vrat.

Quick answers

What is the difference between Pradosh and Shivratri?

Pradosh is Trayodashi, the thirteenth day, and its puja is at dusk. Masik Shivratri is Chaturdashi, the fourteenth night, kept through the night. Both come every fortnight or month, and both are Shiva's.

Why is Shani Pradosh considered special?

Pradosh falling on a Saturday is traditionally kept with extra care, and many people keep it as a vrat for both Shiva and Shani. Som Pradosh, on a Monday, is similarly valued because Monday is already Shiva's day.

How many Pradosh vrats should I keep?

Some keep every Pradosh; others take a vow of eleven or twenty-six consecutive ones and close it with an udyapan. Follow what your family does, or begin with the next one and see if you can keep it for a season.

Can I eat after sunset on Pradosh?

Yes. The meal is taken after the evening puja; that is the traditional close of the fast.

Written by the Shiwalay desk from the Puranic sources and living household practice. Customs differ by region and family; where yours differs, follow yours. Nothing here promises an outcome.

For this puja

Everything in the Shiva store, or start with these.