Some people consider the two eleventh days, "ekadashi", of every month to be of
special importance. But the eleventh day (bright) of Ashadh is known as the
great ekadashi or Mahaekadashi. It is a day of fast.
This is the day of the huge
"yatra" or pilgrimages to the god Vithoba of Pandharpur, a town in south
Maharashtra, situated on the banks of the Bhima River, a tributary of the
Krishna River.
This Mahaekadashi is also known as Shayani Ekadashi, because
on this day Vishnu falls asleep to wake up four months later on Prabodhini
Ekadashi in the Kartik month. This period is known as Chaturmas and coincides
with the rainy season.
