Akshaya Tritiya
Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya, traditionally considered auspicious for new beginnings and charity; the day Tritiya prevails in the forenoon (Purvahna).
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- CategoryFestival Major
- DeityBhagavan Vishnu
- Defining tithi / momentShukla Paksha Tritiya: to
- Lunar monthVaishakha Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta)
Timings on Sunday, 9 May 2027
- Purvahna to 4 h 10 min · 09/05/2027 (Sun)
Rule applied: Smarta — The tithi covers the required time on this day only.
Questions about Akshaya Tritiya
When is Akshaya Tritiya 2027?
Akshaya Tritiya 2027 is on Sunday, 9 May 2027.
On which tithi is Akshaya Tritiya observed?
Akshaya Tritiya is observed on Shukla Paksha Tritiya of Vaishakha Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta).
What is the muhurat for Akshaya Tritiya 2027?
The timings for Akshaya Tritiya on Sunday, 9 May 2027: Purvahna 04:53–09:03.
Which deity is Akshaya Tritiya dedicated to?
Akshaya Tritiya is dedicated to Bhagavan Vishnu.
About Akshaya Tritiya
Significance
Akshaya Tritiya, the third day of the bright half of Vaishakha, takes its name from akshaya, undecaying: tradition holds that the merit of charity, worship and good deeds done on this day does not diminish. The Matsya Purana and the Bhavishya Purana praise the day, and it is counted among the yugadi tithis, as the day on which the Treta Yuga is said to have begun. Many traditions also keep it as the birth anniversary of Parashurama, the sixth avatara of Vishnu, though his Jayanti is sometimes dated a day apart.
For Jains the day, Akha Teej, recalls Rishabhadeva, the first Tirthankara, breaking a year-long fast with sugarcane juice offered by Prince Shreyansa, and many Jains complete the varshitap fast on it. In Maharashtra it is one of the three and a half wholly auspicious days (sade teen muhurta), with Gudi Padwa, Vijayadashami and half of Bali Pratipada, and in Rajasthan it is a traditional day for weddings.
How and where it is observed
Akshaya Tritiya is observed across India. The Himalayan temples of Gangotri and Yamunotri traditionally open for the season on this day; at Puri the Chandan Yatra of Jagannath begins and work on the Rath Yatra chariots is started; at Simhachalam the sandal paste is removed for the Chandanotsavam so that pilgrims see the deity’s true form. In recent decades the day has also become associated with buying gold and starting ventures; this is a popular modern custom, while the older texts lay their weight on gifts and worship.
Rituals
The texts emphasise gifts suited to the hot season: pots of water (udakumbha), fans, umbrellas, sandals, barley flour (sattu), grain and fruit are given, and Vishnu and Lakshmi are worshipped, often with barley and tulsi. Many take a holy bath, offer water to the ancestors, or begin new undertakings such as a housewarming, the first sowing or a child’s first lesson, in keeping with the belief that what begins on this day endures.
How the date is fixed
Akshaya Tritiya is Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya, the same month in both reckonings. The Tritiya must prevail in the Purvahna, taken here as the first half of the daytime, from sunrise to midday. If it touches the forenoon on one day only, that day is kept; if on two days, the earlier, Dwitiya-joined day is taken by the tithi-yugma rule of Nirnaya Sindhu, which pairs Tritiya with Dwitiya; if on neither, the day on which Tritiya prevails longest.
Sources
- Matsya Purana (Akshaya Tritiya)
- Nirnaya Sindhu, Vaishakha-masa (Akshaya Tritiya) and the tithi-yugma rule (quoting Garuda Purana 1.128.16-17)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Akshaya Tritiya
Customs differ between regions, communities and families; this description is background, not a prescription. The date above is calculated by the rule shown on this page.
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How the date is determined
- The date is Vaishakha Shukla Paksha Tritiya; the month name is the same in the Amanta and Purnimanta systems.
- It falls on the day when this tithi prevails during Purvahna — the first half of the daytime.
- If the tithi covers the whole of that period on both days, the first day is taken.
- If it covers parts of that period on both days that differ by less than 24 minutes, they count as equal and the first day is taken; the whole period on one day is preferred to a part on the other.
- If the tithi prevails at that time on two consecutive days, the day on which it covers more of that period is taken.
- If the tithi touches that period on neither day, the first of the two days it touches is taken.
- When the day chosen is not the day on which the tithi prevails at sunrise (udaya tithi), that day is also shown as the alternative.
- In a year with an Adhik month of the same name, it is observed in the regular (Nija) month.
Traditional variation
Akshaya Tritiya is kept on the day Tritiya prevails in the forenoon (Purvahna); when it covers the forenoon of two days to a clearly unequal extent, the day of greater coverage, otherwise (whole or equal parts on both) the Dwitiya-joined earlier day by the tithi-yugma rule. Udaya almanacs such as the Rashtriya Panchang (Government of India) print the day on which Tritiya prevails at sunrise, which can be the next day (20 April 2026, where this rule gives 19 April at New Delhi and 20 April at the almanac's central station); the udaya day is shown as the alternative when it differs.
This is the date given by the rule shown above for the selected place. It is not the only valid date: regional Panchangs, family customs and sampradayas may observe it on a different day.
Rule source: Purvahna-vyapini Tritiya (Nirnaya Sindhu, Pariccheda 2, Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya), decided by karmakala-vyapti first (Nirnaya Sindhu, Pariccheda 1): the whole Purvahna (forenoon) on one day and a part on the other → the complete day (26 Apr 2020 at New Delhi: Tritiya from 25 Apr 11:51 IST covers minutes of that forenoon and all of the next); clearly unequal parts (vaishamya) → the greater (20 Apr 2026 at the Rashtriya Panchang central station, 112 against 70 minutes). Whole on both days, equal parts (samya: within one ghati, 24 minutes) or neither → the Dwitiya-joined, earlier day by the tithi-yugma rule (Nirnaya Sindhu, Pariccheda 1; Garuda Purana 1.128.16-17): 19 Apr 2026 at New Delhi (parts within a ghati). Rashtriya Panchang (IMD): 10 May 2024, 30 Apr 2025, 20 Apr 2026 at its central station; it prints the udaya-Tritiya day, shown as the alternative when it differs. Until 2026-11-11 the yugma rule decided every two-day case (25 Apr 2020 against the whole forenoon of 26 Apr).
Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention. Times are shown for the selected place, time zone and calculation profile.
Calculated with profile north-lahiri-calibrated · ayanamsa Lahiri (calibrated) · Asia/Kolkata
Dates in 2026
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20/04/2026 (Mon)
Vaishakha Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta) |
Shukla Paksha Tritiya: to |
|
|
Dates in 2027
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/05/2027 (Sun)
Next
Vaishakha Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta) |
Shukla Paksha Tritiya: to |
|
Standard rule applied |