Akshaya Tritiya
Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya, traditionally considered auspicious for new beginnings and charity.
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This festival's date rule is applied exactly as documented, but it has not yet passed the platform's Jyotish review (an automated review against the classical texts and published Panchangs). Regional Panchangs may differ; confirm with your family priest or local temple.
- CategoryFestival Major
- DeityBhagavan Vishnu
- Defining tithi / momentShukla Paksha Tritiya: to
- Lunar monthVaishakha Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta)
Timings on Saturday, 8 May 2027
- Purvahna to 0 h 51 min · 08/05/2027 (Sat)
Rule applied: Smarta — The tithi touches two days; the earlier day, where it is joined with the preceding tithi (purva-viddha), is preferred.
Why this date?
- The tithi touches two days; the earlier (purva-viddha) day is preferred — the tithi-pair (yugma) rule of Nirnaya Sindhu.
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.
Recipes, stories and temples
Temples that celebrate it specially
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 prevails at that time on two consecutive days, the day on which it covers more of that period is taken.
- When the tithi touches that period on two days, the earlier day, joined with the preceding tithi, is taken (the tithi-pair (yugma) rule of Nirnaya Sindhu).
- If the tithi does not touch that period on any day (a kshaya tithi), the Hindu day on which the tithi prevails longest is used.
- In a year with an Adhik month of the same name, it is observed in the regular (Nija) month.
Traditional variation
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; on two days the Dwitiya-viddha (earlier) day by the tithi-yugma rule (Nirnaya Sindhu; Garuda Purana 1.128.16-17). Rashtriya Panchang (India Meteorological Department): 10 May 2024, 30 Apr 2025; it prints 20 Apr 2026, the udaya-Tritiya day, where this rule gives 19 Apr at New Delhi.
Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention. Times are shown for the selected place, time zone and calculation profile.
Calculated with engine 1.4.2 · rules rules-2026-10-21-2ab12b5d · profile north-lahiri-calibrated v1 · ayanamsa lahiri_drik_compat · astronomy-engine@2.1.19 · Asia/Kolkata
Dates in 2026
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19/04/2026 (Sun)
Also kept on 20/04/2026 (Mon) (Govt list) Vaishakha Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta) |
Shukla Paksha Tritiya: to |
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Dates in 2027
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/05/2027 (Sat)
Next
Vaishakha Shukla Paksha (same name in Amanta and Purnimanta) |
Shukla Paksha Tritiya: to |
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