Akshaya Tritiya 2027
8 May 2027

Akshaya Tritiya, Vaishakh Shukla Tritiya kept at madhyahna (midday), takes its name from akshaya, that which never diminishes. Tradition holds that merit earned by charity, worship or a good deed on this day does not wane, which is why it is counted among the most auspicious days of the whole year, needing no separate muhurat for a new beginning.

The Mahabharata tells of the Akshaya Patra, the inexhaustible vessel Surya gave Draupadi during the Pandavas’ exile, from which Yudhishthira could feed any number of guests without it ever running empty, and this day is remembered for that gift. It is also kept as Parashurama Jayanti, the birth of Vishnu’s sixth avatar, and by many Jain families as the day Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, broke a year-long fast, when it is called Akha Teej.

• Idol or picture of Vishnu-Lakshmi or Parashurama
• Roli, akshat and flowers
• Panchamrit
• A new coin or small utensil
• Grain or food for charity
• Water for tarpan, if kept

Source: The Akshaya Patra: Mahabharata, Vana Parva. Parashurama’s birth: Puranic tradition

During the Pandavas’ exile in the forest, Draupadi worried she could not feed the many sages and guests who came to them. Surya, the Sun god, gave her the Akshaya Patra, a vessel from which food would never run out until Draupadi herself had eaten; so long as she served others first, it filled again each time it was emptied.

Puranic tradition also holds this tithi as the birth of Parashurama to the sage Jamadagni and Renuka, Vishnu’s sixth avatar, born to rid the earth of an unjust warrior class of his time; he is remembered for his axe and his fierce devotion to dharma. Jain tradition, separately, holds that Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, broke a year-long fast on this day with sugarcane juice, which is why some Jain families also call it Akha Teej.

What to do

• Give something in charity before you buy anything, if you can; even a small daan first keeps the day’s older meaning ahead of its newer, shopping one.
• Start what you have been waiting to start, since tradition holds the day needs no separate muhurat for a new beginning.

What to avoid

• Avoid buying gold or anything else beyond your means; the custom is a token new purchase, not a price to meet.
• Avoid wasting food or grain today of all days, given what the day itself is kept for.

Akshaya Tritiya is kept as Parashurama Jayanti in most of the country, and as Akha Teej by many Jain families, marking Rishabhanatha’s fast-breaking. In Odisha, farmers mark the day as Akshaya Tritiya for sowing the year’s first paddy seed, and it also opens preparations for the Rath Yatra season at Puri.