Panchang
Adhik Maas
the extra lunar month
The next adhik maas is Adhik Chaitra, Thu 15 March 2029 to Sat 14 April 2029. A lunar month in which the Sun changes no sign is an extra month, adhik (also Purushottam or Mal maas).
The next adhik maas
New Delhi, IST; the panchang gives your city
| Adhik maas | Begins | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| Adhik Chaitra | Thu 15 March 2029 | Sat 14 April 2029 |
| Adhik Bhadrapada | Mon 18 August 2031 | Wed 17 September 2031 |
| Adhik Ashadha | Fri 16 June 2034 | Sat 15 July 2034 |
| Adhik Jyeshtha | Fri 15 May 2037 | Sat 13 June 2037 |
What Adhik Maas is
It comes about every 32½ months and keeps the lunar calendar in step with the seasons; it takes the name of the month that follows it.
What it is avoided or kept for
- Weddings and new samskaras
- Griha pravesh and new ventures
- Festivals move to the regular month that follows
It is kept as Purushottam maas, sacred to Vishnu: japa, the Bhagavata, daan and the two Ekadashis of the month (Padmini and Parama) are its practice.
Why tradition keeps it
Called mal maas, the unclean month, because it has no sankranti and no deity of its own, it was taken by Vishnu as Purushottam, his own name, in the Purana’s telling; which is why it is kept for devotion.
Source: The sankranti rule of the siddhanta texts, as the backend computes it (no sankranti in the lunation).
The panchang’s dated terms
Common questions
When is the next adhik maas?
As of today, the next adhik maas is Adhik Chaitra, Thu 15 March 2029 to Sat 14 April 2029.
Why does adhik maas happen?
Twelve lunar months are about eleven days shorter than the solar year; every 32½ months one lunation has no sankranti and is added.
Today’s panchang, for your city
Tithi, nakshatra, Rahu Kaal, Bhadra and panchak for where you are.
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