Question 1

What is Chaturmas and why does it begin in Ashadha?

Accepted Answer

Chaturmas is the four-month stretch from Devshayani Ekadashi in Ashadha to Devutthana Ekadashi in Kartika, covering the monsoon. Vishnu is held to sleep through it, so auspicious beginnings — weddings, sacred-thread ceremonies, house-warmings, new ventures — are deferred. The practical root is older than the theology: the rains made travel impossible, so ascetics stopped wandering and householders stayed put, turning the season into one of study, fasting and recitation rather than movement.

Question 2

Why is Guru Purnima kept in Ashadha?

Accepted Answer

It is the birth Tithi of Veda Vyasa, who compiled the Vedas and composed the Mahabharata and the Puranas — the archetypal teacher, which is why the day is also called Vyasa Purnima. It also falls at the start of Chaturmas, when ascetics settle in one place and formal teaching begins for the season, so the day that honours the teacher and the day the teaching year opens are the same.

Question 3

Are all auspicious activities banned during Ashadha?

Accepted Answer

No. What is set aside are the Sanskaras and fresh beginnings — weddings, Upanayana, Griha Pravesh, new business openings. Worship, fasting, recitation, pilgrimage, charity and the Rath Yatra itself continue and are in fact held to carry more merit in this season. Buying and using goods, medical treatment and study are not restricted at all.

Question 4

How long does the month of Ashadha last?

Accepted Answer

A lunar month runs about 29.5 days — the time the Moon takes to return to the same phase relative to the Sun. Because that figure is not a whole number of days and the Moon's speed varies, Ashadha does not begin at the same clock time each year, and its length can differ by several hours from one year to the next. The begin and end timestamps listed above are computed for your own location rather than quoted from a fixed table.

Question 5

Why do the Amanta and Purnimanta dates for Ashadha differ?

Accepted Answer

They are two different conventions for where a month starts. An Amanta month runs New Moon to New Moon and is the standard across South and West India — Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat. A Purnimanta month runs Full Moon to Full Moon and is standard across North India. The Purnimanta Ashadha therefore begins about a fortnight earlier and its dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) comes first, while in the Amanta reckoning the bright fortnight comes first. The two systems agree on which Tithi a given day is; they disagree only on which month to file it under. Use the toggle above to switch between them.

Question 6

Can Ashadha occur twice in one year?

Accepted Answer

Yes, though rarely. Twelve lunar months fall about eleven days short of a solar year, so roughly every 32 or 33 months an extra month — Adhika Maas, also called Mala Maas or Purushottama Maas — is inserted to keep the lunar calendar aligned with the seasons. The extra month takes the name of the month that follows it, so an Adhika Ashadha is followed by a Nija (true) Ashadha. Rites of passage such as weddings, sacred-thread ceremonies and house-warmings are traditionally deferred out of the Adhika month, while recitation, charity and pilgrimage are held to be especially meritorious in it.

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