Akshaya Tritiya 2027: the day whose good does not fade
Akshaya Tritiya is the third day of the bright half of Vaishakh. "Akshaya" means that which does not diminish, and the day is counted among the few that are auspicious in themselves, needing no muhurat to begin something.
When it falls next
Akshaya Tritiya in each region
What Akshaya Tritiya is
The tradition holds that what is given or begun on this day keeps its good. It is remembered as the birthday of Parashurama, and as the day the Ganga came down to earth.
Because the day itself is auspicious, families choose it to begin things: a new business, a griha pravesh into a new home, a purchase of gold, or the first ploughing in farming villages.
It is also a day for giving: water, grain, clothes and food to those in need, at the start of the hot months.
How families keep it at home
The day begins with an early bath and the home and puja ghar cleaned. Vishnu and Lakshmi are worshipped, with tulsi leaves, flowers and a lamp.
Many families buy a little gold or silver, or a new utensil, and place it in the puja ghar first.
In Maharashtra the women of the house keep the haldi-kunku of Chaitra Gauri, which ends near this day, inviting other women home and offering them soaked gram and panha, the drink of raw mango.
Water is given in earthen pots, and many homes offer the first mangoes of the season.
How it differs by region
In Maharashtra it closes the season of Chaitra Gauri and is a favoured day for a griha pravesh.
In Odisha it is the day the building of Jagannath's chariots begins, and farmers begin the season's sowing.
Across the country it is a day jewellers and buyers wait for, and in Rajasthan, where it is Akha Teej, a favoured day for weddings.
How its date is set
Akshaya Tritiya is the tritiya of the bright half of Vaishakh, kept on the day the tritiya holds in the forenoon.
Because the day is auspicious in itself, it is used for beginnings without consulting a separate muhurat for the day.
Read our guide to a yantra for Akshaya Tritiya and the Lakshmi aarti, and see the Kuber and Vyapaar Vruddhi yantra cards.