Paksha () refers to a
fortnight or a
lunar phase in a month of the
Hindu lunar calendar.
Literally meaning "side", a
paksha is the period either side of the ''
purnima'' (
full moon day). A
lunar month in the Hindu calendar has two fortnights, and begins with the ''
amavasya'' (
new moon). The lunar days are called ''
tithis;'' each month has 30 ''tithi''s, which may vary from 20 – 27 hours. A paksha has 15 ''tithi''s, which are calculated by a 12 degree motion of the moon. The first fortnight between the new moon day and the full moon day is called the Gaura Paksha or Shukla Paksha (), the period of the brightening moon (
waxing moon), and the second fortnight of the month is called the Vadhya Paksha or Krishna Paksha (), the period of the fading moon (
waning moon).
[Hindu calendar](_blank)
The
Neemuch calendar begin a new lunar month from first day of Krishna Paksha, while the
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
calendar begins a new lunar month from the first day of Shukla Paksha.
Days of Shukla Paksha and Krishna Paksha
Shukla Paksha
Shukla Paksha refers to the bright lunar fortnight or waxing moon in the
Hindu calendar. ''Shukla'' () is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
word for "white" or "bright". The Shukla Paksha is a period of 15 days, which begins after the ''amavasya'' (new moon) day and culminating on ''purnima'' (full moon) day and is considered auspicious.
Numerous festivals are held during this period, including the
Navaratri festivals, most importantly
Chaitra Navaratri and
Ashvin Navaratri.
Krishna Paksha
Krishna Paksha refers to the dark lunar fortnight or waning moon in the
Hindu calendar. ''Krishna'' () is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
word for "dark". Krishna Paksha is a period of 15 days, which begins after ''purnima'' day (full moon), culminating on the ''amavasya'' (new moon). ''Krishna Paksha'' is considered inauspicious,
as the moon loses light during this period.
Festivals during the Krishna Paksha are:
Other usages
In
Vedic astrology when a person does a
prasna (a question chart) and the planet Venus indicates the time period, the event referred to in the answer will happen in a pakṣa (''fortnight'') from the time the question was asked.
See also
*
Pitru Paksha
Pitri Paksha (, ), also spelt Pitru Paksha, is a 16-lunar day paksha, period in the Hindu calendar when Hindus Veneration of the dead, pay homage to their ancestors (Pitri), especially through food offerings. The period is also known as Pitarpas ...
References
*
K. V. Sarma (2008), "Paksa",
Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures (2nd edition) edited by
Helaine Selin, Springer, .
External links
Ahargana - The Astronomy of the Hindu Calendar: Maana, Krishna Pksha, Shukla Paksha and Chandra MasaExplains Krishna paksha and Shukla paksha by means of astronomical simulations created using
Stellarium.
Hindu Festivals Calendar 2010
Introduction to the Hindu Calendar (pdf)
{{Time measurement and standards
Hindu calendar
Phases of the Moon