Akshaya Tritiya

Akshaya Tritiya is remembered through several Hindu traditions rather than one single universal legend. The word akshaya means “that which does not diminish”, and the day is therefore associated with acts whose merit is believed to endure. Puranic and epic traditions connect the tithi with events such as the appearance of Parashurama, the beginning of Vyasa’s narration of the Mahabharata to Ganesha, and Yudhishthira receiving the inexhaustible Akshaya Patra during the Pandavas’ exile. Different regions emphasize different stories, but the shared idea is abundance joined with dharma. Families worship Vishnu and Lakshmi, give food or water in charity, remember ancestors, begin studies or constructive work, and in many communities make new purchases or start ventures on this auspicious day.

Akshaya Tritiya is valued for devotion, family tradition and the spiritual or seasonal meaning attached to the day.

No muhurta is looked up, because the whole day is held to be one. Gold is bought, weddings are held, businesses are opened, and building is begun. Barley and water are given away. In Gujarat it is also called Akhatrij, and it is the day the Bhagavad Gita is begun by those who read it through once a year.

Jains keep it as the day Rishabhdev broke a year's fast with sugarcane juice, and it closes the varshi tap. Odisha begins the building of the Rath Yatra chariots and the year's first sowing. In the south it is Simha or Akshaya Tadiya and the gold buying is just as strong. Puri opens the Chandan Yatra.