Adhika-māsa (Sanskrit:अधिकमास,romanized: Adhikamāsa), also called theAdhik-mas,Mala-māsa, and thePurushottama-māsa, is an intercalated month^[1] in theHindu calendar that is inserted to keep thelunar calendar aligned with the months of the year.^[2][3] The adhika-masa is an extra lunar month added to the solar calendar every three years^[4] so that the lunar and the solar years are synchronised, along with the agricultural cycle and seasons.^[5]

Adhika refers to theSanskrit word for additional or extra,^[6] whilemasa means month.^[7]

When theSun does not at all transit into a newrāshi (30° sidereal zodiac) but simply keeps moving within arāshi in alunar month (before anew moon), then that lunar month will be named according to the first upcoming transit. It will also take the epithetadhika or "extra". The transition of the Sun from onerāshi to the next is calledsankranti. For example, if a lunar month elapsed without asankranti and the next transit is into Mesha (Aries), then this month without transit is labelled Adhika Chaitra. The next month will be labeled according to its transit as usual and will get the epithetnija ("original") orshuddha ("clean"), in this case Nija Chaitra. The terms Pratham (first) Chaitra and Dvitiya (second) Chaitra may also be used.

Above description is for the amanta system. For the same example, in purnimanta system it would be first half of Chaitra, then Adhika Chaitra, then second half of Chaitra.

An extra month, or adhika-masa falls every 32.5 months on an average. The solar year is made up of 365 days and about 6 hours, and the lunar year is made up of 354 days. This causes a gap of 11 days, 1 hour, 31 minutes and 12 seconds between the lunar and the solar years. As this gap accumulates each year, it approximates in 2.7 years to one month. No adhika-masa falls during the months ofMargashirsha toMagha. An adhika-masa during the month ofKartika is extremely rare, but in the 250-year span (1901-2150 CE) it occurred once, in 1963 CE.

TheMoon takes about 27.3 days to make one complete orbit around the Earth. The Earth orbits around the Sun once every 365.2422 days (= Earth's orbital speed of 29.79 km per second). The Earth and the Moon in 29.53 days have moved as a system about 1/12 of the way around the Sun. This means that from one full moon to the next full moon, the Moon must travel 2.2 extra days before it appears again as a full moon, due to the curve of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. This creates a variance of 10.87 days a year between a lunar year and a solar year. To compensate for this difference, the additional month is added after every 32.5 months on average.

A month-longmela (fair) is celebrated inMachhegaun village inNepal during adhika-masa. It is general belief that one can wash away all his sins by taking a bath in the pond at Machhenarayan temple.

Specific festivals such asDussehra orDeepavali are not marked during this month. Regarded to be a holy month, many people perform theadhika masavrata. People engage in practices suchmala japas,pradakshinas, pilgrimages, scriptural reading, andparayanas.

During adhika-masa, people perform various types of religious rituals such as keeping fast, recitation of religious scriptures, mantras, prayers, performing various types ofpuja andhavan.Vratas (fasts) of various durations (full day, half day, weekly, fortnight, full month) are often undertaken. Thevratas may be of complete fasting with liquids only or without liquids, fasting with fruits only or keeping fast with vegetarian food, as the individual can tolerate. It is said that the persons performing good deeds (satkarma) in this month conquer their senses (indriyas) and they totally come out ofpunar janam (the cycle of rebirth).

This month is often regarded to be inauspicious (mala), where the performance of rites such asweddings do not take place. It also serves as a compensatory period for adherents who had previously neglected their religious duties.^[8]

In theBeed district ofMaharashtra, there is a small village called Purushottampuri, where there is a temple of Purushottam, a regional form ofKrishna. Every adhika-masa, there is a big fair and thousands of people come from various places to invoke the blessings of the deity.^[9]

• Hindu calendar
• Tithi
• Ekadashi
• Blue moon

• Hindu calendar
• Hindu astronomy
• Hindu astrology

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