| Chaitra | |
|---|---|
 Krishna with his beloved in the month of Chaitra, aJaipur miniature painting from theNational Museum, Warsaw | |
| Native name | चैत्र (Sanskrit) |
| Calendar | Hindu calendar |
| Month number | 1 |
| Number of days | 29 or 30 |
| Season | Vasanta (Spring) |
| Gregorian equivalent | March–April |
| Significant days | |
Chaitra (Sanskrit:चैत्र,romanized: Caitra) is the first month of theHindulunar calendar and theIndian national calendar.[1][2] The name of the month is derived from the position of theMoon near theChitranakshatra (star) on thefull moon day.[3] The month corresponds to spring (Vasanta)season and falls in March–April in theGregorian calendar.[4]
In the Hindusolar calendar, it corresponds to the last month ofMina and begins with theSun's entry intoPisces.[5][6] It corresponds toChoitro, the last month in theBengali calendar, and Chait, the last month in the Nepali calendar (Vikram Samvat).[5][7] In theTamil calendar, it corresponds to the third month ofChittirai, falling in the Gregorian months of April–May.[5][8]
In the Sindhilunisolar calendar, the first month is referred to as Chet and is marked by the celebration of theCheti Chand (birth ofJhulelal, an incarnation ofVishnu).[9] In theVaishnav calendar, it corresponds to the first month ofVisnu.[10][11]
In the Hindu lunar calendar, each month has 29 or 30 days. The month begins on the next day afterAmavasya (new moon) orPurnima (full moon) as peramanta andpurnimanta systems respectively. A month consists of two cycles of 15 days each,Shukla Paksha (waning moon) andKrishna Paksha (waxing moon). Days in each cycle is labeled as athithi, with each thithi repeating twice in a month.[12][13]
The first day of the month is celebrated as the Hindu New Year's Day, known asGudi Padwa in Gujarat andMaharashtra,[14][15]Puthandu in Tamil Nadu,[16]Vishu in Kerala,[17][18] andUgadi in Karnataka,Telangana, andAndhra Pradesh.[19] InWest Bengal, Basanti Puja, Annapurna Puja, Ram Navami, Neel Puja, and Chorok Puja are held consecutively before the beginning of Bengali New Year onPoila Baishakh.[20]
The month is also associated with the departure of spring.[21]Holi, the Hindu spring festival of colours, is celebrated on the full moon day (Purnima) ofPhalguna, the month before Chaitra, exactly six days after which theChaiti form of theChhath festival is observed.[22][23]Ram Navami, which commemorates the birth of the Hindu godRama, is celebrated onNavami (ninth lunar day)thithi of theShukla Paksha (waning moon) of the month.[24]Hanuman Jayanti, dedicated toHanuman, is observed on the Purnima day of the month.[25]
Chitra Pournami is observed on the full moon day (Pournami) of the Tamil month ofChithirai (April–May) and is dedicated toChitragupta, the divine accountant forYama.[26] People take a holy bath in rivers or temple tanks on this day to cleanse the sins of the past.[27] Other rituals include special pujas toIndra, offerings of rice, andKavadi Attam dedicated toMurugan.[28]
Inlunar calendar, Chaitra begins with thenew moon day and is the first month of the year. The first day of Chaitra is marked as theChaitra Navaratri, the lunar new year.[29][30]Navadurga (nine forms of the goddessDurga) starts from Chaitra ShuklaPratipada.[31]
According toJain texts,Mahavira was born on the thirteenth day of the bright half of the moon in the month of Chaitra in 599 BCE (Chaitra Sud 13).Jains celebrate Mahavir Janma Kalyanak commemorating the same.[32][33]
