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How the Hindu calendar reconciles lunar months with the solar year
The 10.88-day gap accumulates each year – ~33 days in ~32.5 months, requiring an extra month to be inserted.
A lunar year has only 354 days (12 months of ~29.5 days), while the solar year has 365 days. This 11-day gap accumulates, and without correction, festivals would drift through seasons. Every ~2.7 years, an extra month (Adhika Masa) is inserted to realign the two calendars.
A lunar month in which no solar Sankranti (Sun entering a new sidereal sign) occurs is declared Adhika. If the Sun is in the same sign at both the starting and ending New Moon conjunctions, no transit happened within that month.
The Adhika month takes the name of the natural (Nija) month it precedes. For example, in 2029 the Sun stays in Pisces (Meena) across two consecutive New Moons – the Adhika month is called "Adhika Chaitra" because Chaitra is the natural month that follows.
Festivals are NOT observed during Adhika months – only during the Nija (regular) month. However, the Adhika month itself is considered sacred for extra spiritual practices like japa, daan, and Vishnu puja.
According to the Padma Purana, when Adhika Masa could not find a deity patron (since all 12 months already had one), it approached Lord Vishnu. Vishnu adopted it and gave it the name "Purushottam" (Supreme Being). Hence it is called both "Mal Maas" (impure month – because festivals are not observed) and "Purushottam Maas" (sacred month – because Vishnu worship is especially fruitful).
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In 19 solar years there are exactly 235 lunar months (19 × 12 = 228 + 7 Adhika = 235). This means exactly 7 Adhika months occur in 19 years. This is the Metonic cycle, discovered by the Greek astronomer Meton in 432 BCE – though Indian astronomical texts describe it even earlier. This is why Adhika Masa occurs approximately every 32.5 months (235/7 ≈ 33.6 months per Adhika).
| Year | Adhika Month | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Adhika Jyeshtha | May – Jun |
| 2027 | No Adhika | – |
| 2029 | Adhika Chaitra | Mar – Apr |
| 2031 | Adhika Shravana | Aug – Sep |