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How the Hindu calendar reconciles lunar months with the solar year
11-day gap per year accumulates to ~33 days every 3 years, requiring an extra month.
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.
| Year | Adhika Month | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Adhika Jyeshtha | May – Jun |
| 2027 | No Adhika | — |
| 2029 | Adhika Chaitra | Mar – Apr |
| 2031 | Adhika Shravana | Aug – Sep |