https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Lunar_phase_%28Hinduism%29Lunar phase (Hinduism) - Revision history2026-11-03T14:58:14ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lunar_phase_(Hinduism)&diff=513775&oldid=prevJameshowlett179011: started first data from scratch2025-11-26T16:04:49Z<p>started first data from scratch</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Religious significance of lunar phases}}<br />
{{Use British English|date=October 2025}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}<br />
[[File:Jantar Mantar, Jaipur India.jpg|thumb|[[Jantar Mantar]], Jaipur, an early 18th century astronomical observatory]]<br />
In [[Hinduism]], each [[lunar phase]] has religious and astrological significance.<ref name="as" /> There are four ''principal'' (primary, or major) lunar phases: the [[new moon]], first quarter, [[full moon]], and last quarter (also known as third or final quarter), when the Moon's [[ecliptic longitude]] is at an angle to the Sun (as viewed from the center of the Earth) of 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° respectively.<ref>*{{cite book|editor-first=P. Kenneth |editor-last=Seidelmann|date=1992|title= Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac|publisher=University Science Books|location=Mill Valley|url=https://archive.org/details/131123ExplanatorySupplementAstronomicalAlmanac/page/n1/mode/1up |p=478}}</ref> Hindu astrology also considers significant the changes in the phase of the moon even during the course of each individual day.<br />
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==New moon==<br />
The first of these principal phases is [[Amavasya|Amāvásyā]] ({{Langx|sa|अमावस्या}}), the day of the [[new moon]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Amavasya: a gateway to spiritual renewal and new beginnings | website= [[Times of India]] |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/astrology/others/amavasya-a-gateway-to-spiritual-renewal-and-new-beginnings/articleshow/110076523.cms |date=13 May 2024}}</ref><br />
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==''Paksha'' fortnights==<br />
The second and fourth phases (the quarters) are less significant, marking only the midpoints of the [[Paksha]] ({{langx|sa|पक्ष|translit=pakṣa}}), the fourteen days on either side of the full moon. There are two pakshas: the first is the 'brightening' (''Shukla'') of the moon, as it changes from new to full; the second is the 'darkening' (''Krishna''), as it changes from full to new.<ref>{{cite web |title=Understanding Shukla Paksha and Krishna Paksha: Significance and Differences |website=mPanchang |url=https://www.mpanchang.com/articles/astrology/difference-between-shukla-paksha-and-krishna-paksha/ |date=20 December 2024}}</ref><br />
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The first day of a ''paksha'' is called a ''[[Pratipada]]'' ({{Langx|sa|प्रतिपदा|translit=Pratipadā}}) or ''Prathama'' ({{Langx|sa|प्रथमा|translit=Prathamā}}) and thus there are two of these days (the first and usually the fifteenth of the lunar month).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Verma |first=Manish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z4gzFFLdBoYC&dq=pratipada+first+lunar+day&pg=PA52-IA3 |title=Fasts and Festivals of India |date=2013 |publisher=Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. |isbn=978-81-7182-076-4 |pages=52 |language=en}}</ref><br />
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==Full moon==<br />
The third phase is [[Purnima|Pūrṇimā]] ({{Langx|sa|पूर्णिमा}}), the day of the [[full moon]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Vasanta Purnima | website=rudraksha-ratna.com |url=https://www.rudraksha-ratna.com/articles/vasanta-purnima?srsltid=AfmBOorcCT-etpx8FlT7SeOeLVu0AUxTx11abrWicg5Gy_ql29E2lL9D }}</ref><br />
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==Calendrical significance==<br />
In the ''pūrṇimānta māna'' [[Hindu calendar|Hindu lunisolar calendar]] used in most parts of the [[Indian subcontinent]], the lunar month starts on the day following the full moon and therefore Amāvásyā always falls in the middle of the month. However, in the ''[[Hindu calendar#Another kind of lunisolar calendar|amānta māna]]'' calendar used in some places, the lunar month starts on the day of the new moon, making Amāvásyā the last day of the lunar month in those places. Many festivals, the most famous being ''[[Diwali]]'' ({{lit|the festival of lights}}), are observed on Amāvásyā.<br />
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==''Tithi'': lunar phase change in a single day==<br />
[[File:Tithi.ogv|thumb|The astronomical basis of the Hindu lunar day]]<br />
In [[Vedic timekeeping]], a [[tithi]] is a "duration of two faces of moon that is observed from earth".<ref name="as">{{cite book |last1=Defouw|first1=Hart |last2=Svoboda|first2=Robert |title=Light on Life: An Introduction to the Astrology of India |url=https://archive.org/details/lightonlife00hart |url-access=registration |year=2003 |publisher=[[Lotus Press]] |isbn=0-940985-69-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/lightonlife00hart/page/186 186]}}</ref> Every day of a [[lunar month]] is called ''tithi''. This concept is significant in astrology as it maps to the moment of birth.<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==See also==<br />
* [[Hindu calendar]]<br />
** [[Astronomical basis of the Hindu calendar]]<br />
" {{annotated link|Jantar Mantar}}<br />
{{tithi}}<br />
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<!--Please don't remove this category until this article is sorted into the specific Hindu calendar category--><br />
[[Category:Hindu astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu calendar]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu astrology]]<br />
[[Category:Observances held on the full moon]]<br />
[[Category:Days of the Hindu calendar]]<br />
[[Category:Observances held on the new moon]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu festivals]]</div>Jameshowlett179011