Akshaya Tritiya 2026

Quick facts

• Also known asAkha Teej, Parashurama Jayanti
• WhereAll of India; an important day for Jains too
• Puja forVishnu, Lakshmi and Parashurama
• In one lineOne of the three and a half muhurtas: the best day of the year to start something, buy gold or give.

Akshaya Tritiya, in a little more detail

1. 01

   About the festival

   Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya is Akshaya Tritiya. Akshaya means never decreasing: what you begin or give today is believed to keep growing.

   So today you don't need to look for a muhurta: the whole day is auspicious. New work, a new business, moving house, and buying gold all happen today.

   But bigger than gold is giving. The one thing whose fruit never runs out is what you give to others: that's the real meaning of the day.

2. 02

   Sudama's handful of rice

   Krishna's childhood friend Sudama was very poor. Urged by his wife, he set out for Dwarka to see Krishna, with only a handful of poha, beaten rice, as a gift.

   Krishna, now a king, washed his feet, held him close and ate the poha with delight. Sudama asked for nothing.

   When he got home, a palace stood where his hut had been. A small gift given with your whole heart becomes akshaya: that is today's story. Tradition also holds that Parashurama was born today, that the Ganga came down to earth, and that Vyasa began telling the Mahabharata to Ganesha.

3. 03

   In Maharashtra and beyond

   Chaitra Gauri's haldi-kunku, begun on Chaitra Tritiya, ends today. Aambyachi dal, a raw mango and chana dal salad, and kairiche panhe, a raw mango drink, are the season's treats.

   A clay pot of water is given in the name of the ancestors: in the heat of summer, water for the thirsty is the greatest gift. In Khandesh, Akhaji is a festival for girls and married daughters visiting home.

   In Uttarakhand the doors of Yamunotri and Gangotri open today. For Jains, this is the day Rishabhanatha ended his year-long fast with sugarcane juice, so those keeping the varshitap break theirs with it.

How to do the puja

In short: A morning puja to Vishnu and Lakshmi, a water pot in the ancestors' name, a gift, and a good beginning.

1. 1After your bath, worship Vishnu and Lakshmi: sandalwood paste, flowers, tulsi, a lamp and incense.Many homes also worship Kubera and Parashurama.
2. 2Fill a clay pot with water, add vala (vetiver), and give it away.In the summer heat, water is the great gift. Give the pot to someone who needs it, or keep water outside for passers-by.
3. 3Remember your ancestors: worship their pictures, and offer water and food.The day is also kept to remember what we owe our ancestors.
4. 4Give what you can: rice, salt, ghee, sugar, tamarind, fruit, clothes or a fan.A small gift is fine: what is given from the heart becomes akshaya.
5. 5Offer puran poli, aamras, aambyachi dal and kairiche panhe as naivedya.Naivedya goes to God and the ancestors first, then to everyone.
6. 6Begin something good: new work, a new home, or a saving.The whole day is held auspicious, so there's no separate muhurta to look for.
7. 7Close Chaitra Gauri's haldi-kunku today, with aambyachi dal and panhe.Begun on Chaitra Tritiya, Chaitra Gauri's haldi-kunku ends today.

What you needTick as you go

• A picture of Vishnu and Lakshmi
• Flowers and tulsi
• Sandalwood paste, haldi and kunku
• A diya and ghee
• Incense
• A clay pot, water and vala
• Your ancestors' pictures
• Things to give: rice, ghee, sugar, fruit or a fan
• Puran poli and aamras
• Aambyachi dal and kairiche panhe
• An aarti plate

Frequently asked questions