Adhika Purnima

Full moon days in Hindu calendar are known as Purnima in North Indian states, Pournami in South Indian states and Poonam in Gujarat. All Purnima days in Hindu calendar are significant as Purnima days either coincides with important festivals or Jayanti days in the calendar.

Apart from festivals and Jayanti days, many families traditionally observe a day long fast on Purnimasi days in the year. Full moon days are also very significant to perform Satya Narayana Puja.

Purushottam Maas or Adhik Maas is an extra month in the Hindu calendar that is inserted to keep the lunar and solar calendars aligned. "Purushottam" is an epithet of Vishnu, to whom the month is dedicated.

Purushottam Maas is considered inauspicious and no activities like weddings or moving into a new house are conducted. It is a time for prayer, fasting, charity, and self-improvement.

Since this is a special month which does not come every year, there are no specific festivals like Dasara or Diwali in this month. Rather this month is treated as special and holy month and many people perform the adhik maas vrata. People perform extra mala japas, pradakshinas, pilgrimages, scriptural reading and parayans.

During Purushottam Maas, people perform various types of religious rituals such as keeping fast, recitation of religious scriptures, mantras, prayers, performing various types of puja and havan. Vratas (fasts) of various durations (full day, half day, weekly, fortnight, full month) are often undertaken. The vratas may be of complete fasting with liquids only or without liquids, fasting with fruits only or keeping fast with vegetarian food, as the individual can tolerate. It is said that the persons performing good deeds (satkarma) in this month conquer their senses (indriyas) and they totally come out of punar janam (the cycle of rebirth).