Akshaya Tritiya - Great muhurat to get married

According to the Hindu calendar, Akshaya Tritiya is a day as auspicious as any Hindu festival. It is considered to be an auspicious day for starting any new ventures or activities, such as tying the holy knot of matrimony. In urban cities, most of us usually associate this day to be auspicious for buying gold jewellery, with individual jewellers and major brands offering amazing discounts and deals. But, Akshay Tritiya holds a more important cultural and religious significance than that.

Importance of this day

Akshaya Tritiya, also known as Akha Teej, has great religious significance, not only for Hindus but also for the followers of Jainism and other religious sects in the country. Basically ‘Akshaya’ means ‘never ending’ and ‘Tritiya’ stands for the ‘third day'. It falls on the third day of bright lunar fortnight of the Hindu month of Vaishakh. It is said that holy rites, rituals and acts of charity performed on this day bring never-ending bliss, grace, and prosperity.

Religious and mythological significance

People start new ventures on Akshaya Tritiya because God of wealth Kubera was granted gift of perpetual wealth and prosperity on this day. That is why this day is so auspicious for getting married, or opening new businesses, or investing in property or buying gold, etc. It was also on this day that:

• Holy river of Ganges descended on Earth from heavens.
• Sage Parshuram, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, was born.
• The ‘Treta Yug’, the period of holy Ramayana, commenced.
• Ved Vyasa initiated the recital of the great Indian epic Mahabharata before Lord Ganesha.
• Sudama visited Dwarka to meet Lord Krishna and offered him rice as a gift. Therefore, vaishnavas (worshippers of Lord Vishnu) fast throughout the day and open their fasts with rice.

Significance for couples

According to a South Indian legend, Goddess Madhura got married to God Sundaresa (an incarnation of Shiva) on this day. Therefore, the couples who get married on this day are blessed with eternal prosperity and bliss, by the gods themselves. Akshaya Tritiya always sees an unprecedented rush in the number of marriages taking place in the country. There is an unmatched demand for bookings in the top tier cities of the country, and the wedding resource vendors have a field day with business pouring in from all the sides.

The auspiciousness of Akha Teej arises from the belief that on this day, sun and moon are in their most radiant phase and, astrologically at an exalted position. It is believed that even the couples with mis-matched horoscopes can get rid of all the negativity by getting married on Akshaya Tritiya. There are endless tales and legends that depict the divine virtues that are inherent in the day. In many states, mass community marriages are held under a single mandap, on the day of Akshaya Tritiya, to help the brides and grooms with limited financial means to have a decent wedding, with all the religious splendour.