What is Adhik Mas, Purushottam Mas, Extra Month in Hindu Calendar 2010

Adhik Mas or Purushottam Mas or Extra Month in Hindu Calenar.

Hindu calendar is based on Lunisolar system.

There are basically 12 months in Hindu Calendar. They are

There are twelve lunar month names:

1. Kartik
2. Margshirsha ( Agrahayana )
3. Paush
4. Magh
5. Phalgun ( Fagun )
   
6. Chaitra
7. Vaishaka
8. Jyaishtha ( Jeth )
9. Ashadha
   
10. Sharana
    
11. Bhadrapad (Bhaadra or Bhadarvo)
12. Ashwin (Asho)
    

When a new moon occurs before sunrise on a day, that day is said to be the first day of the lunar month. So it is evident that the end of the lunar month will coincide with a new moon. A lunar month has 29 or 30 days (according to the movement of the moon).

The tithi at sunrise of a day is the only label of the day. There is no running day number from the first day to the last day of the month.

Determining which name a lunar month takes is somewhat indirect. It is based on the rāshi into which the sun transits within a lunar month, i.e. before the new moon ending the month.

There are twelve rāshi names, there are twelve lunar month names. When the sun transits into Vrishabha, then the lunar month is Vaishākh. So on. When the sun transits into the Mesha rāshiChaitra.
in a lunar month, then the name of the lunar month is

The lunar months are split into two set of 15 days called paksha. The first is called shuklapaksha ( light half ) and the second paksha called the krishnapaksha ( dark half ). There are two different systems for making the lunar calendar:

• amavasyanta or mukhya mana system - a month begins with a new moon, mostly followed in the southern states
• purnimanta or gauna mana system - a month begins with a full moon, followed more in the North.

Adhik Mas, Purushottam Mas, Extra months

When the sun does not at all transit into any rāshi but simply keeps moving within a rāshi in a lunar month (i.e. before a new moon), then that lunar month will be named according to the first upcoming transit. It will also take the epithet of adhik or "extra". For example, if a lunar month elapsed without a solar transit and the next transit is into Mesha, then this month without transit is labeled adhik Chaitra. The next month will be labeled according to its transit as usual and will get the epithet nija ("original") or shuddha ("clean"). [Note that an adhik māsa (month) is the first of two whereas an adhika tithi is the second of two.]

Extra Month, or adhik mas māsa (mas = lunar month) falls every 32.5 months. It is also known as purushottam mas, so as to give it a devotional name. Thus 12 Hindu mas (māsa) is equal to approximate 356 days, while solar year have 365 or 366 (in leap year) which create differece of 9 to 10 days, which is offset every 3rd year. No adhik mas falls during Kartik to Magh.

Story Behind Adhik Mas or Purushottama Mas

As mentioned before, Adhik Mas is also know as Purushottam Mas. There is a nice store about the naming of Purushottam mas. According to lunar year there were only 12 months. Each of the month was assigned a god. Now the lunar and solar year do not get out of step with days and seasons the extra month (Adhik Mas) was added. But one problem stil remains. Each month was assigned a god but the 13th month was not assigned to any god. So Adhik Mas felt sad and approched to Load Vishnu and said that no god was assigned to him and because of that importance of Adhik mas will not be there. Adhik mas further spoke to Lord Vishnu "I am filled with anxiety and I have therefore come to seek your refuge and help.".

Lord Vishnu took pity on him and he himself agreed to be the god of the Adhik Mas. As because of this Adhik mas is also called as Purushottam Mas.

Adhik Maas as per North Indian calendars in 2010 is from March 30 to April 28. In Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, it is from April 15 to May 14.

Source : Wikipedia, Hindunet