Akshay Tritiya 2021: Significance, theme, date and auspicious Puja timings

The celebration of Akshaya Tritiya every year primarily by the Hindu and Jain community is filled with enthusiasm and splendour. The day which is one of the most significant and auspicious days on the Hindu calendar is falling on May 14 this year. It is believed that tasks done on this auspicious day are blessed by divine powers and always prove beneficial. While the whole day of this festival is considered to be auspicious and apt for making important decisions, the time between 05:30 am and 12:18 pm is even more auspicious.

Being a hugely diverse and multicultural nation, different parts of the country celebrate the same festival by different names across the states. While in the state of Chhattisgarh, the festival is popular by its name Akti, in the western states of Rajasthan and Gujarat the festival is known as Akha Teej.

Significance and meaning of Akshay Tritiya
While the first part of the name Akshay means eternal and never ending, Tritiya owes its origin to the fact that the festival is celebrated on the third day of the Vaishakha during Shukla Paksha. The festival is associated with several beliefs with one being that the day is the beginning of the Treta Yuga (era). For some, the day is also significant as it is on the same day that the mightiest and holy river Ganga descended on Earth fulfilling the prayer of King Bhagiratha who wanted to help his forefathers attain salvation.

Lord Krishna is also associated with this festival as it is on the same day his dear childhood friend Sudama visited him at his Mathura palace. In return for the fist full of rice offered by his friend, Lord Krishna is believed to have parted a large part of his wealth to his poor friend. The day changed the fortunes of Sudama and his wife who instantly got immensely rich due to Lord Krishna’s blessings.

On account of the Sudama-Lord Krishna legend, people in Hindu and Jain communities also try their luck by investing their wealth in gold and other investments. Akin to the festival of Dhan Teras, this festival also observes huge crowds of people outside jewellery shops waiting to buy their share of gold. Many others buy cars, houses, property and other remarkable assets on this day to get blessings of Lord Krishna.