Karkaṭa, also referred to as Karka or Karkatha, is a month in the Indian solar calendar. It corresponds to the zodiacal sign of

Cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, and overlaps approximately with the later half of July and early half of August in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

. In Vedic texts, the Karka month is called Suchi (IAST: Śuchi), but in these ancient texts it has no zodiacal associations. The solar month of Karkata overlaps with its lunar month

Shraavana Śrāvaṇa ( sa, श्रावण) is the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Śrāvaṇa is the fifth month of the year, beginning on July 23 and ending on August 22. In the Tamil calendar, it is known ...

, in Hindu lunisolar calendars. The Shraavana marks the middle of the monsoon season on the Indian subcontinent, and is preceded by the solar month of

Mithuna Maithuna (Devanagari: मैथुन) is a Sanskrit term for sexual intercourse within Tantric sex, or alternatively to the specific lack of sexual fluids generated, while mithuna is a couple participating in such a ritual. It is the most impo ...

, and followed by the solar month of

Siṃha Siṃha is one of the twelve months in the Indian solar calendar. Simha corresponds to the zodiacal sign of Leo, and overlaps with about the second half of August and about the first half of September in the Gregorian calendar. In Vedic texts, t ...

. The Karkata month is called ''Adi'' in the Tamil Hindu calendar. The ancient and medieval era Sanskrit texts of India vary in their calculations about the duration of Karkata, just like they do with other months. For example, the ''Surya Siddhanta'' calculates the duration of Karkata to be 31 days, 11 hours, 24 minutes and 24 seconds. In contrast, the ''Arya Siddhanta'' calculates the duration of the Karkata month to be 31 days, 11 hours, 13 minutes and 36 seconds. The Indian solar month names are significant in epigraphical studies of South Asia. For example, ''Karkaṭa'' month, along with other solar months are found inscribed in medieval era temples. The ''Karkaṭa'' month (spelled as ''Karkataka'') is found inscribed in Chola Empire monument such as the Valisvara temple near Tamil Nadu–Andhra Pradesh border. Karka is also an astrological sign in Indian horoscope systems, corresponding to

Cancer (astrology) Cancer () ("crab" in Latin) is the fourth astrological sign in the zodiac, originating from the constellation of Cancer. It spans from 90° to 120° celestial longitude. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun transits this area between approxim ...

. Karkata is also the sixteenth month in the Darian calendar for the planet

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

, when the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

traverses the constellation Cancer as seen from Mars.

References

Hindu solar months {{Hinduism-stub