Agrahāyaṇa or Mārgaśīrṣa, ( Hindi: अगहन - agahana; मार्गशीर्ष - Mārgaśirṣa) is a month of the

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

. In India's national civil calendar, ''Agrahāyaṇa'' is the ninth month of the year, beginning on 16 December 2021 and ending on 13 January 2022. But In Hindu , Agrahayana or Margaseerisha will starts on November 22. Mārgaśīrṣa means: related to Mṛgaśiras - the

Nakṣatra Nakshatra ( sa, नक्षत्रम्, translit=Nakṣatram) is the term for lunar mansion in Hindu astrology and Indian Astronomy. A nakshatra is one of 27 (sometimes also 28) sectors along the ecliptic. Their names are related to a ...

( asterisms) known since Vedic times. In Tamil, Mārgasīrsa is also known as Margazhi. In lunar religious calendars, Agrahāyaṇa may begin on either the new moon or the full moon around the same time of year, and is usually the 9th month of the year. In solar religious calendars, Agrahāyaṇa/Maarkazhi begins with the Sun's entry into Scorpio, and is the 9th month of the year.

Festivals

Vaikuṇṭha Ekādaśī, the Ekādaśī (i.e. 11th lunar day) of this Mārgaśīṣa month, is celebrated also as ''Mokṣadā Ekādaśī''. The 10th Canto, 22nd Chapter of Bhāgavata Purāṇa, mentions young marriageable daughters ( gopis) of the cowherd men of Gokula, worshiping Goddess

Kātyāyanī ''Katyayani'' (कात्यायनी) is an aspect of Mahadevi and the slayer of the tyrannical demon Mahishasura. She is the sixth among the Navadurgas, the nine forms of Hindu goddess Durga who are worshipped during the festival of Nava ...

and taking a vrata, or vow, during the entire month of Mārgaśīṣa, the first month of the winter season (Śiśira), to get Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their husband. Bhairava Ashtami falls on Krishna paksha Ashtami of this month of Mārgaśīṣa. On this day it is said that Lord Śiva appeared on earth in the fierce manifestation (avatāra) as Śrī Kālabhairava. This day is commemorated with special prayers and rituals. In Odisha, all Thursdays in this month are celebrated as Manabasa Gurubara where in Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped by Hindu women. In Tamil Nadu during this month of "Margazhi" ladies make "kolams" or "rangoli" early in the morning. Devotees usually go to temples early in the morning and recite Thiruppavai by

Andal Andal ( ta, ஆண்டாள்), also known as Kothai, Nachiyar, and Godadevi, was the only female Alvar among the twelve Hindu poet-saints of South India. She was posthumously considered an avatar of the goddess Bhudevi. As with the Alv ...

and Thiruvempavai by

Manikkavacakar Manikkavacakar, or Maanikkavaasagar ''(Tamil: மாணிக்கவாசகர், "One whose words are like gems")'', was a 9th-century Tamil saint and poet who wrote ''Tiruvasakam'', a book of Shaiva hymns. Speculated to have been a minis ...

References

{{Indian astronomy *09

Festivals

See also

References