Pausha ( sa, पौष ; hi, पूस ; ta, தை ), also called Paush, Poush, Pausa or Pushya, is the tenth
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 ...
, corresponding with December/January of 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 the
Indian national calendar
The Indian national calendar, sometimes called the Saka calendar, is a solar calendar that is used alongside the Gregorian calendar by ''The Gazette of India'', in news broadcasts by All India Radio, and in calendars and official communications i ...
, Pausha is also the tenth month of the year, beginning on 21 December and ending on 19 January.
In the Hindu
lunisolar calendar
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, combining lunar calendars and solar calendars. The date of Lunisolar calendars therefore indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year, that is the position of the Sun in the ...
, Pausha begins with either the full or new moon in December. Since the traditional Hindu calendar follows the
lunar cycle, Pausha's start and end dates vary from year to year, unlike the months of the Hindu
solar calendars. Pausha is a winter (
Hemant and
Shishir
In the Hindu calendar Shishir is the Ritu or season related to winters and cold. It is the month of Magha and Phalguna or mid January to mid March in the calendar year. It is also one among the many names of the Hindu God Lord Vishnu
...
Ritu) month.
The lunar month of Pausha overlaps with the solar month of
Dhanu.
Events
Pausa Bahula Amavasya day is celebrated as
Theppotsavam
Theppotsavam, or Theppothsava or float festival, is a Hindu religious festival carried out in Hindu temples in parts of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh during the month of ''Chitthirai'' or ''Aries''. As a part of this festiva ...
(float festival) at
Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamyvari Temple in
Simhachalam. The ''Utsava'' idols are taken in a
palanquin
The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...
to ''Varaha Pushkarini''.
See also
*
Astronomical basis of the Hindu calendar
The Hindu calendar is based on a geocentric model of the solar system.Burgess 1935, p. 285 (XII. 32) A geocentric model describes the solar system as seen by an observer on the surface of the earth.
The Hindu calendar defines nine measures o ...
*
Hindu units of measurement
Before the introduction of the Metric system, one may divide the history of Indian systems of measurement into three main periods: the pre-Akbar's period, the period of the Akbar system, and the British colonial period.
During pre-Akbar period, ...
*
Hindu astrology
*
Indian astronomy
Astronomy has long history in Indian subcontinent stretching from pre-historic to modern times. Some of the earliest roots of Indian astronomy can be dated to the period of Indus Valley civilisation or earlier. Astronomy later developed as a dis ...
References
*10
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