Māsi Māgham 2253: Pomona, California, Drishya Ganit Panchang

Māsi Māgham

Māsi Māgham falls on the day Maghā nakṣatra rules sunrise during the Sun's transit through Kumbha rāśi: the Tamil month of Māsi. It is regarded as a day when celestial beings and the souls of ancestors are believed to descend into sacred waters (rivers, temple tanks, and the sea) making a ceremonial bath on this day especially meritorious.

Across Tamil Nadu, temple deities are taken in procession to the nearest river, tank, or seashore for a ritual dip. The festival is celebrated with particular grandeur at Mayilāpūr's Kapālīśvarar Temple (procession to the Bay of Bengal), Rāmeśvaram, and Kanyākumārī.

Once every twelve years, when Māsi Māgham coincides with Jupiter's transit through Siṃha rāśi, Kumbakōṇam hosts the Mahāmaham festival at the Mahāmaham tank: considered equivalent in merit to bathing at all of India's sacred rivers combined, drawing millions of pilgrims.

गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वति। नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् सन्निधिं कुरु।।

Gaṅge ca yamune caiva godāvari sarasvati, narmade sindhu kāveri jale'smin sannidhiṃ kuru.

"O Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Sarasvati, Narmada, Sindhu, and Kaveri: be present in these waters."

Traditional invocation recited before ritual bathing

Tradition & Practice

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Maghā at Sunrise

The determination centres on the day Maghā nakṣatra rules sunrise, prevailing for at least three muhūrtas, during the Sun's transit through Kumbha.

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Sun in Kumbha

The search is bounded to the Sun's transit through Kumbha rāśi, corresponding to the Tamil month of Māsi.

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Sacred Bathing

Deities and ancestors are believed to descend into rivers, tanks, and the sea on this day, making ritual bathing especially meritorious.

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Mayilāpūr, Rāmeśvaram, Kanyākumārī

Temple processions to the water's edge are celebrated across Tamil Nadu, notably at Mayilāpūr's Kapālīśvarar Temple, Rāmeśvaram, and Kanyākumārī.

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The Mahāmaham Cycle

Once every twelve years, Māsi Māgham coincides with Jupiter's transit through Siṃha, bringing the great Mahāmaham festival to Kumbakōṇam.

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