What is Kharmās?

the two months when the Sun is in Sagittarius or Pisces, when many North Indian families avoid weddings and new beginnings.

Kharmās (also Malmās in some places) is the period when the Sun transits Dhanu (Sagittarius), roughly mid-December to mid-January, and Mīna (Pisces), roughly mid-March to mid-April. These are the signs of Jupiter (Guru), and the explanation given is that when the Sun sits in Jupiter's signs, the energy for worldly new beginnings such as weddings, gṛha-praveśa and mundan is considered weak.

The Dhanu Kharmās ends at Makara Saṅkrānti, which is one reason that festival is celebrated as a fresh, auspicious turn of the year. The custom is followed mainly in North and Central India; many South Indian calendars observe the Dhanu month as Mārgaḻi, a highly devotional month, and do not frame it the same way.

Kharmās is not an unlucky time to fear. It is a good season for Sūrya worship, Gītā reading, charity and pilgrimage. Use our muhūrta page to see when it begins and ends this year.

Source: common practice (North India) · Ends at Makara Saṅkrānti

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