Ritu (Indian season) 1 Ritu (Indian season)
For other uses see Ritu (disambiguation). Ritu (Sanskrit: ऋतुः) means "season" in the Hindu calendar, and there are six ritus (also transliterated rutu) or Indian seasons. The word is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word Rtu, a fixed or appointed time, especially the proper time for sacrifice (yajna) or ritual in Vedic Religion; this in turn comes from the word Rta (ऋत), as used in Vedic Sanskrit literally means the "order or course of things".
Seasonal table The following table gives an overview about the partition of the year in the traditional Indian calendar. ( Duration of seasons is different in south India where monsoon start early in June)
No. Ritu Season Hindu lunar Gregorian Characteristics Seasonal festivals months month
1 Vasant Spring Chaitra and ~ March 20 Temperature around 20-30 degrees; marriage Ugadi, Gudhi Padwa, Rama वसन्तः Vaisakha to May 20 season Navami, Vishu/Bihu/Baisakhi/Tamil Puthandu, Hanuman Jayanti
2 Grishma Summer Jyeshta and ~ May 20 to Very hot, up to 40 degrees temperature (But now Vat Pournima, Rath Yatra, Guru ग्रीष्मः Aashaadha July 20 it is going up to 45-50 degrees in some part); Purnima farmers gear up for rice planting;
3 Varsha Monsoon Shraavana and ~ July 20 to Very hot, very humid and heavy monsoon rains, Raksha Bandhan, Krishna वर्षाः Bhadrapada September Janmaashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, 20 Onam, Gurujonar Tithi
4 Sharad Autumn Ashwin and ~ September Mild temperatures; Navaratri, Vijayadashami, शरत् Kartika 20 to Deepavali, Sharad Purnima, Bihu, November Kartik Poornima, 20
5 Hemant Winter Margashirsha ~ November Very pleasant temperatures (20-25 degrees); Pancha Ganapati (mid-Winter हेमन्त (Agrahayana) 20 to January farmers reap the rice; celebration), Bihu, Pongal, and Pausha 20 Sankranthi
6 Shishir Winter & Magh and ~ January 20 Quite cold, but very pleasant during occasional Vasant panchami, Shivaratri, Holi, शिशिर Fall Phalguna to March 20 sunshine; temperatures may go below 10 Shigmo, degrees.This season is typical to tropical and subtropical regions, because trees actually shed their leaves in this season in tropical areas. This is in contrast to temperate areas where fall starts as early as September.
The seasons are described in literature such as the Sanskrit poem Ṛtusaṃhāra. Ritu (Indian season) 2
Further reading • Feller, Danielle. The Seasons in Mahākāvya Literature, Eastern Book Linkers, Delhi, 1995, ISBN 68186339248 • Raghavan, V. Ṛtu in Sanskrit literature, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Delhi, 1972 • Renou, Louis. Sanskrit et culture, Payot, 1950 • Selby, Martha Ann (translator). The Circle of Six Seasons, Penguin, New Delhi, 2003, ISBN 0-14-100772-9
External links • Hindu Calendar showing Ritu [1]
References
[1] http:/ / www. prokerala. com/ general/ calendar/ Article Sources and Contributors 3 Article Sources and Contributors
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