Magha (month)

Magha (Māgha) is the eleventh month of the Hindu lunar calendar and the Indian national calendar. The name of the month is derived from the position of the Moon near the Magha nakshatra (star) on the full moon day. The month marks the winter (Shishira) season and falls in January–February of the Gregorian calendar.

In the Hindu solar calendar, it corresponds to the month of Makara and begins with the Sun's entry into Capricorn. It corresponds to Magh, the tenth month in the Bengali calendar. In the Tamil calendar, it corresponds to the eleventh month of Masi, falling in the Gregorian months of February–March. In the Vaishnav calendar, it corresponds to the eleventh month of Madhava.

In the Hindu lunar calendar, each month has 29 or 30 days. The month begins on the next day after Amavasya (new moon) or Purnima (full moon) as per amanta and purnimanta systems respectively. A month consists of two cycles of 15 days each, Shukla Paksha (waning moon) and Krishna Paksha (waxing moon). Days in each cycle is labeled as a thithi, with each thithi repeating twice in a month.