Ashadha
/əˈʃɑːðə/noun
Ashadha is a traditional Hindu lunar month, usually falling around June–July, and the name of a lunar mansion or pair of lunar mansions.
Did you know?Ashadha is connected with the nakshatras Purva Ashadha and Uttara Ashadha, whose name is traditionally interpreted as “the invincible,” though the word’s deeper derivation remains uncertain.
Etymological Timeline
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Āṣāḍha
“Name associated with a lunar month and with the Ashadha nakshatra(s); the exact original derivation is uncertain.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Āṣāḍha
“The fourth month of the traditional Hindu lunar year in several calendrical systems, corresponding roughly to June–July.”
Medieval Sanskritic usage
Sanskrit
Āṣāḍha
“A calendrical month important in religious observances, seasonal rites, and monsoon-linked agricultural life.”
Medieval and Early Modern South Asia
Indo-Aryan
Āṣāṛh / Āsāḍh
“Regional forms used for the same lunar month in languages such as Hindi, Bengali, and related Indo-Aryan languages.”
Modern English
English
Ashadha
“An English transliteration used in scholarship and global writing for the Hindu lunar month and associated nakshatra name.”