Akshaya Tritiya: Why Hindus buy gold on this auspicious day?

Akshaya Tritiya is an auspicious occasion for Hindus to buy gold  as they believe that it will bring good luck.

The word Akshaya means something that never diminishes. This is the reason why people buy gold on this day, believing it will never diminish and help them prosper. Tritiya refers to the third day of the month of Vaishakh Shukla Paksha. According to the Hindu calendar, this day is one of the three most auspicious days in a year, along with Vijaya Dashmi and Ugadi.

Significance of the day

This day has been considered significant owing to the many mythological references associated with it. The day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Parashuram, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. The day of his birth also marked the beginning of Treta Yuga.

Also, some say that Goddess Ganga arrived on Earth from heaven on this day and people offer prayers to Goddess Annapoorna, the deity of food and nourishment.

It was on this day that the great sage Vyasa began narrating the epic of Mahabharata to Lord Ganesh.

On this auspicious day, Draupadi, wife of Pandavas was gifted with Akshaya Patra by the Sun god.

Akshaya Tritiya tithi begins from 11.51 am on 25 April and will end at 01.22 pm on 26 April.  The auspicious timing for purchasing gold on this day is between 6.13 am and 1.22 pm.

Although  the jewellery shops are closed amid lockdown, most of the jewellers have switched to online selling of gold.