2049
Tuesday, 4 May 2049
In 2049 the tithi runs from 7:21 am on 4 May to 9:00 am on 5 May. It covers part of the purvahna on two days: 296 of its 400 minutes on 4 May and 203 of its 401 minutes on 5 May. By the rule, the day on which it covers more of that period is taken†: Tuesday, 4 May 2049.
2050
Sunday, 24 April 2050
In 2050 the tithi runs from 12:14 pm on 23 Apr to 11:19 am on 24 Apr. It covers part of the purvahna on two days: 5 of its 392 minutes on 23 Apr and 332 of its 393 minutes on 24 Apr. By the rule, the day on which it covers more of that period is taken†: Sunday, 24 April 2050.
How the date is fixed
Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day of the bright half of the lunar month Vaishakha (Shukla Tritiya). The date is the day whose purvahna, the forenoon (sunrise to midday) the tithi covers completely. If it covers only part of it on two days, the day on which it covers more of that period is taken†. A day that has the tithi only from sunrise, for less than three muhurtas (2 hours 24 minutes), does not count†.
† Practice varies between schools; our faculty is reviewing these rules.
About
Akshaya Tritiya is the third tithi of the bright half of Vaishakha, in late April or May. Muhurta tradition counts it among the sade-teen muhurtas, days on which no separate muhurta need be sought, which is why weddings and new ventures cluster on it. The day is the one on which Tritiya holds the forenoon (purvahna, sunrise to midday). When Tritiya touches the forenoon on two days, the day with more of it is taken, except that a day which has Tritiya only from sunrise, for less than three muhurtas (2 hours 24 minutes), does not count; some almanacs keep that sunrise day all the same. When Tritiya is also joined with Rohini nakshatra the day is considered complete. It is also Parashurama Jayanti, the day the Badrinath shrine reopens, and the start of the Chandan Yatra at Puri.
How it is observed
Charity of water, grain and fans in the heat, worship of Vishnu and Lakshmi, and the buying of gold as a modern custom.