Akshaya Tritiya, the "imperishable third", falls on the third day (tritiya) of the bright fortnight of Vaishakha (April-May) and is held to be one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu year, a day on which any good undertaking, gift or investment is believed to yield lasting, undiminishing fruit; the word akshaya means "that which never decreases". By tradition it needs no almanac to be reckoned an auspicious moment (muhurta), so weddings, journeys, the founding of businesses and major purchases are timed to it.
A dense cluster of tradition attaches to the day: it is said to be when the sage Vyasa began dictating the Mahabharata to Ganesha, when the Ganga descended to earth, and when Krishna gave the poor Sudama endless wealth, among other events. In modern practice, and heavily promoted by the jewellery trade, it has become a leading day for buying gold, on the belief that wealth acquired now will grow. In parts of the east it also opens the season, and in Jain tradition it commemorates the first Tirthankara Rishabha breaking his year-long fast, a reminder that the same date can carry quite different meanings across the Indian traditions.