The Extra Month

The Extra Month
Adhikamasa is defined as that lunar month which does not have any solar ingress during its period. It other words Adhikamasa occurs when the sun's stay in a sign or Rasi is more than the duration of that lunar month. The rule is that the lunar month bears the same name as the solar month in which the initial New month occurs. When a lunar month is completely covered by a solar month or in other words when there are two moments of New Moons one at the commencement and other at the end of any solar month, two lunar months originate in the same solar month and both these lunar months derive the same name as per the above rule. So the lunar month that begins from the first New moon, so occuring, is deemed as an extra month and termed as Adhikamasa or Malamasa. The lunar month begining from the second New moon is called the real or pure, otherwise Nija or Suddha. Both these months bear the same name of the solar month and the first gets the prefix of Adhika and the next, Suddha.

In the current Pramadi year, in the solar month of Vrishabha two New Moons occur, causing two lunar months in the solar month. So the first lunar month is taken as Adhika. The first is Adhika Jyeshta and the second is the Nija Jyeshta.

It can thus be seen that an inter-calary month comes after two to three years in the normal course. Such Adhikamasas generally occur in the period from Chaitra to Bhadrapada as these solar months have a longer duration than the lunar months. No religious festivals are observed in these Malamasas or Adhikamasas.