Akshaya Tritiya

What is Akshaya Tritiya?
Akshaya Tritiya, also known as "Akha Teej", is traditionally the birthday of Lord Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The word "Akshaya" means the never diminishing in Sanskrit and the day is believed to bring good luck and success.

When is Akshaya Tritiya?

Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day of the bright half of Vaishakh month (April-May), when the Sun and Moon are in exaltation; they are simultaneously at their peak of brightness, which happens only once every year.This year it's on MAY 6th,2011

What we do?
People conduct special Pujas on this day, bathe in holy rivers, make a charity, offer barley in a sacred fire, and worship Lord Ganesha & Devi Lakshmi on this day.

Beliefs
It is believed that if you do charity on this day you will be blessed and It is also believed, any meaningful activity started on this day would be fruitful.
Buying gold is a popular activity on Akshaya Tritiya, as it is the ultimate symbol of wealth and prosperity.

Myths around Akshaya Tritiya
The day also marks the beginning of the "SatyaYug" or the Golden Age - the first of the four Yugas. In the Puranas, the holy Hindu scriptures, there is a story that says that on this day of Akshay Tritiya, Veda Vyasa along with Ganesha started writing the great epic Mahabharata. Ganga Devi or Mother Ganges also descended on earth on this day.
According to another legend, during the time of the Mahabhrata, when the Pandavas were in exile, Lord Krishna, on this day, presented them an 'Akshaya Patra,' a bowl which would never go empty and produce an unlimited supply of food on demand.