Chaitra Month Calendar (March-April) 2025

Chaitra month is the second month of the Hindu calendar and falls between March and April in the Gregorian calendar. The Chaitra month is observed to be auspicious for the people of Odisha. 

Rama Navami is a Hindu religious festival that marks the birth of Lord Rama on the 9th day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu month Chaitra. After the Sandhya Dhupa, the evening prayer ritual in Jagannath Temple, the representative idols of Lord Rama and Laxman are carried in a decorated palanquin to Jagannath Ballava Matha, which is deemed to be the heavenly garden.

Sahi Jata or Sahi Yatra in Puri originally starts from the Rama Navami. Traditionally, the seven sages usually organise the street performance by selecting people to act out various puranic characters in stories from the Ramayana, from the birth of Lord Rama to the killing of the demon king Ravana.

Chaitra Purnima is observed on the full moon day in the month of Chaitra. In Odisha, this day is also observed as the tribal festival of Chaitra Parva. During Chaitra Purnima, fishermen observe the day as auspicious and they make special pujas for the catch and fish safely on the seas. On the eve of Chaitra Purnima, certain parts of Odisha observe Chaiti Ghoda Nacha. Chaiti Ghoda Nacha is a folk dance from Odisha, and a unique dance and only adhered to by the people of the Kaibarta or Keuta (fishermen) community.

The term ‘Chaiti’ refers to the Chaitra month, ‘Ghoda’ translates to ‘horse’, and ‘Nacha’ means ‘dance’. The festival is performed for eight days to honour their community deity, Goddess Vasulei, the goddess who possesses the head of a horse. In Odisha, the month-long special puja dedicated to Goddess Mangala starts at Chaitra Purnima.