Parashurama Jayanti 2027

About Parashurama Jayanti

Parashurama was born to the sage Jamadagni and Renuka, and is counted as the sixth avatar of Vishnu. He was named Rama, and came to be called Parashurama after the parashu, the axe, that he received from Shiva after long devotion. He is remembered as a Brahmin who was also a great warrior and a teacher of the art of arms, and he is believed to be chiranjeevi, one who lives on through the ages.

The stories about him speak of a time when kings who were meant to protect people had grown arrogant and harsh. Parashurama took up arms against such rulers, and once his task was done, he gave away the land he had won and withdrew to a life of penance. He also appears as a teacher in later stories, guiding great warriors in the use of weapons.

Parashurama has a special place on the western coast. A well-known story holds that he threw his axe into the sea and the waters drew back to reveal the land between the Sahyadri hills and the sea, the stretch from the Konkan to Kerala. Many people in Kerala and the Konkan remember him as the one who brought their land into being, and there are temples to him along this coast, including the well-known one near Chiplun in Maharashtra.

On the day, devotees keep a fast, worship Parashurama and Vishnu in the evening, and recite prayers and his names. Many Brahmin communities hold processions, gatherings and talks about his life, especially in North India and Maharashtra.

Parashurama is believed to have been born at pradosh, the evening twilight, so the day is the one on which Tritiya is present at pradosh. That is why Parashurama Jayanti sometimes falls a day before Akshaya Tritiya, and sometimes on the same day.