Sheetala Ashtami

What it is

Sheetala Ashtami is a Hindu festival held in honour of Shitala, a goddess whose name is also written Sheetala. It lasts one day and comes round once a year. The eighth day of a lunar fortnight is called ashtami, and this festival takes its name from that day. Much of the observance turns on food: households cook in advance, offer what they have made to the goddess, and then eat it. The day arrives eight days after Holi, as summer begins.

The goddess and the heat

Shitala is worshipped when summer starts. On this day people ask her to keep away the illnesses that come with heat, smallpox named among them, and also to bring prosperity. Offerings are made to her, and that worship is the centre of the day. In some parts of India the festival carries a different name, Basora or Basoda. Both mean 'previous night', and both point to the food, which is made before the day itself.

Food cooked in advance

Food is the clearest custom of Sheetala Ashtami. Nothing fresh is cooked for the day; what is eaten was made one or two days earlier. That older food is set before the goddess as an offering and then shared. Sweetened rice, khadi, panchkuta and khichiya are the dishes the sources name as traditional for it. The rule about old food lasts only for the day itself. Once Sheetala Ashtami is over, food kept from before is not eaten again.

When it falls

Sheetala Ashtami follows Holi by eight days. In the Hindu calendar it lands on the ashtami, the eighth day, of Krishna Paksha, the waning half of the moon, in Chaitra, a month of that calendar. The sources also describe the day as the lunar cycle's third quarter, in Chaitra. Since Krishna Paksha runs towards the new moon, the day comes as the moon is thinning. It marks the opening of the summer season.

How Sheetala Ashtami is kept

Those who keep the day are Hindus, and the observance is a short one, lasting a single day. Food is prepared one or two days beforehand, so that on the day itself the household eats what was already made. That food is offered to the goddess Shitala, and worship is held in her honour. People ask her to keep heat-borne illnesses away and to bring prosperity. Once the day has passed, food left over from before is not eaten.

When and where

It falls on the eighth day, the ashtami, of the waning moon in Chaitra, a month of the Hindu calendar, which places it eight days after Holi. It lasts a single day each year, at the beginning of the summer season.

Sheetala Ashtami is kept in India by Hindus. In some parts of the country the day goes by the name Basora or Basoda instead. The sources do not tie it to any one city or region; they say only that these other names are used in some parts of India.

What Sheetala Ashtami means

For those who keep it, the day is a request for protection as the weather turns hot. Shitala is asked to keep heat-borne sickness away, smallpox named among them, and to bring prosperity. The food carries meaning as well: it is made before the day, and the name Basoda, 'previous night', points to that older meal. Offering that food joins the household's cooking to its prayer.

Questions people ask about Sheetala Ashtami

See also

Nazar battuA protective custom in South Asia using deliberate flaws or charms to deflect the evil eye.ThaipusamA Tamil Hindu festival honoring Murugan through devotional burdens and pilgrimageChhath PujaA four-day Hindu festival honouring the sun and Chhathi Maiya along riverbanksGanga DussehraA ten-day Hindu river festival celebrating the descent of the Ganges to earth

Good reading and sources

• Shitala Ashtami on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.