Grishma Ritu ग्रीष्म
The fierce heat before the rains - a season of water, endurance and vows.
- Season
- Summer
- Around
- mid-May to mid-July
The season
Grishma, summer, spans Jyeshtha and Ashadha (roughly mid-May to mid-July). Its observances turn on water, charity and endurance, and it closes as the monsoon arrives and Chaturmas begins.
Grishma is the height of summer, when the Sun blazes and the land waits for the monsoon. Rivers run low and the heat peaks, making shade, water and rest precious.
Ritucharya - the seasonal regimen
The summer regimen guards against the Sun's drying heat: cool, light, liquid and sweet foods, plenty of water and sherbet, rest in the cool of the day, and easing off salty, sour, pungent and heavy fare.
Festivals of Grishma
Nirjala Ekadashi (the waterless fast), Vat Savitri and Ganga Dussehra; and, as the rains near, Devshayani Ekadashi (the start of Chaturmas), the Jagannath Rath Yatra and Guru Purnima.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Grishma ritu?
Grishma, summer, spans Jyeshtha and Ashadha (roughly mid-May to mid-July). Its observances turn on water, charity and endurance, and it closes as the monsoon arrives and Chaturmas begins.
Which months are in the Grishma season?
Grishma spans the two lunar months of Jyeshtha and Ashadha, roughly mid-May to mid-July.
What festivals fall in Grishma?
Nirjala Ekadashi (the waterless fast), Vat Savitri and Ganga Dussehra; and, as the rains near, Devshayani Ekadashi (the start of Chaturmas), the Jagannath Rath Yatra and Guru Purnima.
What is the ritucharya (regimen) for Grishma?
The summer regimen guards against the Sun's drying heat: cool, light, liquid and sweet foods, plenty of water and sherbet, rest in the cool of the day, and easing off salty, sour, pungent and heavy fare.
Last updated 26 July 2026