paksha

thumb|Phases of the Moon Paksha () refers to a fortnight period consisting of various lunar phases in a month of the Hindu lunar calendar. Literally meaning "side" in Sanskrit, it refers to the periods between amavasya (new moon) and purnima (full moon), and vice versa.

A lunar month in the Hindu calendar has two fortnights, with each fortnight subdivided into lunar days called tithis. A paksha consists of 15 such tithis, each of which correspond to a 12-degree angular motion of the Moon. The fortnight between amavasya and purnima is called as Shukla Paksha (bright side) or Gaura Paksha, which corresponds to the period of the waxing moon. The second fortnight is called Krishna Paksha (dark side) or Vadhya Paksha' and corresponds to the period of the waning moon. Amavasya corresponds to the period when the Moon is within 12 degrees of angular distance from the Sun before their conjunction.