Ashwin

Ashwin (Sanskrit: अश्विन्, Bengali: Ashshin) is the sixth month of the Bengali calendar as well as the Hindu Calendar. It overlaps September and October of the Gregorian calendar. It is the month just before the festival of lights Diwali. Ashwin also stands for the Hindu God of vision (named after the Hindu twin brothers the "Ashwins", considered to be the vision Gods, in Hindu mythology. It is the second month in Shôrot, (Sharad in Hindi, in the Indian National Calendar) or Autumn. Durga Puja and Kojagiri festivals, which are held as per the lunar calendar, usually fall in this month.

Both Ashwin and Asvin are very common Hindu Indian names. Ashwin also means light in the Hindi language, and is the first star that appears in the sky at night.

This is not to be confused with the old Anglo-Saxon surname Ashwin or Aescwine, meaning 'spear friend'.

Notable people named Ashwin

• Ashwin Sood - Musician, husband of Sarah MacLachlan
• Ashwin Navin - Entrepreneur, President of BitTorrent, Inc.
• Ashwin Madia - Indian-born American politician
• Ashwin Willemse - South African rugby player
• Ashwin Reddy - rugby union player for Cambridge University and India national rugby team
• Ashwin Iyer - carnatic musician from Toronto, Canada

The name Ashwin may have also found its root in the name Ashwini, after the star sign according to hindu astrology.