Factbox - Auspicious days to buy gold in 2014 in India

REUTERS - The following are some of the days considered auspicious according to the Hindu calendar for gold purchases in India:

March 31 - Gudi Padwa, Maharashtrian new year

April 9 - Pushyanakshatra, launching new ventures

May 2 - Akshaya Tritiya, Gold invokes prosperity

June 2 - Pushyanakshatra, launching new ventures

July 27 - Pushyanakshatra, launching new ventures

August 23 - Pushyanakshatra, launching new ventures

September 19 - Pushyanakshatra, launching new ventures

October 16 - Gurupushyamrit, launching new ventures

October 21 - Dhanetras, Gold invokes prosperity

October 23 - Laxmi Pujan, worshipping goddess of wealth

October 24 - Diwali

October 25 - Bhaubij Festival

November 13 - Gurupushyamrit, launching new ventures

December 10 - Pushyanakshatra, launching new ventures

 

The biggest gold buying festivals are Akshaya Tritiya and Dhanteras.

An inauspicious phase -- Shradh -- a period for paying homage to ancestors, is from September 9 to September 24.

The Hindu calendar has regional variations, but the above dates are broadly followed across the country in gold trade for planning inventories.

(Reporting by Siddesh Mayenkar in Mumbai)