Bhishma Ashtami (Sanskrit: भीष्माष्टमी, romanized: Bhīṣmāṣṭamī) is a Hindu observance that commemorates the death anniversary of Bhishma, a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Bhishma is regarded to have chosen to die on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, during the propitious period known as the Uttarayana. Bhishma Ashtami is observed during the month of Magha in the Hindu calendar. It corresponds to the months of January–February.[1]