Sharad (Sanskrit: शरद) in North India, variantly referred to as Sharat or Sharath or Sarath (with a strong "ta" sound) in South India, is the early autumn ritu, or season in the Hindu calendar. It roughly corresponds to the western months of mid-September to mid-November. Sharad is preceded by Varsha, followed by Hemant. The Hindu calendar contains six seasons (Vasant, Grishma, Varsha, Sharad, Hemant, Shishir) with two months each.
Sharad is characterised by clear skies, after 3 long months of rains. Sharad Poornima, the full moon day in the month of Ashwin, is celebrated as the day of divine Raslila by Shri Krishna. That is the brightest full moon night of the year.
Sharad is also a Hindu name given to boys after the Sharad Purnima or full moon night festival. The name Sharad is also used amongst Parsi diaspora in India and is found in parts of Iran as well.