Alexa Malayalam Calendar Skill

An Alexa skill that calculates and announces today's date in the Malayalam Kollavarsham calendar along with the corresponding Nakshatra (birth star), calculated in real-time according to Indian Standard Time (IST).

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Development Prerequisites & Tools

To build, test, and deploy this project, ensure you have the following tools installed on your environment:

1. Node.js & npm

• Node.js: Version 20.x or higher (Supports Node.js 24+).
• npm: Version 10.x or higher.
• Type Support: Uses native ES Modules ("type": "module" with .mjs files).

Verify your setup:

node -v
npm -v

2. PowerShell

• Required by the build and deployment scripts (./scripts/build.ps1 and ./scripts/deploy.ps1).
• Included by default on Windows 10 / 11.
• On macOS / Linux, install PowerShell Core (brew install --cask powershell).

3. AWS CLI (Optional — for Deployment)

• Required if you plan to deploy the compiled Lambda handler directly using the deploy script.
• Install from the Official AWS CLI Page.
• Configure credentials with sufficient IAM permissions before running deployment: aws configure

Getting Started

1. Installation

Clone the repository and install the development dependencies:

1. git clone <your-repository-url>
2. cd MalayalamCalendarAlexaSkill
3. npm install

Development & Testing

The project uses ask-sdk-test for end-to-end intent tests for Alexa request envelopes, and Mocha to provide isolated unit testing for core calendar math.

Run All Tests

• npm test

Run Specific Test Suites

• Unit test for date conversion & Kollavarsham calculations: npx mocha tests/calendar.spec.mjs
• Integration test for Alexa launch and intent handlers: npx mocha tests/index.spec.mjs

Build & Deployment

Build Deployment Package

Packages src/ and production node_modules into a zip bundle suitable for AWS Lambda upload:

• npm run build

Deploy to AWS Lambda

Executes the PowerShell deploy script to upload the latest artifact to your configured AWS Lambda function:

• npm run deploy

Info

Lunar Month

Amanta and Purnimanta are two systems of measuring lunar months.

• Amanta months begin after the new moon and end on the no moon day
• Purnimanta months start after the full moon and end on the full moon day

In Kerala, the Amanta system is followed.

• 1 Chingam (ചിങ്ങം), Aug – Sep, New Year, Onam Festival
• 2 Kanni (കന്നി), Sep – Oct, Mahanavami, Vijayadashami
• 3 Thulam (തുലാം), Oct – Nov, Monsoon retreat (Thulavarsham)
• 4 Vrischikam (വൃശ്ചികം), Nov – Dec, Sabarimala Season begins
• 5 Dhanu (ധനു), Dec – Jan, Thiruvathira Festival
• 6 Makaram (മകരം), Jan – Feb, Makaravilakku
• 7 Kumbham (കുംഭം), Feb – Mar, Maha Shivaratri
• 8 Meenam (മീനം), Mar – Apr, Temple Festivals (Pooram)
• 9 Medam (മേടം), Apr – May, Vishu (Harvest Festival)
• 10 Edavam (ഇടവം), May – Jun, Arrival of Monsoon
• 11 Mithunam (മിഥുനം), Jun – Jul, Heavy rains
• 12 Karkidakam (കർക്കടകം), Jul – Aug, Ramayana Masam, Ayurveda Season

Reference Calendar for Verification

https://www.drikpanchang.com/malayalam