How Many Zeros in a Mahashankh?
How many zeros in a mahashankh? A mahashankh has 19 zeros in the Indian numbering system: 1019 — equal to ten quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) in the international system. The prefix maha- means "great" in Sanskrit, making mahashankh literally a "great conch" — the shankh multiplied a hundredfold. Learn more about how many zeros in a padma.
A mahashankh has
19
zeros
- Written Form
- 1 followed by 19 zeros
- Scientific
- 10¹⁹
- Western
- 10,000,000,000,000,000,000
Mahashankh's Position Between Shankh and Ank
The direct answer: exactly 19 zeros. The traditional Indian extended scale adds two zeros at each step, so mahashankh has two more zeros than shankh (17) and two fewer than ank (21). Learn more about zeros in a lakh.
| Unit | Zeros | International equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Shankh | 17 | 100 quadrillion |
| Mahashankh | 19 | 10 quintillion |
| Ank | 21 | 1 sextillion |
Internationally, 1019 falls between quintillion (1018) and sextillion (1021), so mahashankh has no single equivalent English name.
What Is 100 Mahashankh?
One hundred mahashankh equals one ank (1021) — the same order of magnitude as a zettabyte of digital storage.
How the Extended Scale Developed
The extended Indian scale above crore was developed in classical Sanskrit mathematics to name quantities needed for astronomical and cosmological calculations — distances between celestial bodies and the lengths of cosmic time cycles.
- Arab (109) — 1 billion
- Kharab (1011) — 100 billion
- Neel (1013) — 10 trillion
- Padma (1015) — 1 quadrillion
- Shankh (1017) — 100 quadrillion
- Mahashankh (1019) — 10 quintillion
- Ank (1021) — 1 sextillion
Zeros in a Mahashankh: FAQ
What comes before a mahashankh?
Quick answer
Shankh comes right before a mahashankh — it takes 100 shankh to make one mahashankh.
What comes after a mahashankh?
Quick answer
Ank comes next — the final, largest unit in the classical Indian scale. Learn more about how many zeros does a crore have.
How many digits does a mahashankh have?
A mahashankh has 20 digits in total — that's the digit 1 followed by 19 zeros.
Is mahashankh the same as any international unit?
No single word matches it — mahashankh is 10 quintillion, or one-hundredth of a sextillion.
What does "maha-" mean?
"Maha-" is Sanskrit for "great" — mahashankh literally means "great conch," a hundredfold shankh.
How many mahashankh are in an ank?
Exactly 100 mahashankh make one ank.