How Many Zeros in a Mahashankh?
By Vinitha Published Updated
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. Questions about national budget figures in South Asia are answered in kharab zeros.
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). How many zeros in a lakh covers 10⁵ in scientific notation alongside 2-2-3 digit grouping.
| 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
Watch: How Many Zeros in a Mahashankh?
How many zeros in a mahashankh? A mahashankh has 19 zeros — 1 followed by 19 zeros. Watch this short video for the zero count, the written form and the notation at a glance.
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. How many zeros in a crore covers crore-to-million conversion alongside the Sanskrit word koti.
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.
About the Author
Designer and Developer · Palakkad, Kerala, India
Vinitha holds a bachelor's degree in Textile and Apparel Design from Avinashilingam University, plus a C-Tech certificate in Graphic Design from Image Creative Education. She builds free, no-clutter reference tools like How Many Zeros. Read her full bio.