Hindu calendar

A page from the Hindu calendar 1871-72.

Hindu calendar is a collective name for most of the luni-
sidereal calendars and sidereal calendars used in India
since ancient times. Since ancient times it has undergone
many changes in the process of regionalization and today
there are several regional Indian Hindu calendars. It has
also been standardized as Indian national calendar. Some
of the more prominent regional Hindu calendars include
the Nepali calendar, Assamese Calendar, Bengali cal-
endar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu cal-
endar, and Kannada calendar.
[1][2]
The common feature
of all regional Hindu calendars is that the names of the
twelve months are the same (because the names are based
in Sanskrit) though the spelling and pronunciation have
come to vary slightly fromregion to region over thousands
of years. The month which starts the year also varies from
region to region. The Buddhist calendar and the tradi-
tional lunisolar calendars of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,
Sri Lanka and Thailand are also based on an older version
of the Hindu calendar.
Most of the Hindu calendars are inherited from a system
rst enunciated in Vedga Jyotia's of Lagadha, a late
BC adjunct to the Veda-s, standardized in the Srya Sid-
dhnta (3rd century) and subsequently reformed by as-
tronomers such as ryabhaa (AD 499), Varhamihira
(6th century), and Bhskara II (12th century). Dier-
ences and regional variations abound in these computa-
tions, but the following is a general overview of Hindu
lunisolar calendar.
1 Day
In the Hindu calendar, the day starts with the sunrise. It
is allotted ve extquotedblproperties extquotedbl or ex-
tquotedbllimbs extquotedbl, called aga-s. They are:
1. the Tithi (one of 30 divisions of a synodic month)
active at sunrise
2. the Vsara (ancient nomeclature), vra (modern
nomeclature), like in ravi-vra, som-vra, etc. or
weekday
3. the Nakatra (one of 27 divisions of the celestial
ecliptic) in which the moon resides at sunrise
4. the Yoga (one of 27 divisions based on the ecliptic
longitude of the sun and moon) active at sunrise time
5. the Karaa (divisions based on tithis) active at sun-
rise.
1
2 1 DAY
Together 5 limbs or properties are labelled under as the
pacga-s (Sanskrit: paca = ve). An explanation of
the terms follows.
1.1 Vsara
Vsara refers to the weekdays and the names of the week
in many western cultures bear striking similarities with
the Vsara:
The term -vsara is often realized as vra or vaar in
Sanskrit-derived and inuenced languages. There are
many variations of the names in the regional languages,
mostly using alternate names of the celestial bodies in-
volved.
1.2 Nakatra
The ecliptic is divided into 27 Nakatra-s, which are
variously called lunar houses or asterisms. These reect
the moons cycle against the xed stars, 27 days and 7
hours, the fractional part being compensated by an inter-
calary 28th nakatra titled Abhijit. Nakatras compu-
tation appears to have been well known at the time of the
igveda (2nd1st millennium BC).
The ecliptic is divided into the nakatras eastwards start-
ing from a reference point which is traditionally a point
on the ecliptic directly opposite the star Spica called Citr
in Sanskrit. (Other slightly dierent denitions exist.)
It is called Medi - start of Aries extquotedbl; this is
when the equinox where the ecliptic meets the equa-
tor was in Aries (today it is in Pisces, 28 degrees be-
fore Aries starts). The dierence between Medi and
the present equinox is known as Ayana - denoting
by how much of a fraction of degrees & minutes the
ecliptic has progressed from its xed (sidereal) position.
Given the 25,800 year cycle for the precession of the
equinoxes, the equinox was directly opposite Spica in AD
285, around the date of the Srya Siddhnta.
[3][4]
The nakatra-s with their corresponding regions of sky
are given below, following Basham.
[5]
As always, there
are many versions with minor dierences. The names on
the right-hand column give roughly the correspondence of
the nakatra-s to modern names of stars. Note that naka-
tras are (in this context) not just single stars but are seg-
ments on the ecliptic characterised by one or more stars.
Hence there are more than one star mentioned for each
nakatra.
1.3 Yoga
The Sanskrit word Yoga means union, but in astronom-
ical calculations it is used in the sense of alignment.
First one computes the angular distance along the ecliptic
of each object, taking the ecliptic to start at Mea or Aries
(Medi, as dened above): this is called the longitude
of that object. The longitude of the sun and the longitude
of the moon are added, and normalized to a value rang-
ing between 0 to 360 (if greater than 360, one subtracts
360). This sum is divided into 27 parts. Each part will
now equal 800' (where ' is the symbol of the arcminute
which means 1/60 of a degree). These parts are called
the yogas. They are labeled:
Again, minor variations may exist. The yoga that is active
during sunrise of a day is the prevailing yoga for the day.
1.4 Karaa
A karaa is half of a tithi. To be precise, a karaas is
the time required for the angular distance between the sun
and the moon to increase in steps of 6 starting from 0.
(Compare with the denition of a tithi above.)
Since the tithis are 30 in number, and since 1 tithi = 2
karaa, therefore one would logically expect there to be
60 karaa-s. But there are only 11 such karaa which ll
up those slots to accommodate for those '30 tithi'-s. There
are actually 4 xed (sthira) karaa-s and 7 repeating
(cara) karaa.
The 4 xed karaa-s are:
1. akuni ()
2. Catupda ()
3. Nga ()
4. Kistughna()
The 7 repeating karaa-s are:
1. Vava or Bava ()
2. Valava or Blava ()
3. Kaulava ()
4. Taitila or Taitula ()
5. Gara or Garaja ()
6. Vaija ()
7. Vii (Bhadra) ()
Now the rst half of the 1st tithi (of ukla Paka) is
always Kitughna karaa. Hence this karaa' is
xed.
Next, the 7-repeating karaa-s repeat eight times
to cover the next 56 half-tithis. Thus these are the
repeating (cara) karaa-s.
The 3 remaining half-tithi-s take the remaining
xed karaa-s in order. Thus these are also
xed (sthira).
2.1 Month names 3
Thus one gets 60 karaa-s from those 11 preset
karaa-s.
The karaa-s at sunrise of a particular day shall be the
prevailing karaa-s for the whole day. Note. The day
changes at every sunrise i.e. from Sunrise 1 to Sunrise 2
- is 1 Vedic day.
2 Months of the lunisolar calendar
The astronomical basis of the Hindu lunar day. Also illustrates
Kshaya Tithi (Vaishaka-Krishna-Chaturdashi (i.e. 14th)) and
Adhika Tithi (Jyeshta- Shukla-Dashami(i.e. 10th))
When a new moon occurs before sunrise on a day, that
day is said to be the rst day of the lunar month. So it is
evident that the end of the lunar month will coincide with
a new moon. A lunar month has 29 or 30 days (according
to the movement of the moon).
The tithi at sunrise of a day is the only label of the day.
There is no running day number from the rst day to the
last day of the month. This has some unique results, as
explained below:
Sometimes two successive days have the same tithi. In
such a case, the latter is called an adhika tithi where ad-
hika means extra. Sometimes, one tithi may never touch
a sunrise, and hence no day will be labeled by that tithi.
It is then said to be a Tithi Kaya where Kaya means
extquotedblloss extquotedbl.
2.1 Month names
There are 12 months in Hindu lunar Calendar:
1. Chaitra [(Mna-Mea),(Pisces-Aries)]
2. Vaikha [(Mea-Vabha),(Aries-Taurus)]
3. Jyeha [(Vabha-Mithuna),(Taurus-Gemini)]
4. ha [(Mithuna-Kadaga),(Gemini-Cancer)]
5. rvaa [(Kadaga-Siha),(Cancer-Leo)]
6. Bhdrapada or Bhdra also Prohapada [(Siha-
Kany),(Leo-Virgo)]
7. vina [(Kany-Tul),(Virgo-Libra)]
8. Krtika [(Tul-Vcik a),(Libra-Scorpio)]
9. Agrahyaa or, Mrgara [(Vcik a-
Dhanur),(Scorpio-Sagitarius)]
10. Paua [(Dhanur-Makara),(Sagitarius-Capricorn)]
11. Mgha [(Makara-Kumbha),(Capricorn-Aquarius)]
12. Phlguna [(Kumbha-Mna),(Aquarius-Pisces)]
Determining, which name a lunar month takes is some-
what indirect. It is based on the rshi (Zodiac sign) into
which the sun transits within a lunar month, i.e. before
the new moon ending the month.
There are 12 ri names, there are twelve lunar month
names. When the sun transits into the Mea ri in a lunar
month, then the name of the lunar month is Chaitra which
has both Mna ri and Mea ri . When the sun transits
into Vabha ri, then the lunar month is Vaikha which
has both Mea ri and Vabha ri. So on.
If the transits of the Sun through various constellations
of the zodiac (Ri) are used, then we get Solar months,
which do not shift with reference to the Gregorian cal-
endar. The Solar months along with the corresponding
Hindu seasons and Gregorian months are:
The Sanskrit grammatical derivation of the lunar month
names Chaitra etc., is: the (lunar) month which has its
central full moon occurring at or near the Citr naka-
tra is called Chaitra. Another example is lets say when
Prim occurs in or near Vikha nakatra, this in turn
results to the initiation of the lunar month titled Vaikha
Msa.
[6]
Similarly, for the nakatra-s Vikha, Jyeh, (Prva)
h, ravaa, Bhdrapad, Avin (old name
Avayuj), Kttik, Mgairas, Puya, Megh and
(Prva/Uttara) Phalgu the names Vaikha etc. at
prim, the other Lunar names are derived subse-
quently.
The lunar months are split into two Pakas of 15 days.
The waxing paksha is called ukla Paka, light half, and
the waning paksha the Ka Paka, dark half. There are
two dierent systems for making the lunar calendar:
Amvsyanta or mukhya mana system a month be-
gins with a new moon and ends at new moon, mostly
followed in the southern states
Primnta or gauna mana system a month begins
with a full moon and ends at full moon, followed
more in the North.
p.s. Primnta is also known as uklnta Msa. And
this system is recommended by Varhamihira.
4 3 YEAR OF THE LUNISOLAR CALENDAR
The astronomical basis of the Hindu lunar months. Also illus-
trates Adhika Masa (Year 2-Bhadrapada) repeats twice; the rst
time the Sun moves entirely within Simha Rashi thus rendering it
an Ashika Masa
2.1.1 Extra months (Adhika Msa)
When the sun does not at all transit into any ri but sim-
ply keeps moving within a ri in a lunar month (i.e. be-
fore a new moon), then that lunar month will be named
according to the rst upcoming transit. It will also take
the epithet of adhika or extra. For example, if a lunar
month elapsed without a solar transit and the next tran-
sit is into Mea, then this month without transit is labeled
Adhika Chaitra Msa. The next month will be labeled
according to its transit as usual and will get the epithet
nija (original) or uddha (unmixed). In the animation
above, Year 2 illustrates this concept with Bhadrapada re-
peating twice; the rst time the Sun stays entirely within
Simha rashi thus resulting in an Adhika Bhakradapada.
Extra Month, or adhika msa (msa = lunar month in this
context) falls every 32.5 months. It is also known as pu-
ruottama msa, so as to give it a devotional name. Thus
12 Hindu mas (msa) is equal to approximate 356 days,
while solar year have 365 or 366 (in leap year) which cre-
ate dierence of 9 to 10 days, which is oset every 3rd
year. No adhika msa falls during Krtika to Mgh.
Amonth long fair is celebrated in Machhegaun during ad-
hika msa. It is general belief that one can wash away all
ones sins by taking a bath in the Machhenarayan's pond.
2.1.2 Lost months (Kaya Msa)
If the sun transits into two rshis within a lunar month,
then the month will have to be labeled by both transits and
will take the epithet kaya or loss. There is considered
to be a loss because in this case, there is only one month
labeled by both transits. If the sun had transited into only
one raashi in a lunar month as is usual, there would have
been two separate months labeled by the two transits in
question.
For example, if the sun transits into Mea and Vabha
in a lunar month, then it will be called Chaitra-Vaikha
kaya-msa. There will be no separate months labeled
Chaitra and Vaikha.
A Kaya-Msa occurs very rarely. Known gaps between
occurrence of Kaya-Msas are 19 and 141 years. The
last was in 1983. January 15 through February 12 were
Paua-Mgha kaya-msa. February 13 onwards was
(Adhika) Phlguna.
Special Case:
If there is no solar transit in one lunar month but there are
two transits in the next lunar month,
the rst month will be labelled by the rst transit of
the second month and take the epithet Adhika and
the next month will be labelled by both its transits as
is usual for a Kaya-Msa
This is a very very rare occurrence. The last was in 1315.
October 8 to November 5 were Krtika Adhika-Msa.
November 6 to December 5 were Krtika-Mrgara
Kaya-Msa. December 6 onwards was Paua.
2.2 Religious observances in case of extra
and lost months
Among normal months, adhika months, and kshaya
months, the earlier are considered better for reli-
gious purposes. That means, if a festival should fall
on the 10th tithi of the shvayuja month (this is called
Vijayadasham) and there are two vayuja (vina)'
months caused by the existence of an adhika vayuja,
the rst adhika month will not see the festival, and the
festival will be observed only in the second nija month.
However, if the second month is shvayuja kshaya then
the festival will be observed in the rst adhika month
itself.
When two months are rolled into one in the case of a
kshaya msa, the festivals of both months will also be
rolled into this Kaya Msa'. For example, the fes-
tival of Mahshivartri which is to be observed on
the fourteenth tithi of the Mgha Ka-Paka was,
in 1983, observed on the corresponding tithi of Paua-
Mgha Kaya Ka-Paka, since in that year, Paua
and Mgha were rolled into one, as mentioned above.
When two months are rolled into one in the case of a
Kaya Msa, the festivals of both months will also be
rolled into this kaya msa.
2.3 Vaiava calendar
Main article: Gaurabda
3 Year of the lunisolar calendar
The new year day is the rst day of the shukla paksha of
Chaitra. In the case of adhika or kshaya months relat-
5
ing to Chaitra, the aforementioned religious rules apply
giving rise to the following results:
If an adhika Chaitra is followed by a nija Chaitra,
the new year starts with the nija Chaitra.
If an adhika Chaitra is followed by a Chaitra-
Vaishkha kshaya, the new year starts with the ad-
hika Chaitra.
If a Chaitra-Vaikha Kaya occurs with no ad-
hika Chaitra before it, then it starts the new year.
If a Chaitra-Phlguna Kaya' occurs, it starts the
new year.
4 Another kind of lunisolar calen-
dar
There is another kind of lunisolar calendar which dif-
fers from the former in the way the months are named.
When a full moon (instead of new moon) occurs be-
fore sunrise on a day, that day is said to be the rst day
of the lunar month. In this case, the end of the lunar
month will coincide with a full moon. This is called the
primnta mna - full-moon-ending reckoning, as
against the amnta mna - new-moon-ending reckon-
ing used before.
This denition leads to a lot of complications:
The rst paka of the month will fall on Ka-
Paka whilst the second will be ukla-Paka in
Primnta system.
The new year is still on the rst day of the Chaitra
ukla-Paka. The subsequentPaka-s will, for ex-
ample, be -
Note:
1. Phlguna Msa is the last Lunar month, with the
last paka of the year in this primnta system
being Phlguna ukla-Paka.
The ukla Paka of a given month, say Chaitra,
comprises the same actual days in both systems,
as can be deduces from a careful analysis of the
rules. However, the Chaitra Ka-Paka-s de-
ned by the 2 systems will be on dierent days, since
the Chaitra Ka-Paka precedes the Chaitra
ukla-Paka in the prnimnta system but follows
it in the amnta system.
Though the regular months are dened by the full
moon, the adhika and kaya lunar months are still
dened by the new moon. That is, even if the prn-
imnta system is followed, adhika or kaya months
will start with the rst sunrise after the new moon,
and end with the new moon.
The adhika month will therefore get sandwiched
between the 2paka-s of the nija months. For ex-
ample, a rvaa Adhika Msa will be inserted as
follows:
1. nija rvaa Ka-Paka
2. adhika rvaa ukla-Paka
3. adhika rvaa Ka-Paka and
4. nija Shrvana ukla-Paka
after which Bhdrapada Ka-Paka will
follow subsequently as usual.
If there is an adhika Chaitra, then it will follow the
(nija) Chaitra Kra-Paka at the end of the year.
Only with the nija Chaitra ukla-Paka will the new
year start. The only exception is when it is followed
by a kaya, and that will be mentioned later.
The kaya month is more complicated. If in the
amnta system there is a Paua-Mgha Kaya
Msa, then in the prnimnta system there will be
the following paka-s:
1. Paua Ka-Paka
2. Paua-Maagha kshaya ukla-Paka
3. Mgha-Phlguna Kaya Ka-Paka and a
4. Phlguna ukla-Paka.
The special Kaya case where an adhika msa pre-
cedes a kshaya msa gets even more convoluted.
First, we should remember that the vina ukla-
Paka is the same in both the systems. After this
come the following Paka-s:
1. nija Krtika Ka-Paka
2. adhika Krtika ukla-Paka
3. adhika Krtika Ka-Paka
4. Krtika-Mgara Kaya ukla-Paka
5. Mgarsa-Paua Kaya Ka-Paka
6. Paua ukla-Paka
followed by the Mgha Ka-Paka etc., as
usual.
The considerations for the new year are:
1. If there is a Chaitra-Vaikha Kaya ukla-
Paka:
(a) if an adhika Chaitra' precedes it, then
the adhika Chaitra ukla-Paka starts the
new year
(b) if not, the Kaya ukla-Paka starts the
new year
2. If there is a Phlguna-Chaitra Kaya ukla-
Paka then it starts the new year
6 9 HISTORY
However, none of these above complications cause a
change in the day of religious observances. Since only the
name of the Ka-Paka-s of the months will change in
the two systems, festivals which fall on the Ka-Paka
will be dened by the appropriate changed name. That
is, the Mahivartri, dened in the amnta mna to be
observed on the fourteenth of the Mgha krishna pak-
sha will now (in the prnimnta mna) be dened by the
Phlguna krishna paksha.
5 Correspondence of the lunisolar
calendar to the solar calendar
A lunisolar calendar is always a calendar based on the
moons celestial motion, which in a way keeps itself close
to a solar calendar based on the suns (apparent) celestial
motion. That is, the lunisolar calendars new year is to
kept always close (within certain limits) to a solar calen-
dars new year.
Since the Hindu lunar month names are based on solar
transits, and the month of Chaitra will, as dened above,
always be close to the solar month of Mea (Aries), the
Hindu lunisolar calendar will always keep in track with
the Hindu solar calendar.
The Hindu solar calendar by contrast starts on April 14
15 each year. This signies the suns entry into Me-
sha rashi and is celebrated as the New Year in Assam,
Bengal, Odisha, Manipur, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu
and Tripura. The rst month of the year is called
Chitterai () extquotedbl in Tamil, Medam
in Malayalam and Bohag in Assamese, Baisakh in Ben-
gali/Punjabi and Nepali. This solar newyear is celebrated
on the same day in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal
and Thailand.
6 Year numbering
The epoch (starting point or rst day of the zeroth year)
of the current era of Hindu calendar (both solar and lu-
nisolar) is February 18, 3102 BC in the proleptic Julian
calendar or January 23, 3102 BC in the proleptic Grego-
rian calendar. According to the Pura-s this was the mo-
ment when r Ka returned to his eternal abode.
[7][8]
Both the solar and lunisolar calendars started on this date.
After that, each year is labeled by the number of years
elapsed since the epoch.
This is an unusual feature of the Hindu calendar. Most
systems use the current ordinal number of the year as the
year label. But just as a persons true age is measured by
the number of years that have elapsed starting from the
date of the persons birth, the Hindu calendar measures
the number of years elapsed. As of August 31, 2014,
5116 years have elapsed in the Hindu calendar. However,
the lunisolar calendar year usually starts earlier than the
solar calendar year, so the exact year will not begin on the
same day every year.
7 Year names
Apart from the numbering system outlined above, there
is also a cycle of 60 calendar year names, called
Samvatsaras, which started at the rst year (at elapsed
years zero) and runs continuously:
This system contains the concept of leap year also.Every
4th year will have 366 days and the others only 365.The
starting point is Meshadi or Mesha Sankranti, ( 1st of the
month Mea or the Hindu solar new year).It is also cal-
culated a day by day mode.beginning from 1 presently it
runs 1864000+.... days.This means these much days have
passed in the present Kaliyuga (1/10 of Catur-Yuga's to-
tal)
8 Eras
Hinduism follows Hindu units of time containing four
eras (or yuga, meaning age). The four yugas are:
1. Kta Yuga or Satya Yuga
2. Treta Yuga
3. Dwapar Yuga
4. Kali Yuga
They are often translated into English as the Golden, Sil-
ver, Bronze and Iron Ages, respectively. The ages follow
a gradual decline of dharma, wisdom, knowledge, intel-
lectual capability, life span and emotional and physical
strength. The Kali Yuga began approximately ve thou-
sand years ago, and it has a duration of 432,000 years
years long. The Dvpara, Tret, and Kta Yugas are two,
three, and four times the length of the Kali Yuga, respec-
tively. Thus, the ages together constitute a 1,200,000 year
periodhalf the time required for the Sun to orbit the
Galactic Sun which resides at the centre of the universe.
A thousand and a thousand (i.e. two thousand) Catur-
Yugas are said to be one day and night of the creator
Brahm. Brahm lives for 100 years of 360 days and at
the end, he is said to dissolve, along with his entire Cre-
ation, into the Eternal Soul or Paramtman.
9 History
The Hindu Calendar descends from the Vedic times.
There are many references to calendrics in the Vedas.
10.2 Samvat calendars 7
The (6) Vedga-s (auto Veda) called Jyotia (liter-
ally, celestial body study) prescribed all the aspects
of the Hindu calendars. After the Vedic period, there
were many scholars such as ryabhaa (5th century),
Varhamihira (6th century) and Bhskara (12th century)
who were experts scholars in Jyotia and contributed to
the development of the Hindu Calendar.
The most widely used authoritative text for the Hindu
Calendars is the extquotedblSrya Siddhnta extquot-
edbl, a text of uncertain age, though some place it at 10th
century.
The traditional Vedic calendar used to start with the
month of agrahayan (agra=rst + ayan = travel of the sun,
equinox) or Mrgaa. This is the month where the Sun
crosses the equator, i.e. the vernal equinox. This month
was called mrgashirsha after the fth nakshatra (around
lambda orionis). Due to the precession of the Earths
axis, the vernal equinox is nowin Pisces, and corresponds
to the month of chaitra. This shift over the years is what
has led to various calendar reforms in dierent regions
to assert dierent months as the start month for the year.
Thus, some calendars (e.g. Vikram) start with Chaitra,
which is the present-day month of the vernal equinox, as
the rst month. Others may start with Vaikha (e.g.
Bangabda). The shift in the vernal equinox by nearly four
months from Agrahyaa to Chaitra in sidereal terms
seems to indicate that the original naming conventions
may date to the fourth or fth millennium BC, since the
period of precession in the Earths axis is about 25,800
years.
10 Regional variants
The Indian Calendar Reform Committee, appointed in
1952, identied more than thirty well-developed calen-
dars, all variants of the Surya Siddhanta calendar out-
lined here, in systematic use across dierent parts of In-
dia. These include the widespread Vikrama and Shali-
vahana calendars and regional variations thereof. The
Tamil calendar, a solar calendar, is used in Tamil Nadu
and Kollavarsham Calendar is used in Kerala.
10.1 Vikrama and Shalivahana calendars
The two calendars most widely used in India today are
the Vikrama calendar followed in Western and Northern
India and Nepal, and the Shalivahana or Saka calen-
dar which is followed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Maharashtra and Goa.
In the year 56 BC, Vikrama Samvat era was founded by
the emperor Vikramaditya of Ujjain following his victory
over the Sakas. Later, in a similar fashion, Satavahana
king Gautamiputra Satakarni initiated the Saka era to cel-
ebrate his victory against the Sakas in the year AD 78.
Both the Vikrama and the Shalivahana are lunisolar cal-
endars, and feature annual cycles of twelve lunar months,
each month divided into two phases: the 'bright half'
(ukla Paka) and the 'dark half' (Ka Paka); these
correspond respectively to the periods of the 'waxing' and
the 'waning' of the moon. Thus, the period beginning
from the rst day after the new moon and ending on the
full moon day constitutes the ukla Paka, 'bright part'
of the month; the period beginning from the day after
Prim (the full moon) until and including the next new
moon day constitutes the Ka Paka, the'dark part' of
the month.
The names of the 12 months, as also their sequence, are
the same in both calendars; however, the new year is cel-
ebrated at separate points during the year and the year
zero for the two calendars is dierent. In the Vikrama
calendar, the zero year corresponds to 56 BC, while in
the Shalivahana calendar, it corresponds to AD 78. The
Vikrama calendar begins with the month of Baikha or
Vaikha (April), or Kartak (October/November) in Gu-
jarat. The Shalivahana calendar begins with the month
of Chaitra (March) and the Ugadi/Gudi Padwa festivals
mark the new year.
Another little-known dierence between the two calen-
dars exists: while each month in the Shalivahana calen-
dar begins with the 'bright half' and is followed by the
'dark half', the opposite obtains in the Vikrama calendar.
Thus, each month of the Shalivahana calendar ends with
the no-moon day and the new month begins on the day
after that, while the full-moon day brings each month of
the Vikrama calendar to a close (This is an exception in
Gujarati Calendar, its month (and hence new year) starts
on a sunrise of the day after new moon, and ends on the
new moon, though it follows Vikram Samvat).
In Gujarat, Diwali is held on the nal day of the Vikram
Calendar and the next day marks the beginning of the
New Year and is also referred as Annakut or Nutan
Varsh or Bestu Varash. In the Hindu calendar popularly
used in North India the year begins with Chaitra Shukala
Pratipadha (March April).
10.2 Samvat calendars
Samvat is one of the several Hindu calendars in India:
Vikram Samvat: lunar months, solar sidereal years
Shaka Samvat (traditional): lunar months, solar
sidereal years
Shaka Samvat (modern): solar tropical
Bangla Calendar: solar tropical years
Tamil Nadu/Kerala: solar tropical years such as
Tamil calendar
8 14 NATIONAL CALENDARS IN SOUTH AND SOUTH EAST ASIA
Nepali calendar with Bikram Sambat: solar tropical
years
Most holidays in India are based on the rst two calen-
dars. A few are based on the solar cycle, Sankranti (solar
sidereal) and Baisakhi (solar tropical).
10.3 Months and approximate correspon-
dence
*** It is occording to Saka Calendar
Indian months are listed below. Shaka and Chaitradi
Vikram (UP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra etc.) start with
Chaitra, Kartikadi Vikram (Gujarat) start in Kartika.
Nakshatras are divisions of ecliptic, each 13 20', starting
from 0 Aries. The purnima of each month is synchro-
nized with a nakshatra.
11 Time cycles in India
The time cycles in India are:
60-year cycle
Year
6 seasons of a year
about 60 days (2 months) in a season
Month (lunar)
2 pakshas in a month, shukla (waxing) and krishna
(waning)
15 tithis in a paksha (1-14, 15th is purnima or
amavasya)
60 ghatikas (or 30 muhurtas or 8 praharas) in a 24-
hour period (ahoratra).
30 Kala (approx) in 1 muhurta
30 Kastha in 1 kala
15 Nimisha in 1 kastha
Years are synchronized with the solar sidereal year by
adding a month every three years. The extra month is
termed as Adhik Mass (extra month). This extra month
is called Mala Masa (impure month) in Eastern India.
12 Date conversion
Converting a date froman Indian calendar to the common
era can require a complex computation. To obtain the
approximate year in AD):
Chaitradi Vikram (past) : Chaitra-Pausha: subtract
57; Pausha-Phalguna: subtract 56.
Shaka: add 78-79
Kalachuri: add 248-249
Gupta/Valabhi: add 319-320
Bangla: add 593-594
Vira Nirvana Samvat: subtract 527-526
Yudhishthira Samvat: Subtract 3101 (Ascension of
Lord Krishna at age 125) from AD
Sri Krishna Samvat: Subtract 3226 (Birth of Lord
Sri Krishna) from AD
Balabhi Samvat: add 320 to AD
Kyoto University Panchanga Converter Program
13 Variations
In Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and many north-
ern region of India months are Purnimanta (means
month ends on Purnima or Full Moon). In Gu-
jarat, Maharashtra, and other parts of many south
Indian region, months are Amanta (months end on
Amavasya).
In inscriptions, the years may be gata (past) or cur-
rent.
14 National calendars in South and
South East Asia
A variant of the Shalivahana Calendar was reformed and
standardized as the Indian National calendar in 1957.
This ocial calendar follows the Shalivahan Shak calen-
dar in beginning from the month of Chaitra and counting
years with AD 78 being year zero. It features a constant
number of days in every month (with leap years).
The Bengali Calendar, or Bengali calendar (introduced
1584), is widely used in eastern India in the state of West
Bengal, Tripura and Assam. A reformation of this cal-
endar was introduced in present-day Bangladesh in 1966,
with constant days in each month and a leap year system;
this serves as the national calendar for Bangladesh. Nepal
follows the Bikram Sambat. Parallel months and roughly
the same periods apply to the Buddhist calendars used in
Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
9
15 Correspondence between calen-
dars
As an indicator of this variation, Whitakers Almanac re-
ports that the Gregorian year AD 2000 corresponds, re-
spectively with:
1. Year 5102 in the Kaliyuga calendar; (3102 BC)
2. Year 2544 in the Buddha Nirvana calendar; (544
BC)
3. Year 2543 in the Buddhist Era (BE) of the Thai solar
calendar (543 BC)
4. Year 2057 in the Bikram Samvat calendar; (57 BC)
5. Year 1922 in the Saka calendar; (AD 78)
6. Year 1921 (shown in terms of 5-yearly cycles) of the
Vedanga Jyotisa calendar; (AD 79)
7. Year 1407 in the Bengali calendar; (AD 593)
8. Year 1362 in the Burmese Calendar; (AD 638)
9. Year 1176 in the Malayalam calendar or Kolla Var-
sham calendar; (AD 824)
10. Year 514 in the Gaurabda Gaudiya calendar. (AD
1486)
16 See also
Hindu astrology
Hindu chronology
Hindu units of measurement
List of Hindu festivals
Panchangam
Panjika
Ancient Vedic units of measurement
Perpetual Calendar of 800 Years
Pambu Panchangam
17 References
[1] Mughal, Muhammad Aurang Zeb. (2014). Time, Space
and Social Change in Rural Pakistan: An Ethnographic
Study of Jhokwala Village, Lodhran District. PhD thesis.
Durham University.
[2] Time Measurement and Calendar Construction. Brill
Archive. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
[3] Chatterjee, S.K. (1998). Indian Calendric System. Publi-
cations Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcast-
ing, Government of India.
[4] Chia Daphne and Helmer Aslaksen (April 2001). Indian
Calendars: Comparing the Surya Siddhanta and the As-
tronomical Ephemeris (PDF). Retrieved 2004-04-04.
[5] Basham, A.L. (1954). The Wonder that was India.
Macmillan (Rupa and Co, Calcutta, reprint),., Appendix
II: Astronomy
[6] Hindu Lunar Month Names
[7] Bhgavata Pura 12.2.29-33
[8] Yano, Michio, Calendar, astrology and astronomy in
Flood, Gavin (Ed) (2003). Blackwell companion to Hin-
duism. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-21535-2.
18 Further reading
Reingold and Dershowitz, Calendrical Calculations,
Millennium Edition, Cambridge University Press,
latest 2nd edition 3rd printing released November
2004. ISBN 0-521-77752-6
S. Balachandra Rao, Indian Astronomy: An Intro-
duction, Universities Press, Hyderabad, 2000.
Rai Bahadur Pandit Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha,
The Paleography of India, 2 ed., Ajmer, 1918,
reprinted Manshuram Manoharlal publishers, 1993.
Mughal, Muhammad Aurang Zeb. (2012).
Temporal rhythm of change in Village Jhokwala,
Pakistan: Ethnographic insights from calendars.
Giovanni Bennardo (ed.), Cultural Models of Nature
and the Environment: Self, Space, and Causality
Workshop. ESE Working Paper No. 1. DeKalb, IL:
Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustain-
ability, and Energy, Northern Illinois University,
pp. 6165.
19 External links
Hindu Chronology, Encyclopdia Britannica
Eleventh Edition (1911)
The Astronomical Basis of the Hindu Lunisolar Cal-
endar
Hindu Calendars in various Indian Languages
Hindu Calendar of Nepal
Nepali Hindu Calendar
10 20 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES
20 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses
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Michael Hardy, Mkweise, Ronz, Bluelion, Nikai, Kaysov, Mxn, KRS, Itai, Lord Emsworth, Robbot, RedWolf, Naddy, Ambarish, Diberri,
Marcika, Michael Devore, Joe Kress, Niteowlneils, Ragib, Wmahan, Utcursch, Beland, Mukerjee, Icairns, Terabyte, Fanghong, Rich
Farmbrough, Murtasa, Jamadagni, Dbachmann, Alren, El C, VishalB, Szquirrel, Kwamikagami, QuartierLatin1968, Indiver, Cmdrjame-
son, Caeruleancentaur, Nsaa, HasharBot, Ranveig, Raj2004, Anthony Appleyard, Wiki-uk, Geke, Wtshymanski, Ghirlandajo, Martian,
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Tangotango, TheRingess, Mike s, Dewrad, SNIyer12, Ian Pitchford, Gurch, Mskadu, Sstrader, DaGizza, Bgwhite, YurikBot, Wavelength,
Deeptrivia, RussBot, Conscious, Gaius Cornelius, NawlinWiki, Joel7687, Dureo, SameerKhan, BOT-Superzerocool, Jangid, Pawyilee,
Deville, Closedmouth, Malaiya, JPushkarH, E Wing, BorgQueen, Viveksinha in, Sandyiit, Mistvan, Squell, Luk, Crystallina, SmackBot,
Nocabbages, Dcorrin, Ohnoitsjamie, Vercalos, Amatulic, MalafayaBot, Neo-Jay, ImpuMozhi, Nrdhakal, Shivap, Karthik.raman, Wood-
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Hu12, Rayeld, Srinivasaraju, Vajay31, DanielRigal, BangaloreSri, Cydebot, Goldfritha, Viscious81, Thylacine222, Thijs!bot, Epbr123,
Fisherjs, Qwyrxian, O Govinda, Danianjan, NERIUM, Manosij.m, P.K.Niyogi, Luna Santin, Kishorekumar 62, Naveen Sankar, Rajesh-
Pandey, Marcus111, JAnDbot, Ekabhishek, Barek, Gavia immer, Joshua, Magioladitis, VoABot II, JamesBWatson, Kajasudhakarababu,
Faizhaider, Nposs, LightningStruck, Khalid Mahmood, Xtifr, Info4all, Numbo3, Krishnachandranvn, Tendays, Joshua Issac, Redtigerxyz,
Rajasekhar1961, VolkovBot, TreasuryTag, Hybernator, RunningAway, Philip Trueman, TXiKiBoT, B4rahul, Altruism, NayakDeepti,
Rei-bot, Crohnie, Hellocsrini, Leafyplant, Buddhipriya, Wassermann, Dipendra2007, Truthanado, SieBot, Hertz1888, Winchelsea, Js-
fouche, Mimihitam, Audree, Sapovadia, Ananth126, Gauravchauhan4, Martarius, Sfan00 IMG, ClueBot, Foxj, The Thing That Should
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Phil11593, Boomur, Ka Faraq Gatri, Lihaas, AndersBot, Lightbot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Vshssvs7, TaBOT-zerem, Amirobot, Setmymax,
AnomieBOT, Rubinbot, Kingpin13, Dinesh smita, Makks2010, Xqbot, JoyceBabu, Capricorn42, Chopsuey67, Jeevankrishnajv, Inferno,
Lord of Penguins, Ellipi, Shirik, Tulocci, Moxy, Shadowjams, FrescoBot, ThiagoRuiz, Karisma123, Desiraju Madhav, Aditya soni, Jone-
sey95, Zade7777, Nijgoykar, TobeBot, SchreyP, Lionslayer, Ansumang, Nijamcheppu, Vatsan34, LawBot, Bigsuperindia, Bharat Sawant,
RjwilmsiBot, Aircorn, Myaoon, EmausBot, WikitanvirBot, Tommy2010, ZroBot, Trinanjon, The Nut, Mvmanjunath, Ever.anon, K
Alan Drummond, ChrisCarss Former24.108.99.31, Nayansatya, SwathiVivek, DASHBotAV, Kalpathyram, Nagarjuna198, ClueBot NG,
Smtchahal, Hawa-Ave, Widr, Helpful Pixie Bot, Titodutta, Spsbattu, Umashankartm, Varadarajd, Astraura, Sugram, ASHOKLIGHT, Ph-
nomPencil, Anooj Muljee, MrBill3, RudolfRed, ChrisGualtieri, Ramakrishna 3197, Astrovisioncochin, Pankaj Jyoti Mahanta, Faizan,
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