ॐ Hindu Of Universe ॐ

“God’s light is within you, It never leaves you.”

Hindu calendar is a collective name for most of the luni-sidereal calendars and sidereal calendars traditionally used in Hinduism.

The Hindu calendars have undergone many changes in the process of regionalisation.

Some of the more prominent regional Hindu calendars include the Nepali calendar, Punjabi calendar, Bengali calendar, Odiya calendar, Malayalam calendar, Kannada panchanga, Tulu calendar, Tamil calendar, Vikrama Samvat used in northern India, and Shalivahana calendar in the Deccan states of Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh

The common feature of many regional Hindu calendars is that the names of the twelve months are the same (because the names are based in Sanskrit). The month which starts the year also varies from region to region.

The Buddhist calendar and the traditional 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 derived from Gupta era astronomy as developed by Āryabhaṭa and Varāhamihira in the 5th to 6th century. These in turn were based in the astronomical tradition of Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa, which in the preceding centuries had been standardised in a number of (non-extant) works known as Sūrya Siddhānta.

Hindu Calendar

Hindu calendar is a collective name for most of the luni-sidereal calendars and sidereal calendars traditionally used in Hinduism.

The Hindu calendars have undergone many changes in the process of regionalisation.

Some of the more prominent national and regional Hindu calendars include the official Nepali calendar in the himalayan country Nepal and in India Punjabi calendar, Bengali calendar, Odia calendar, Malayalam calendar, Kannada panchanga, Tulu calendar, Tamil calendar, Vikrama Samvat and Shalivahana calendar in the Deccan states of Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

The common feature of many regional Hindu calendars is that the names of the twelve months are the same.

The month which starts the year also varies from region to region.

The Buddhist calendar and the traditional 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 derived from Gupta era astronomy as developed by Āryabhaṭa and Varāhamihira in the 5th to 6th century.

These in turn were based in the astronomical tradition of Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa, which in the preceding centuries had been standardised in a number of (non-extant) works known as Sūrya Siddhānta.

Regional diversification took place in the medieval period.

The astronomical foundations were further developed in the medieval period, notably by Bhāskara II (12th century).

Differences and regional variations abound in these computations, but the following is a general overview of the Hindu lunisolar calendar.

The Indian national calendar or “Saka calendar” was introduced in 1957 based on the traditional Hindu calendars.

Day

In the Hindu calendar, the day is the time between sunrises. Days in the month are numbered according to the lunar angle (tithi, see below); as a result, day numbers can be skipped.

There are five “concepts” (aṅgas). They are:

the phase (tithi, 1⁄30 synodic month), about 63⁄64 days.

the weekday (vāsara, vāra), such as ravi-vāra, somā-vāra, etc. Weeks are 7 days long.

the mansion (nakṣatra 1/27 condical month), about 251/27 hours.

the yoga (1⁄27 synodic month).

the half phase (karaṇa, 1⁄60 synodic month).

Together 5 limbs or properties are called the pañcāṅgas (Sanskrit: pañca = five). An explanation of the terms follows.

The nakṣatra, yoga, and karaṇa are used for astrological and religious purposes.

Phase/Tithi

Phase or tithi refers to 1⁄30 synodic month, which corresponds to 12° longitudinal angle between the Moon and the Sun. The length of a phase varies from approximately 19 to approximately 26 hours.

The phase decides the date of the day, from the sunrise occurring within the phase. If the there are two sunrises in a phase, the second day is an extra day. If there is no sunrise in a phase, the phase is a vacant date.

Weekday/Vāsara

Vāsara refers to the weekdays and the names of the week in many western cultures bear striking similarities with the Vāsara:

No. Sanskrit name of the day

(Day begins at sunrise) Nepali name Hindi name Bhojpuri name Punjabi name Bengali name Marathi name Odia name Kannada name Telugu name Tamil name Malayalam name Gujarati name English & Latin names of the approximate day

(Day begins at 00:00Hrs) Celestial object

1 Ravivāsara

रविवासर or

Bhanu vāsara

भानू वासर Aaitabar

आइतवार Ravivār

रविवार Aitwār

एतवार Aitvār

ਐਤਵਾਰ Rôbibār

রবিবার Ravivār

रविवार Rabibāra

ରବିବାର Bhānuvāra

ಭಾನುವಾರ Ādivāraṁ

ఆదివారం Nyayiru

ஞாயிறு Njaayar

ഞായർ Ravivār

રવિવાર Sunday/dies Solis Ravi, Aditya = Sun

2 Somavāsara

सोमवासर Sombar

सोमवार Somavār

सोमवार Somār

सोमार Somavār

ਸੋਮਵਾਰ Shombār

সোমবার Somavār

सोमवार Somabāra

ସୋମବାର Sōmavāra

ಸೋಮವಾರ Sōmavāraṁ

సోమవారం Thingal

திங்கள் Thinkal

തിങ്കൾ Sōmavār

સોમવાર Monday/dies Lunae Soma = Moon

3 Maṅgalavāsara

मंगलवासर Mangalbar

मंगलवार Maṅgalavār

मंगलवार Mangar

मंगर Maṅgalavār

ਮੰਗਲਵਾਰ Môngôlbār

মঙ্গলবার Maṅgaḷavār

मंगळवार Maṅgaḷabāra

ମଙ୍ଗଳବାର Maṁgaḷavāra

ಮಂಗಳವಾರ Maṁgaḷavāraṁ

మంగళవారం Chevvai

செவ்வாய் Chovva

ചൊവ്വ Maṅgaḷavār

મંગળવાર Tuesday/dies Martis Maṅgala = Mars

4 Budhavāsara

बुधवासर Budhabar

बुधवार Budhavāra

बुधवार Buddh

बुध Buddhavār

ਬੁੱਧਵਾਰ Budhbār

বুধবার Budhavār

बुधवार Budhabāra

ବୁଧବାର Budhavāra

ಬುಧವಾರ Budhavāraṁ

బుధవారం Arivan (Tamil tradition)

அறிவன் Budhan

ബുധൻ Budhavār

બુધવાર Wednesday/dies Mercurii Budha = Mercury

5 Guruvāsara

गुरुवासर

Brhaspati vāsara

बृहस्पतिवासर Bihibar

बिहिवार Guruvār

गुरुवार Bi’phey

बियफे Vīravār

ਵੀਰਵਾਰ Brihôshpôtibār

বৃহস্পতিবার Guruvār

गुरुवार Gurubāra

ଗୁରୁବାର Guruvāra

ಗುರುವಾರ Guruvāraṁ, Br̥haspativāraṁ

గురువారం, బృహస్పతివారం, లక్ష్మీవారం Vyazhan

வியாழன் Vyaazham

വ്യാഴം Guruvār

ગુરુવાર Thursday/dies Iovis Deva-Guru Bṛhaspati = Jupiter

6 Śukravāsara

शुक्रवासर Sukrabar

शुक्रवार Śukravār

शुक्रवार Sukkar

सुक्कर Śukkaravār

ਸ਼ੁੱਕਰਵਾਰ Shukrôbār

শুক্রবার Śukravār

शुक्रवार Śukrabāra

ଶୁକ୍ରବାର Śukravāra

ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ Śukravāraṁ

శుక్రవారం Velli

வெள்ளி் Velli

വെള്ളി Śukravār

શુક્રવાર Friday/dies Veneris Śukra = Venus

7 Śanivāsara

शनिवासर Sanibar

शनिवार Śanivār

शनिवार Sanichchar

सनिच्चर Śanīvār

ਸ਼ਨੀਵਾਰ

Chhanicchharavār

ਛਨਿੱਚਰਵਾਰ Shônibār

শনিবার Śanivār

शनिवार Śanibāra

ଶନିବାର Śanivāra

ಶನಿವಾರ Śanivāraṁ

శనివారం Kaari (Tamil tradition)

காரி Shani

ശനി Śanivār

શનિવાર Saturday/dies Saturnis Śani = Saturn

The term -vāsara is often realised as vāra or vaar in Sanskrit-derived and influenced languages. There are many variations of the names in the regional languages, mostly using alternate names of the celestial bodies involved.

Naksatra

The ecliptic is divided into 27 Nakṣatras, which are variously called lunar houses or asterisms. These reflect the moon’s cycle against the fixed stars, 27 days and 7¾ hours, the fractional part being compensated for by an intercalary 28th nakṣatra titled Abhijit. Nakṣatra’s computation appears to have been well known at the time of the Rigveda (2nd–1st millennium BC).

The ecliptic is divided into the nakṣatras eastwards starting from a reference point which is traditionally a point on the ecliptic directly opposite the star Spica called Citrā in Sanskrit. (Other slightly different definitions exist). It is called Meṣādi – “start of Aries”; this is when the equinox — where the ecliptic meets the equator — was in Aries (today it is in Pisces, 28 degrees before Aries starts). The difference between Meṣādi and the present equinox is known as Ayanāṃśa – denoting by how much of a fraction of degrees & minutes the ecliptic has progressed from its fixed (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 Sūrya Siddhānta

The nakṣatras with their corresponding regions of sky are given below, following Basham. As always, there are many versions with minor differences. The names on the right-hand column give roughly the correspondence of the nakṣatras to modern names of stars. Note that nakṣatras are (in this context) not just single stars but are segments on the ecliptic characterised by one or more stars. Hence more than one star is mentioned for each nakṣatra.

# Sanskrit/Nepali/Hindi Bengali name

নক্ষত্র Malayalam name

മലയാളം Tamil name

தமிழ் Telugu name

తెలుగు Kannada name

ಕನ್ನಡ Western star name

1 Aśvinī

अश्विनी Aśvinī

অশ্বিনী Ashvati

അശ്വതി Aswini

அஸ்வினி Aśvinī

అశ్విని Aśvinī

ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ β and γ Arietis

2 Bharanī

भरणी Bharanī

ভরণী Bharani

ഭരണി Barani

பரணி Bharani

భరణి Bharani

ಭರಣಿ 35, 39, and 41 Arietis

3 Krttikā

कृत्तिका Krittikā

কৃত্তিকা Kārttika

കാർത്തിക Kārthikai

கார்த்திகை Krittika

కృత్తిక Kruthike

ಕೃತಿಕೆ Pleiades

4 Rohinī

रोहिणी Rohinī

রোহিণী Rōhini

രോഹിണി Rōhini

ரோகிணி Rōhini

రోహిణి Rōhini

ರೋಹಿಣಿ Aldebaran

5 Mrigaśirṣa

मृगशिर्ष – this is also a month in Marathi calendar Mrigaśiras

মৃগশিরা Makayiram

മകയിരം Mirugasīridam

மிருகசீரிடம் Mrigaśira

మృగశిర Mrigaśira

ಮೃಗಶಿರ λ, φ Orionis

6 Ārdrā

आद्रा Ārdrā

আর্দ্রা Ātira or Tiruvātira

ആതിര (തിരുവാതിര) Thiruvādhirai

திருவாதிரை Arudra

ఆరుద్ర Aridra

ಆರಿದ್ರ Betelgeuse

7 Punarvasu

पुनर्वसु Punarvasu

পুনর্বসু Punartam

പുണർതം Punarpoosam

புனர்பூசம் Punarvasu

పునర్వసు Punarvasu

ಪುನರ್ವಸು Castor and Pollux

8 Pushya

पुष्य Pushya

পুষ্যা (তিষ্যা) Pūyam

പൂയം Poosam

பூசம் Puṣyami

పుష్యమి Puṣya

ಪುಷ್ಯ γ, δ and θ Cancri

9 Aśleshā

आश्ळेषा / आश्लेषा Aśleshā

অশ্লেষা Āyilyam

ആയില്യം Ayilyam

ஆயில்யம் Aślesha

ఆశ్లేష Aślesha

ಆಶ್ಲೇಷ δ, ε, η, ρ, and σ Hydrae

10 Maghā

मघा Maghā

মঘা Makam

മകം Magam

மகம் Makha or Magha

మఖ or మాఘ Makha

ಮಖ Regulus

11 Pūrva or Pūrva Phalguṇī

पूर्व फाल्गुनी Pūrva or Pūrva Phalguṇī

পূর্ব ফল্গুনী Pūram

പൂരം Pooram

பூரம் Pūrva Phalguṇī or Pubba

పూర్వా ఫల్గుణి or పుబ్బ Pubba

ಪುಬ್ಬ δ and θ Leonis

12 Uttara or Uttara Phalguṇī

उत्तर फाल्गुनी Uttara or Uttara Phalguṇī

উত্তর ফল্গুনী Utram

ഉത്രം Uthiram

உத்திரம் Uttara Phalguṇi or Uttara

ఉత్తర ఫల్గుణి or ఉత్తర Utthara

ಉತ್ತರ Denebola

13 Hasta

हस्त Hasta

হস্তা Attam

അത്തം Astham

அஸ்தம் Hasta

హస్త Hasta

ಹಸ್ತ α, β, γ, δ and ε Corvi

14 Citrā

चित्रा14 Citrā

চিত্রা Chittira (Chitra)

ചിത്തിര (ചിത്ര) Chithirai

சித்திரை Chittā or Chitrā

చిత్తా or చిత్రా Chitta

ಚಿತ್ತ Spica

15 Svāti

स्वाति Svāti

স্বাতী Chōti

ചോതി Swathi

சுவாதி Svāti

స్వాతి Svāti

ಸ್ವಾತಿ Arcturus

16 Viśākha

विशाखा Viśākha

বিশাখা Vishākham

വിശാഖം Visakam

விசாகம் Viśākha

విశాఖ Viśākhe

ವಿಶಾಖೆ α, β, γ and ι Librae

17 Anurādhā

अनुराधा Anurādhā

অনুরাধা Anizham

അനിഴം Anusham

அனுஷம் Anurādhā

అనూరాధ Anurādhā

ಅನುರಾಧ β, δ and π Scorpionis

18 Jyeṣṭha

ज्येष्ठा Jyeṣṭha

জ্যেষ্ঠা Kēṭṭa (Trikkēṭṭa)

കേട്ട (തൃക്കേട്ട) Kettai

கேட்டை Jyeṣṭha

జ్యేష్ఠ Jyeṣṭha

ಜ್ಯೇಷ್ಠ α, σ, and τ Scorpionis

19 Mūla

मूल/मूळ Mūla

মূলা Mūlam

മൂലം Mūlam

மூலம் Mūla

మూల Mūla

ಮೂಲ ε, ζ, η, θ, ι, κ, λ, μ and ν Scorpionis

20 Pūrvāṣāḍha

पूर्वाषाढा Pūrvāṣāḍha

পূর্বাষাঢ়া Pūrāṭam

പൂരാടം Pūradam

பூராடம் Pūrvāṣāḍha

పూర్వాషాఢ Pūrvāṣāḍha

ಪೂರ್ವಾಷಾಢ δ and ε Sagittarii

21 Uttarāṣāḍha

उत्तराषाढा Uttarāṣāḍha

উত্তরাষাঢ়া Utrāṭam

ഉത്രാടം Uthirādam

உத்திராடம் Uttarāṣāḍha

ఉత్తరాషాఢ Uttarāṣāḍha

ಉತ್ತರಾಷಾಢ ζ and σ Sagittarii

22 Śravaṇa

श्रवण Śravaṇa

শ্রবণা Tiruvōnam

ഓണം (തിരുവോണം) Tiruvōnam

திருவோணம் Śravaṇaṁ

శ్రవణం Śravaṇa

ಶ್ರವಣ α, β and γ Aquilae

23 Śraviṣṭhā or Dhaniṣṭha

श्रविष्ठा or धनिष्ठा Śraviṣṭhā or Dhaniṣṭha

ধনিষ্ঠা (শ্রবিষ্ঠা) Aviṭṭam

അവിട്ടം Aviṭṭam

அவிட்டம் Dhaniṣṭha

ధనిష్ఠ Dhaniṣṭha

ಧನಿಷ್ಠ α to δ Delphinus

24 Śatabhiṣak or Śatatārakā

शतभिषक् / शततारका Śatabhiṣak or Śatatārakā

শতভিষা Chatayam

ചതയം Sadayam

சதயம் Śatabhiṣaṁ

శతభిషం Śatabhiṣa

ಶತಭಿಷ γ Aquarii

25 Pūrva Bhādrapadā

पूर्वभाद्रपदा / पूर्वप्रोष्ठपदा Pūrva Bhādrapadā

পূর্ব ভাদ্রপদ Pūruruṭṭāti

പൂരുരുട്ടാതി Pūraṭṭādhi

பூரட்டாதி Pūrvābhādra

పూర్వాభాద్ర Pūrvābhādra

ಪೂರ್ವಾ ಭಾದ್ರ α and β Pegasi

26 Uttara Bhādrapadā

उत्तरभाद्रपदा / उत्तरप्रोष्ठपदा Uttara Bhādrapadā

উত্তর ভাদ্রপদ Uttṛṭṭāti

ഉത്രട്ടാതി Uttṛṭṭādhi

உத்திரட்டாதி Uttarābhādra

ఉత్తరాభాద్ర Uttarābhādra

ಉತ್ತರಾ ಭಾದ್ರ γ Pegasi and α Andromedae

27 Revatī

रेवती Revatī

রেবতী Rēvati

രേവതി Rēvathi

ரேவதி Rēvati

రేవతి Rēvati

ರೇವತಿ ζ Piscium

Yoga

The Sanskrit word Yoga means “union”, but in astronomical 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 Meṣa or Aries (Meṣādi, as defined above): this is called the longitude of that object. The longitude of the sun and the longitude of the moon are added, and normalised to a value ranging 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 labelled:

Viṣkambha

Prīti

Āyuśmān

Saubhāgya

Śobhana

Atigaṇḍa

Sukarma

Dhṛti

Śūla

Gaṇḍa

Vṛddhi

Dhruva

Vyāghatā

Harṣaṇa

Vajra

Siddhi

Vyatipāta

Variyas

Parigha

Śiva

Siddha

Sādhya

Śubha

Śukla

Brahma

Māhendra

Vaidhṛti

Again, minor variations may exist. The yoga that is active during sunrise of a day is the prevailing yoga for the day.

Karaṇa

A karaṇa is half of a tithi. To be precise, a karaṇa 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 definition of a tithi.)

Since the tithis are 30 in number, and since 1 tithi = 2 karaṇas, therefore one would logically expect there to be 60 karaṇas. But there are only 11 such karaṇas which fill up those slots to accommodate for those 30 tithis. There are actually 4 “fixed” (sthira) karaṇas and 7 “repeating” (cara) karaṇas.

The 4

Śakuni (शकुनि)

Catuṣpāda (चतुष्पाद)

Nāga (नाग)

Kiṃstughna (किंस्तुघ्न)

The 7 “repeating” karaṇas are:

Vava or Bava (बव)

Valava or Bālava (बालव)

Kaulava (कौलव)

Taitila or Taitula (तैतिल)

Gara or Garaja (गरज)

Vaṇija (वणिज)

Viṣṭi (Bhadra) (भद्रा)

Now the first half of the 1st tithi (of Śukla Pakṣa) is always Kiṃtughna karaṇa. Hence this karaṇa’ is “fixed”.

Next, the 7-repeating karaṇas repeat eight times to cover the next 56 half-tithis. Thus these are the “repeating” (cara) karaṇas.

The 3 remaining half-tithis take the remaining “fixed” karaṇas in order. Thus these are also “fixed” (sthira).

Thus one gets 60 karaṇas from those 11 preset karaṇas.

The Vedic day begins at sunrise. The karaṇa at sunrise of a particular day shall be the prevailing karaṇa for the whole day.

Month/Zodiac

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))

There are two traditions being followed with respect to the start of the month. Amavasyant (Amanta) tradition followed mainly in the western and southern states of India (namely Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu) considers a new moon occurring before sunrise on a day to be the first day of the lunar month. Purnimant tradition, on the other hand, considers the next day of a full moon to be the first day of the lunar month. This tradition is chiefly followed in the northern and eastern states of India (Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh). Having the two active traditions in practice would also mean that while the month names of the Hindu lunar calendar remains the same, there is on an average 15 days’ difference in starting and ending of the month between the two traditions. This has its effects in the dates of recurring annual events such as the holy month of Śrāvaṇa. For example, between the followers of the two traditions, the start of Śrāvaṇa month and its religious abstinence and observations will be deferred by 15 days for the followers of Amavasyant tradition.

A month contains two halves (pakṣas), the waxing half and the waning half. Each half is 15 phases long. There are two different systems for making the lunar calendar:

Amāvāsyanta or mukhya mana system – a month begins with a new moon and ends at new moon (the waning half follows the waxing half), mostly followed in south India

Pūrṇimānta or gauna mana system – a month begins with a full moon and ends at full moon (the waxing half follows the waning half), followed more in north India. Pūrṇimānta is also known as Śuklānta Māsa and this system is recommended by Varāhamihira.

The zodiac decides the number of the month which the zodiac enters. If there’s no zodiac enters a month, the month is an extra month. If there’re two zodiacs enter a month, the second zodiac decides a vacant month.

Month names

There are 12 months in Hindu lunar calendar (Sanskrit: मासाः):

Chaitra

Vaiśākha

Jyeṣṭha

Āṣāḍha

Śrāvaṇa

Bhādrapada, Bhādra or Proṣṭhapada

Ashvin

Kārtika

Agrahāyaṇa, Mārgaśīrṣa

Pauṣa

Māgha

Phālguna

Note**..Chaitra is actually the 12th month.. Vaisakha is the first month of the year, Jyestha is second, ashadha is third and so on.

Names of months are interesting. It depends on the aster-ism name, the moon is in at full moon day of the month. for e.g. Chaitra month is when full moon is in Citrā nakṣatra, Ashvin month is when full moon is in Aśvinī nakṣatra

There are 12 rāśi names, there are twelve lunar month names. When the sun transits into the Meṣa rāśi in a lunar month, then the name of the lunar month is Chaitra which has both Mīna rāśi and Meṣa rāśi . When the sun transits into Vṛṣabha rāśi, then the lunar month is Vaiśākha which has both Meṣa rāśi and Vṛṣabha rāśi. So on.

Purshottam maas is an extra month or thirteen in the Hindu calendar. This is been done for bridging of the lunar and solar calendars

Seasons

If the transits of the Sun through various constellations of the zodiac (Rāśi) are used, then we get solar months, which do not shift with reference to the Gregorian calendar. The solar months along with the corresponding Hindu seasons and Gregorian months are:

(Rāśi)

Saura Māsa

(solar months) Ṛtu

(season) Marathi name Bengali name Kannada name Telugu name Malayalam name Tamil name Gregorian

Tropical months Sidereal Vedic Zodiac

Meṣa Grīṣma

(summer)

ग्रीष्म গ্রীষ্ম (Grishmô) ಗ್ರೀಷ್ಮ ಋತು (Grīṣma Ṛtu) గ్రీష్మ ఋతువు (Grīṣma Ṛtuvu) ഗ്രീഷ്മം (Grīṣmam) இளவேனில் (ilavenil) Apr-May Aries

Vṛṣabha May–June Taurus

Mithuna Varṣā

(monsoon)

वर्षा বর্ষা (Bôrsha) ವರ್ಷ ಋತು (Varṣa Ṛtu) వర్ష ఋతువు (Varṣa Ṛtuvu) വർഷം (Varṣām) முதுவேனில் (mudhuvenil) June–July Gemini

Karkaṭa July-Aug Cancer

Siṃha Śarad

(autumn)

शरद শরৎ(Shôrôt) ಶರದೃತು (Śaradṛtu) శరదృతువు (Śaradṛtuvu) ശരത് (Śarat) கார் (kaar) Aug-Sept Leo

Kanyā Sept-Oct Virgo

Tulā Hemanta

(Late-Autumn)

हेमंत হেমন্ত (Hemôntô) ಹೇಮಂತ ಋತು (Hēmaṃta Ṛtu) హేమంత ఋతువు (Hēmaṃta Ṛtuvu) ഹേമന്തം (Hemantam) குளிர் (kulir) Oct-Nov Libra

Vṛścik‌‌‌a Nov-Dec Scorpius

Dhanu Śiśira

(Winter)

शिशिर শীত (Shīth) ಶಿಶಿರ ಋತು (Śiśira Ṛtu) శిశిర ఋతువు (Śiśira Ṛtuvu) ശിശിരം (Śiśiram) முன்பனி (munpani) Dec-Jan Sagittarius

Makara Jan-Feb Capricornus

Kumbha Vasanta

(spring)

वसंत বসন্ত (Bôsôntô) ವಸಂತ ಋತು (Vasaṃta Ṛtu) వసంత ఋతువు (Vasaṃta Ṛtuvu) വസന്തം (Vasaṃtam) பின்பனி (pinpani) Feb-Mar Aquarius

Mīna Mar-Apr Pisces

The Sanskrit derivation of the lunar month names Chaitra etc. is seen for example in the (lunar) month which has its central full moon occurring at or near the Citrā nakṣatra. This month is called Chaitra. Another example is let’s say when Pūrṇimā occurs in or near Viśākha nakṣatra, this in turn results in the initiation of the lunar month titled Vaiśākha Māsa.

Similarly, for the nakṣatras Viśākha, Jyeṣṭhā, (Pūrva) Āṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa, Bhādrapadā, Aśvinī (old name Aśvayuj), Kṛttikā, Mṛgaśiras, Puṣya, Meghā and (Pūrva/Uttara) Phalguṇī the names Vaiśākha etc. at pūrṇimā, the other lunar names are derived subsequently.

Extra months (Adhika Māsa)

The astronomical basis of the Hindu lunar months. Also illustrates Adhika Masa (Year 2-Bhadrapada) repeats; the first time the Sun moves entirely within Simha Rashi thus rendering it an Ashika Masa

When the sun does not at all transit into any rāśi but simply keeps moving within a rāśi in a lunar month (i.e. before a new moon), then that lunar month will be named according to the first 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 transit is into Meṣa, then this month without transit is labelled Adhika Chaitra Māsa. The next month will be labelled according to its transit as usual and will get the epithet nija (“original”) or Śuddha (“unmixed”). In the animation above, Year 2 illustrates this concept with Bhadrapada repeating; the first time the Sun stays entirely within Simha rashi thus resulting in an Adhika Bhadrapada.

Extra Month, or adhika māsa (māsa = lunar month in this context) is also known as puruśottama māsa, it is said that the name has been given by Lord Vishnu as his name to this month. Twelve Hindu mas (māsa) are equal to approximately 354 days, while the sun passes through the sidereal zodiac in 365 1/4 days. This creates a difference of about eleven days, which is offset every (29.53/10.63) = 2.71 years, or approximately every 32.5 months. No adhika māsa falls during Kārtika to Māgh.

A month-long fair is celebrated in Machhegaun during adhika māsa. It is general belief that one can wash away all one’s sins by taking a bath in the Machhenarayan’s pond.

Lost months (Kṣaya Māsa)

If the sun transits into two rāshis within a lunar month, then the month will have to be labelled by both transits and will take the epithet kṣaya or “loss”. There is considered to be a “loss” because in this case, there is only one month labelled 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 labelled by the two transits in question.

For example, if the sun transits into Meṣa and Vṛṣabha in a lunar month, then it will be called Chaitra-Vaiśākha kṣaya-māsa. There will be no separate months labelled Chaitra and Vaiśākha.

A Kṣaya-Māsa occurs very rarely. Known gaps between occurrence of Kṣaya-Māsas are 19 and 141 years. The last was in 1983. 15 January through 12 February were Pauṣa-Māgha kṣaya-māsa. 13 February onwards was (Adhika) Phālguna.

Special Case:

If there is no solar transit in one lunar month but there are two transits in the next lunar month,

the first month will be labelled by the first 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 Kṣaya-Māsa

This is a very very rare occurrence. The last was in 1315. 8 October to 5 November were Kārtika Adhika-Māsa. 6 November to 5 December were Kārtika-Mārgaśīrṣa Kṣaya-Māsa. 6 December onwards was Pauṣa.

Religious observances in case of extra and lost months

Among normal months, adhika months, and kshaya months, the earlier are considered “better” for religious purposes. That means, if a festival should fall on the 10th tithi of the Āshvayuja month (this is called Vijayadashamī) and there are two Āśvayuja (Āśvina)’ months caused by the existence of an adhika Āśvayuja, the first 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 āshvayuja kshaya then the festival will be observed in the first adhika month itself.

When two months are rolled into one in the case of a kshaya māsa, the festivals of both months will also be rolled into this Kṣaya Māsa’, unless “adhika māsa” precedes it. For example, the festival of Mahāshivarātri which is to be observed on the fourteenth tithi of the Māgha Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa was, in 1983, observed on the corresponding tithi of Pauṣa-Māgha Kṣaya Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa, since in that year, Pauṣa and Māgha were rolled into one, and nija margashirsha preceded it, as mentioned above.

Vaiṣṇava calendar

Main article: Gaurabda

Month Presiding Deity

of the month

Agrahāyaṇa Keśava

Pauṣa Nārāyaṇa

Maghā Mādhava

Phālguna Govinda

Chaitra Viṣṇu

Vaiśākha Madhusudana

Jyeṣṭha Trivikrama

Āṣāḍha Vāmana

Śrāvaṇa Śrīdhara

Bhādrapada Hṛṣīkeśa

Āśvina Padmanābha

Kārtika Dāmodara

Year of the lunisolar calendar

The new year day is the first day of the shukla paksha of Chaitra. In the case of adhika or kshaya months relating 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. (e.g., 22 February AD 1015)

If an adhika Chaitra is followed by a Chaitra-Vaishākha kshaya, the new year starts with the adhika Chaitra.

If a Chaitra-Vaiśākha Kṣaya occurs with no adhika Chaitra before it, then it starts the new year.

If a Chaitra-Phālguna Kṣaya’ occurs, it starts the new year.

Another kind of lunisolar calendar

There is another kind of lunisolar calendar which differs from the former in the way the months are named. When a full moon (instead of new moon) occurs before sunrise on a day, that day is said to be the first day of the lunar month. In this case, the end of the lunar month will coincide with a full moon. This is called the pūrṇimānta māna – full-moon-ending reckoning, as against the amānta māna – new-moon-ending reckoning used before.

This definition leads to a lot of complications:

The first pakṣa of the month will fall on Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa whilst the second will be Śukla-Pakṣa in Pūrṇimānta system.

The new year is still on the first day of the Chaitra Śukla-Pakṣa. The subsequent Pakṣas will, for example, be:

Lunar Month

Candra Māsa

First Pakṣa Ending (2nd) Pakṣa

Vaiśākha Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Jyaiṣṭha Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Āṣāḍha Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Śrāvaṇa Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Bhādrapada Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Āśvina Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Kārtika Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Mārgaśīrṣa Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Pauṣa Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Māgha Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Phālguna Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Chaitra Śukla-Pakṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Note:

Phālguna Māsa is the last lunar month, with the last pakṣa of the year in this pūrṇimānta system being Phālguna Śukla-Pakṣa.

The Śukla Pakṣa of a given month, say Chaitra, comprises the same actual days in both systems, as can be deduced from a careful analysis of the rules. However, the Chaitra Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣas defined by the 2 systems will be on different days, since the Chaitra Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa precedes the Chaitra Śukla-Pakṣa in the pūrnimānta system but follows it in the amānta system.

Though the regular months are defined by the full moon, the adhika and kṣaya lunar months are still defined by the new moon. That is, even if the pūrnimānta system is followed, adhika or kṣaya months will start with the first sunrise after the new moon, and end with the new moon.

The adhika month will therefore get sandwiched between the 2 pakṣas of the nija months. For example, a Śrāvaṇa Adhika Māsa will be inserted as follows:

nija Śrāvaṇa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

adhika Śrāvaṇa Śukla-Pakṣa

adhika Śrāvaṇa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa and

nija Shrāvana Śukla-Pakṣa

after which Bhādrapada Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa will follow subsequently as usual.

If there is an adhika Chaitra, then it will follow the (nija) Chaitra Krṣṇa-Pakṣa at the end of the year. Only with the nija Chaitra Śukla-Pakṣa will the new year start. The only exception is when it is followed by a kṣaya, and that will be mentioned later.

The kṣaya month is more complicated. If in the amānta system there is a Pauṣa-Māgha Kṣaya Māsa, then in the pūrnimānta system there will be the following pakṣas:

Pauṣa Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Pauṣa-Maagha kshaya Śukla-Pakṣa

Māgha-Phālguna Kṣaya Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa and a

Phālguna Śukla-Pakṣa.

The special Kṣaya case where an adhika māsa precedes a kshaya māsa gets even more convoluted. First, we should remember that the Āśvina Śukla-Pakṣa is the same in both the systems. After this come the following Pakṣas:

nija Kārtika Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

adhika Kārtika Śukla-Pakṣa

adhika Kārtika Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Kārtika-Māgaśīrṣa Kṣaya Śukla-Pakṣa

Māgaśīrsa-Pauṣa Kṣaya Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa

Pauṣa Śukla-Pakṣa

followed by the Māgha Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa etc., as usual.

The considerations for the new year are:

If there is a Chaitra-Vaiśākha Kṣaya Śukla-Pakṣa:

if an adhika Chaitra’ precedes it, then the ‘adhika Chaitra Śukla-Pakṣa starts the new year

if not, the Kṣaya Śukla-Pakṣa starts the new year

If there is a Phālguna-Chaitra Kṣaya Śukla-Pakṣa then it starts the new year

However, none of these above complications cause a change in the day of religious observances. Since only the name of the Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣas of the months will change in the two systems, festivals which fall on the Kṛṣṇa-Pakṣa will be defined by the appropriate changed name. That is, the Mahāśivarātri, defined in the amānta māna to be observed on the fourteenth of the Māgha krishna paksha will now (in the pūrnimānta māna) be defined by the Phālguna krishna paksha.

Year numbering

The epoch (starting point or first day of the zeroth year) of the current era of Hindu calendar (both solar and lunisolar) is 18 February 3102 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar or 23 January 3102 BC in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. According to the Purāṇas this was the moment when Śrī Kṛṣṇa returned to his eternal abode.Both the solar and lunisolar calendars started on this date. After that, each year is labelled 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 person’s true age is measured by the number of years that have elapsed starting from the date of the person’s birth, the Hindu calendar measures the number of years elapsed. As of 31 August 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.

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 first year (at elapsed years zero) and runs continuously:

Prabhava

Vibhava

Shukla

Pramoda (Also Pramodootha)

Prajāpati (Also Prajothpatthi)

Āngirasa

Shrīmukha

Bhāva

Yuva

Dhātri

Īshvara

Bahudhānya

Pramādhi

Vikrama (2000-2001)

Vrisha (2001–02)

Chitrabhānu (2002–03)

Svabhānu (2003–04)

Tārana (2004–05)

Pārthiva (2005–06)

Vyaya (2006-2007)

Sarvajeeth (2007–08)

Sarvadhāri (2008–09)

Virodhi (2009–10)

Vikrita (2010–11)

Khara (2011–12)

Nandana (2012–13)

Vijaya (2013–14)

Jaya (2014–15)

Manmatha (2015–16)

Durmukhi (2016–17)

Hevilambi (2017–18)

Vilambi (2018–19)

Vikāri (2019–20)

Shārvari (2020–21)

Plava (2021–22)

Shubhakruti (2022–23)

Sobhakruthi (2023–24)

Krodhi (2024–25)

Vishvāvasu (2025–26)

Parābhava (2026–27)

Plavanga (2027–28)

Kīlaka (2028–29)

Saumya (2029–30)

Sādhārana (2030–31)

Virodhikruthi (2031–32)

Paridhāvi (2032–33)

Pramādicha (2033–34)

Ānanda (2034–35)

Rākshasa (2035–36)

Anala (2036–37)

Pingala (2037–38)

Kālayukthi (2038–39)

Siddhārthi (2039–40)

Raudra (2040–41)

Durmathi (2041–42)

Dundubhi (2042–43)

Rudhirodgāri (2043–44)

Raktākshi (2044–45)

Krodhana (2045–46)

Akshaya (2046–47)

This system contains a concept of leap years similar to the Julian calendar . Every 4 years, there will be 366 days where the rest have 365. The starting point is Meshadi or Mesha Sankranti, (1st day of Meṣa or the Hindu solar new year). It is also counted on a daily basis. Beginning from 1 on the first day, it has presently reached over 1864000 days. This means that that many days have passed in the present Kaliyuga (1/10 of Catur-Yugas total).

Eras

Hinduism follows Hindu units of time containing four eras (or yuga, meaning age). The four yugas are:

Kṛta Yuga or Satya Yuga

Treta Yuga

Dwapar Yuga

Kali Yuga

They are often translated into English as the Golden, Silver, Bronze and Iron Ages, respectively. The ages follow a gradual decline of dharma, wisdom, knowledge, intellectual capability, life span and emotional and physical strength. The Kali Yuga began approximately five thousand years ago, and it has a duration of 432,000 years. The Dvāpara, Tretā, and Kṛta Yugas are two, three, and four times the length of the Kali Yuga, respectively. Thus, the ages together constitute a 4,320,000 year period.

A thousand and a thousand (i.e. two thousand) Chatur-Yugas are said to be one day and night of the creator Brahmā. Brahmā lives for 100 years of 360 “days” and at the end, he is said to dissolve, along with his entire Creation, into the Eternal Soul or Paramātman.

History

The Hindu calendar descends from the Vedic times. There are many references to calendrics in the Vedas. The (6) Vedāṅgas (auto Veda) called Jyotiṣa (literally, “celestial body study”) prescribed all the aspects of the Hindu calendars. After the Vedic period, there were many scholars such as Āryabhaṭa (5th century), Varāhamihira (6th century) and Bhāskara (12th century) who were expert scholars in Jyotiṣa and contributed to the development of the Hindu calendar.

The most widely used authoritative text for the Hindu calendars is the “Sūrya Siddhānta”, 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=first + ayan = travel of the sun, equinox) or Mārgaśīṣa. This is the month where the Sun crosses the equator, i.e. the vernal equinox. This month was called mārgashirsha after the fifth nakshatra (around lambda orionis). Due to the precession of the Earth’s axis, the vernal equinox is now in Pisces, and corresponds to the month of chaitra. This shift over the years is what has led to various calendar reforms in different regions to assert different 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 first month. Others may start with Vaiśākha (e.g. Bangabda). The shift in the vernal equinox by nearly four months from Agrahāyaṇa to Chaitra in sidereal terms seems to indicate that the original naming conventions may date to the fourth or fifth millennium BCE, since the period of precession in the Earth’s axis is about 25,800 years.

Regional variants

The Indian Calendar Reform Committee, appointed in 1952, identified more than thirty well-developed calendars, all variants of the Surya Siddhanta calendar outlined here, in systematic use across different parts of India. These include the widespread Vikrama and Shalivahana calendars and regional variations thereof. The Tamil calendar, a solar calendar, is used in Tamil Nadu and Kollavarsham calendar is used in Kerala.

The two calendars most widely used today are the Vikrama calendar which is followed in Nepal as national calendar and also in the Indian regions like western and northern India and the Shalivahana or Saka calendar 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 celebrate his victory against the Sakas in the year AD 78.

Both the Vikrama and the Shalivahana are lunisolar calendars, and feature annual cycles of twelve lunar months, each month divided into two phases: the ‘bright half’ (Śukla Pakṣa) and the ‘dark half’ (Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa); these correspond respectively to the periods of the ‘waxing’ and the ‘waning’ of the moon. Thus, the period beginning from the first day after the new moon and ending on the full moon day constitutes the Śukla Pakṣa, ‘bright part’ of the month; the period beginning from the day after Pūrṇimā (the full moon) until and including the next new moon day constitutes the Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa, 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 celebrated at separate points during the year and the “year zero” for the two calendars is different. 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 Baiśākha or Vaiśākha (April), or Kartak (October/November) in Gujarat. The Shalivahana calendar begins with the month of Chaitra (March) and the Ugadi/Gudi Padwa festivals mark the new year.

Another little-known difference between the two calendars exists: while each month in the Shalivahana calendar 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 final 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).

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

Nepali calendar with Bikram Sambat: solar tropical years

Most holidays in India are based on the first two calendars. A few are based on the solar cycle, Sankranti (solar sidereal) and Baisakhi (solar tropical).

Months and approximate correspondence

Indian months are listed below, numbered according to the Shaka calendar. The Shaka and Chaitradi Vikram Samvat years start with the Chiatra month: this convention is used in several regions including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. The Karttikadi Vikram Samvat year starts in the Kartika month: this convention is used in Gujarat.

# Indian Gregorian

1 Chaitra March–April

2 Vaisākha April–May

3 Jyeshta May–June

4 Āshāda June–July

5 Shraavana July–August

6 Bhādrapada August–September

7 Ashwina September–October

8 Kartika October–November

9 Mārgasirsa

(Agrahayana) November–December

10 Pausha December–January

11 Māgha January–February

12 Phālguna February–March

Nakshatras are divisions of ecliptic, each 13° 20′, starting from 0° Aries. The purnima of each month is synchronised with a nakshatra.

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 synchronised 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.

Date conversion

Converting a date from an Indian calendar to the common era can require a complex computation. To obtain the approximate year 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: add 3101 (Ascension of Lord Krishna at age 125)

Sri Krishna Samvat: add 3226 (Birth of Lord Sri Krishna)

Balabhi Samvat: add 320

Variations

In Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and many northern region of India months are Purnimanta (means month ends on Purnima or full moon). In Gujarat, Maharashtra, and other parts of many south Indian regions, months are Amanta (months end on Amavasya).

In inscriptions, the years may be gata (past) or current.

The Hindu Calendar – Panchanga

The Hindu calendar, also called Panchanga, is an ancient time reckoning system used for, among other things, determining the dates of Hindu festivals. It is a lunisolar calendar with many regional variations.

Multi-dimensional Calendar

One of the most striking features of the Hindu calendar system is its intricacy. It offers a multi-dimensional method of structuring time, combining information about lunar days, solar days, lunar months, solar months, the movements of the Sun and the Moon in relation to stellar constellations, and other astronomically defined time spans. This makes the Hindu calendar vastly more complex than the western calendar, which is built around only two basic units of time: solar days and solar years.

To complicate things even further, there is not one single Hindu calendar. Each country and region uses its own variant of the ancient system. The Indian National Calendar or Saka Calendar, the official standardized calendar of India since 1957, represents but one of many variations of the Hindu calendar. Still, there are some features that are common to all or most variants. These are presented below.

12 Lunar Months…

Months in the Hindu Calendar

Lunar Months Solar (civil) Months

Chaitra Mīna

Vaisakha Meṣa

Jyeshtha Vṛṣabha

Ashadha Mithuna

Shraavana Karkaṭa

Bhadra Siṃha

Ashvin Kanyā

Kartik Tulā

Agahana Vṛścika

Pausha Dhanu

Magha Makara

Phalguna Kumbha

The Hindu calendar uses a lunisolar system, meaning that it takes into account the apparent movements of both the Moon and the Sun, as seen from Earth. It is primarily based on the length of a synodic lunar month. Each of the 12 lunar months in the calendar encompasses the time it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth in relation to the Sun.

Each lunar month is divided into 30 lunar days. These are further grouped into two fortnights with 15 days each: a “bright” fortnight that comprises the waxing half of the phases of the Moon and a “dark” fortnight that features a waning Moon.

In most areas in northern India, the month starts on the Full Moon, while most people in southern India count the days of the month from one New Moon to the next.

…and 12 Solar Months

At the same time, the Hindu calendar tracks solar months, which are defined by and named after the zodiac signs the Sun traverses during different parts of the year, as seen from Earth. While the lunar months are commonly used to determine religious holidays and rituals, the solar time reckoning usually serves as the basis for civil purposes, so solar months are also referred to as civil months.

When Does the Year Begin?

In most regions, the year starts on the New Moon before the Sun enters the zodiac sign of Aries (Meṣa). This happens on or around the day of the March equinox, which marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

Added or Omitted Months

Since 12 lunar months amount to only 354.367 days on average, a leap month is added about every three years. This synchronizes the calendar with the length of a sidereal year, which is the time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun in relation to fixed stars. An average sidereal year lasts about 365.256 days.

A month can either be added or omitted. An intercalary month, called Adhik Maas or Purushottam Maas, is added when a lunar month starts and ends before the Sun has moved to a new zodiac sign. In the rare case that the Sun traverses a whole zodiac sign during the course of a lunar month, the month is removed from the calendar. When this occurs, another month is repeated elsewhere in the year, so the year always has 12 or 13 months.

Lunar Days and Solar Days

Hindu time reckoning applies a similar correction mechanism to keep lunar days and solar days in sync. It defines a lunar day as the time span in which the Moon moves 12° in relation to the Sun—a 30th of the 360° it travels during a synodic lunar month. A solar or civil day is defined by the moment of sunrise.

If a lunar day starts and ends in the course of one solar day, a day is omitted in the calendar, so the date may jump from the 5th to the 7th of the month, for example. On the other hand, if a lunar day encompasses two sunrises, the day number is repeated. In that case, two consecutive days are assigned the same number.

Nakshatra, Yoga, and Karaṇa

The Hindu calendar also tracks various other astronomical time spans:

Nakshatra: Also called lunar mansions, nakshatras are portions of the Moon’s orbit around the Earth, each measuring 13° 20′. They are derived from Hindu astrology.
Yoga: The yogas are portions of the combined longitudes of the Sun and the Moon, each measuring 13° 20′. Each yoga is associated with certain human qualities, deities, or other mythological figures, and each solar day is associated with the yoga reached at sunrise.
Karaṇa: A karaṇa encompasses half a lunar day. As with yogas, each karaṇa is associated with certain qualities, and each solar day is associated with the karaṇa that is active at sunrise.

Hindu Festival Calendar

The dates of many, but not all, Hindu holidays are determined according to the lunisolar calendar. In most cases, the festivals coincide with the Full Moon or the New Moon, or they are celebrated on the day after the Moon phase. Holidays based on the Hindu calendar include Maha Shivaratri, Holi, Guru Purnima, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Diwali.

Although a holiday generally occurs on the same day in all regions, its date in the calendar can vary, depending on the variant of the Hindu calendar that is used. For example, a holiday may fall on the Full Moon at the beginning of a month in regions where the months start on the day of the Full Moon. However, in regions that use the New Moon variant of the Hindu calendar, the same day falls on the Full Moon in the middle of the previous month.

History and Background

The Hindu calendar was developed in ancient times by various scholars on the Indian subcontinent. The earliest mentions of Hindu time reckoning can be found in the Vedas, a body of sacred texts of Hinduism, some of which date back to around 1200 BCE.

HINDUISM Understanding The Hindu Calendar

Hinduism (Sanātana Dharma) is truly defined (āstika) by the recognition of the authority of the Vedas and the application of the caste system (varnashrama). The many schools of Hinduism are thus classified based on the social group they belong to and their specific association with the sacred scriptures. This clarification is key to understanding the great variety of religious and regionalcalendars in this tradition.

In the Vedas’ six auxiliary sciences (vedangas), the science of jyotisha observes, calculates and interprets the positions of the planets, and the first two functions are studied as part of the treatises known as Siddhānta. This knowledge is applied both at the microcosmos or human level (Horā) and at the macrocosmos or world level (Samhitā), as the two realms are believed to be reflections of each other. The religious festival and ritual calendars are established within the macrocosmos. The calculation of the sun’s position during the spring equinox (sayana) is given priority over the calculation of its position with respect to the star or sidereal background (nirayana).

LONG CYCLES

According to Hinduism, the world was created as a succession of constantly expanding cycles. The larger ones are called “days (kalpa) and nights (pralaya) of Brahma”. The reason for their extraordinary length is that they are calculated mainly based on Pole Star cycles. Each kalpa is in turn divided into fourteen cycles characterised by the same “normative pattern”. They are Manus or manvantara. Each manvantara in turn has four “generational” sub-cycles (yugas) that are very similar to the “Ages of Man” you can find in ancient Greek and Roman culture (e.g. in Hesiod’s or Ovid’s works), which under Hindu tradition are linked to the four castes. According to this tradition, we are currently in the Kali Yuga or Iron Age, which is dominated by the character of the lowest caste (shudra) and where values (dharma) are almost unsustainable.

Yugas are in turn divided into 60-year cycles (samvatsara chakra), which are as long as five rotations of Jupiter around the Sun (5 × 12) and coincide with a conjunction with Saturn. The 60-year cycle is further subdivided into three 20-year cycles, each of them with its own character and governed by a specific aspect of the deity. These subdivisions could continue forever, showing how complex the Hindu calendar is.

THE SHAKA CALENDAR

The most widely used of the many Hindu calendars are the annual lunisolar calendars (samvat), which also have different degrees of strength. The best known of these are Vikram samvat (which was started in 57 BC) and Shaka samvat (which was started in 78 BC). India’s current official calendar is a 1957 reformulation of Shaka samvat. This calendar is also recognised by Hindu communities in Bangladesh, Indochina, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines, among others.

The Shaka calendar starts with the spring equinox, which falls in late March under the Gregorian calendar, and comprises twelve lunar months starting on the new moon. The official method for correcting the disparity between the solar and lunar cycles (the latter is shorter) is to add another month (Adhika-masa) approximately every two and a half years, although some variants achieve this by adding days on a more regular basis. Weeks are based on the planetary model that is also evidenced in most European languages. Each day starts and ends with sunset.

It is traditional in Hinduism to develop annual astronomical calendars or almanacs with all the information required to celebrate the religious rituals. These almanacs are known as panchangam because they provide a summary of mainly “five (panch) key pieces of information (anga)”: the lunar day (tithi), the lunar mansion and star (nakshatra and tara), the lunisolar angle (yoga), part of the lunar day (karana) and the planet that rules each day (vasara).

TYPICAL HINDU FESTIVALS IN BARCELONA

It would be impossible to include in this summary all the festivals – or even the most typical ones – in the Hindu calendar. However, there are enough Hindu festivals in Barcelona to properly illustrate the main categories:

❋ Festivals relating to processions and pilgrimages:

❋ Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival. This festival commemorates Jagannatha’s (a form of Krishna) visit to the temple during the month of Ashada (late June).

❋ Festivals relating to specific gods and goddesses:

❋ Durga Puja and Navaratri, both of them in honour of the goddess Durga. This is held on the full moon of the month of Ashvin (late September) and usually has a duration of ten days.

❋ Maha Shivaratri, or the Great Night of Shiva. This celebration is held on a night of waning moon in the month of Phalguna (late February)

❋Krishna Janmashtami. This festival commemorates the birth of Krishna (a manifestation of Vishnu) in the first half of the month of Bhadrapada (late August).

❋Popular seasonal holidays:

❋ Holi. This celebration, which is well known for its colours and bonfires and takes place during the full moon in the month of Phalguna (late March), celebrates love and joy as passing moods at the start of spring.

❋ Diwali, or the Festival of Lights. This festival celebrates the fertility and prosperity (attributes of Lakshmi) that come after the autumn equinox. It is held on the full moon of the month of Kartika (late October) and tends to last five days.

Hindu calendar

Hindu calendar is a collective name for most of the luni-sidereal calendars and sidereal calendars traditionally used in Hinduism.

The Hindu calendars have undergone many changes in the process of regionalisation. Some of the more prominent national and regional Hindu calendars include the official Nepali calendar in the himalayan country Nepal and in India Punjabi calendar, Bengali calendar, Odia calendar, Malayalam calendar, Kannada panchanga, Tulu calendar, Tamil calendar, Vikrama Samvat and Shalivahana calendar in the Deccan states of Karnataka , Telangana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

The common feature of many regional Hindu calendars is that the names of the twelve months are the same (because the names are based in Sanskrit). However, the month which starts the year also varies from region to region.

Most of the Hindu calendars derived from Gupta era astronomy as developed by Āryabhaṭa and Varāhamihira in the 5th to 6th century. These in turn were based on the astronomical tradition of Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa.

Regional diversification took place in the medieval period. The astronomical foundations were further developed in the medieval period, notably by Bhāskara II (12th century). The Indian national calendar or “Saka calendar” was introduced in 1957 based on the traditional Hindu calendars.

The following is a general overview of the Hindu lunisolar calendar.

Day

In the Hindu calendar, the day is the time between the sunrises. There’re five “concepts” (aṅgas). They are :

1) The Phase/Tithi

It refers to 1/30 synodic month, which coresponding to 12° longitudinal angle between the Moon and the Sun. Phase/Tithi varys from approximately 19 to approximately 26 hours. The phase decides the date of the day from the sunrise in the phase. If the there’re two sunrise in a phase, the second day is an extra day. If there’s no sunrise in a phase, the phase is a vancant date.

2) The Weekday/Vasara

Vasara refers to the weekdays and the names of the week in many western cultures bear striking similarities with the Vāsara. The term vasara is often realised as vara or vaar in Sanskrit-derived and influenced languages. There are many variations of the names in the regional languages, mostly using alternate names of the celestial bodies involved.

Sanskrit Name : Ravivasara or Bhanu vasara
Hindi Name : Ravivār
English Name : Sunday
Celestial Body : Ravi, Aditya = Sun

Sanskrit Name : Maṅgalavāsara
Hindi Name : Mangalavar
English Name : Tuesday
Celestial Body : Mangala = Mars

Sanskrit Name : Somavāsara
Hindi Name : Somavar
English Name : Monday
Celestial Body : Soa = Moon

Sanskrit Name : Budhavasara
Hindi Name : Budhavar
English Name : Wednesday
Celestial Body : Budha = Mercury

Sanskrit Name : Brihaspativasara or Guruvasara
Hindi Name : Guruvar
English Name : Thursday
Celestial Body : Deva- Guru Brihaspati = Venus

Sanskrit Name : Sukravasara
Hindi Name : Sukravar
English Name : Friday
Celestial Body : Sukra = Venus

Sanskrit Name : Śanivāsara
Hindi Name : Sanivar
English Name : Saturday
Celestial Body : Sani = Saturn

3) The mansion/ Nakṣatra

The ecliptic is divided into 27 Nakṣatras, which are variously called lunar houses orasterisms. These reflect the moon’s cycle against the fixed stars, 27 days and 7¾ hours, the fractional part being compensated for by an intercalary 28th nakṣatra titled Abhijit. Nakṣatra’s computation appears to have been well known at the time of the Rigveda (2nd–1st millennium BC).The nakṣatras are not just single stars but are segments on the ecliptic characterised by one or more stars.

4) The Yoga (1/27 synodic month)

5) The half phase, Karaṇa (1/60 synodic month)

A karaṇa is half of a tithi. To be precise, a karaṇa is the time required for the angular distance between the sun and the moon to increase in steps of 6° starting from 0°.

The 4 fixed karanas are : –

Śakuni
Catuṣpāda
Nāga
Kiṃstughna

The 7 “repeating” karaṇas are : –

Vava or Bava
Valava or Bālava
Kaulava
Taitila or Taitula
Gara or Garaja
Vaṇija
Viṣṭi (Bhadra)

Now the first half of the 1st tithi (of Śukla Pakṣa) is always Kiṃtughna karaṇa. Hence this karaṇa’ is “fixed”.

Next, the 7-repeating karaṇas repeat eight times to cover the next 56 half-tithis. Thus these are the “repeating” (cara) karaṇas. The 3 remaining half-tithis take the remaining “fixed” karaṇas in order.

Thus these are also “fixed” (sthira) and one gets 60 karaṇas from those 11 preset karaṇas.

The Vedic day begins at sunrise. The karaṇa at sunrise of a particular day shall be the prevailing karaṇa for the whole day. Together 5 limbs or properties are labelled under as the pañchāṅgas.

Hindu Month/Zodiac

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)) There are two traditions being followed with respect to the start of the month. Amavasyant (Amanta) tradition followed mainly in the western and southern states of India (namelyAndhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka,Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu) considers a new moon occurring before sunrise on a day to be the first day of the lunar month. Purnimant tradition, on the other hand, considers the next day of a full moon to be the first day of the lunar month. This tradition is chiefly followed in the northern and eastern states of India (Bihar, Himachal Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh). Having the two active traditions in practice would also mean that while the month names of the Hindu lunar calendar remains the same, there is on an average 15 days’ difference in starting and ending of the month between the two traditions. This has its effects in the dates of recurring annual events such as the holy month of Śrāvaṇa.

A month contains two halves(pakṣas), the waxing half and the waning half. Each half is 15 phases long. There are two different systems for making the lunar calendar :

Amāvāsyanta or mukhya mana system – a month begins with a new moon and ends at new moon(the waning half follows the waxing half), mostly followed in south India.

Pūrṇimānta or gauna mana system – a month begins with a full moon and ends at full moon(the waxing half follows the waning half), followed more in north India. Pūrṇimānta is also known as Śuklānta Māsa and this system is recommended byVarāhamihira.

Hindu Month Names

There are 12 months in Hindu lunar calendar :

Chaitra
Vaiśākha
Jyeṣṭha
Āṣāḍha
Śrāvaṇa
Bhādrapada, Bhādra or Proṣṭhapada
Ashvin
Kārtika
Agrahāyaṇa, Mārgaśīrṣa
Pauṣa
Māgha
Phālguna

Names of months are interesting. It depends on the aster-ism name, the moon is in at full moon day of the month. for e.g. Chaitra month is when full moon is in Citrā nakṣatra , Ashvin month is when full moon is in Aśvinī nakṣatra.

Seasons in Hindu Calendar

If the transits of the Sun through various constellations of the zodiac (Rāśi) are used, then we get solar months, which do not shift with reference to the Gregorian calendar.

Another example is when Pūrṇimā occurs in or near Viśākha nakṣatra, this in turn results in the initiation of the lunar month titled Vaiśākha Māsa.

Similarly, for the nakṣatras Viśākha, Jyeṣṭhā,(Pūrva) Āṣāḍhā, Śravaṇa, Bhādrapadā, Aśvinī, Kṛttikā, Mṛgaśiras, Puṣya, Meghā and (Pūrva/Uttara) Phalguṇī, the names Vaiśākha etc. at pūrṇimā, the other lunar names are derived subsequently.

Adhika Māsa in Hindu Calendar

When the sun does not at all transit into anyrāśi but simply keeps moving within a rāśi in a lunar month (i.e. before a new moon), then that lunar month will be named according to the first 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 transit is into Meṣa, then this month without transit is labelled Adhika Chaitra Māsa. The next month will be labelled according to its transit as usual and will get the epithet nija (“original”) or Śuddha(“unmixed”). In the animation above, Year 2 illustrates this concept with Bhadrapada repeating; the first time the Sun stays entirely within Simha rashi thus resulting in an Adhika Bhadrapada.

Extra Month, or adhika māsa (māsa = lunar month in this context) is also known as puruśottama māsa, it is said that the name has been given by Lord Vishnu as his name to this month.

This is been done for bridging of the lunar and solar calendars. Twelve Hindu mas (māsa) are equal to approximately 354 days, while the sun passes through the sidereal zodiac in 365 1/4 days. This creates a difference of about eleven days, which is offset every (29.53/10.63) = 2.71 years, or approximately every 32.5 months. No adhika māsa falls during Kārtika to Māgh.

A month-long fair is celebrated in Machhegaun during adhika māsa. It is general belief that one can wash away all one’s sins by taking a bath in the Machhenarayan’s pond.

Kṣaya Māsa in Hindu Calendar

Special Case:

If there is no solar transit in one lunar month but there are two transits in the next lunar month, the first month will be labelled by the first transit of the second month and take the epithet Adhika andthe next month will be labelled by both its transits as is usual for a Kṣaya-Māsa. This is a very very rare occurrence. The last was in 1315.

8 October to 5 November were Kārtika Adhika-Māsa.

6 November to 5 December were Kārtika-Mārgaśīrṣa Kṣaya-Māsa.

6 December onwards was Pauṣa.

Hindu Calendar

Month Names, 12 Month Names in English and Hindi

Month Names: Here we are covering 12 month names in English, hindi and total number of days occurring each month, special day and holiday in each month.

Time is a fascinating concept, and it’s one that has been divided and measured by humans in various ways throughout history. One of the most common ways we measure time is through the use of months. Months are the building blocks of our calendar, allowing us to organize our lives, track seasons, and celebrate important events. In this article, we’ll explore the 12 month names in English and Hindi, and provide a list of these months along with the number of days they contain, from January to December.

12 Month Names in English

The English calendar, often referred to as the Gregorian Calendar, consists of twelve months. The 12 month names in English provided in the table below.

12 Month Names in English

January February March

April May June

July August September

October November December

12 Month Names in Hindi

Here are the 12 month names translated into Hindi:

12 Month Names in Hindi

जनवरी फरवरी मार्च

अप्रैल मई जून

जुलाई अगस्त सितंबर

अक्टूबर नवंबर दिसंब

All Month Names

In our calendar, we find a total of 12 months, each with its unique characteristics, special days, holidays, and varying numbers of days. Below, we will cover the specifics of each month, providing comprehensive information about their individual attributes and significance.

January

January kicks off the year as the first month in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It boasts 31 days and is universally celebrated as New Year’s Day. In India, it holds special significance as Republic Day falls on January 26, and it’s also the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on January 23.

February

The second month of the year, February, typically has 28 days but extends to 29 in leap years, with the additional day known as a leap day. In India, February’s weather varies from mild and pleasant at the beginning to a warmer tropical climate by month-end.

March

March, the third month, boasts 31 days and is associated with the Roman god of battle, Mars. As summer approaches, temperatures begin to rise in India, with warmer conditions further south. The vibrant Festival of Colors, Holi, is celebrated throughout March.

April

With 30 days, April is the fifth month in the early Julian calendar. It can be characterized by hot and sunny days as spring nears its end. Rainfall is rare, and the skies remain clear. Notable festivals in this month include Baisakhi, Easter, and Good Friday.

May

May is the third of seven months with 31 days and falls as the fifth month in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s spring, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the height of summer in India, leading to generally high temperatures. Sunscreen and ample hydration are essential. May 1 is celebrated as May Day in many countries.

June

June, the sixth month, spans 30 days. In India, it marks the onset of the monsoon season, with heavy rainfall, particularly in the northeastern and coastal regions. Carrying an umbrella and raincoat is advisable.

July

July is the seventh month, offering 31 days on both the Georgian and Julian calendars. Monsoons reach their peak at the beginning of July, with increased humidity and lower temperatures despite cloudy skies.

August

The eighth month, August, is another 31-day month on both calendars. On August 15, India observes its Independence Day.While temperatures remain warm, rain showers are frequent, and overcast skies are common.

September

September, the ninth month with 30 days, marks the end of the monsoon season that began in mid-June. Rainfall can be light or heavy but is usually brief. September tends to be drier and sunnier in India. The celebration of Teacher’s Day occurs on the 5th of September.

October

October, the tenth month with 31 days, occasionally experiences rainfall and warming temperatures. It signifies the end of the monsoon season in India, heralding the return of warm and sunny weather.World Teacher’s Day is celebrated on the 5th of October.

November

November is the eleventh month, encompassing 30 days. As temperatures begin to cool down and the monsoon season officially concludes, most of India starts its tourist season. The average temperature in India during November is around 23°C (74°F), and November 14 is celebrated as Children’s Day.

December

December, the twelfth and final month in both the Georgian and Julian calendars, has 31 days. In India, December can be quite chilly, especially in the northern Himalayas. The worldwide celebration of Christmas takes place on December 25th.

12 Month Names in English and Hindi

Now, let’s explore the 12 month names in English and Hindi:

12 Month Names in Hindi and English

Month Names in Hindi Month Names in English

जनवरी January

फरवरी February

मार्च March

अप्रैल April

मई May

जून June

जुलाई July

अगस्त August

सितंबर September

अक्टूबर October

नवंबर November

दिसंबर December

12 Month Names List with Number of Days

Here’s a list of the 12 month names in English along with the number of days they contain:

12 Month Names List with Number of Days

Month Names Number of Days

January 31 days

February 28 days (29 in leap years)

March 31 days

April 30 days

May 31 days

June 30 days

July 31 days

August 31 days

September 30 days

October 31 days

November 30 days

December 31 days

The 12 months of the year serve as our constant companions, guiding us through the seasons and helping us mark the passage of time. Whether you’re planning events, tracking the weather, or simply reflecting on the cyclical nature of life, these month names in English and Hindi connect us to our history, culture, and the natural world.

Month Names in Hindi

Hindi, one of the prominent languages in India, possesses its own set of month names. The 12 Hindi month names widely used in North India – Chaitra, Vaisakha, Jyeshta, Ashadha, Shravana, Bhadrapada, Ashwin, Kartika, Agrahayana, Pausha, Magha, and Phalguna – find their astrological origins in ancient Hindu calendars and the Sanskrit language.

Here are the corresponding month names in Hindi:

जनवरी (January)
फ़रवरी (February)
मार्च (March)
अप्रैल (April)
मई (May)
जून (June)
जुलाई (July)
अगस्त (August)
सितंबर (September)
अक्टूबर (October)
नवंबर (November)
दिसंबर (December)

How Month Names pronounced in English

Learning to pronounce the names of the months in English can be a bit challenging, as they have origins from Latin and Roman gods. Here’s a guide on how to pronounce them correctly:

January – (Jan-yoo-air-ee)
February – (Feb-roo-air-ee)
March – (Mar-ch)
April – (Ay-prill)
May – (May)
June – (Joon)
July – (Jy-ly)
August – (Aw-gust)
September – (Sept-em-ber)
October – (Oc-toe-ber)
November – (No-vem-ber)
December – (Di-sem-ber)

Why February Has 28 Days

February has 28 days in a regular year and 29 days in leap years. This happens because of the way the Gregorian calendar is set up:

Most months in the calendar have either 30 or 31 days, but February is an exception with fewer days.

A standard calendar year consists of 365 days. However, it actually takes the Earth approximately 365.24 days to complete its orbit around the sun.

To account for this extra fraction of a day, an additional day is added to February every 4 years. This makes that year a leap year, having 366 days in total.

Therefore, in a leap year, February gets 29 days instead of its usual 28.

The Gregorian calendar was designed in this way to ensure that the calendar stays in sync with the changing seasons over long periods. Since February normally has the fewest days, it was chosen as the month for the extra day (leap day) to minimize disruptions to the other months.

Names of Months in Hindi

The traditional Hindu calendar, used in North India and some parts of South India, features 12 months that are synchronized with the lunar cycle. These Hindi months’ names hold astrological significance and trace their origins back to ancient Hindu texts and the Sanskrit language. Unlike the Gregorian solar calendar, the dates of the Hindi months’ names shift each year in accordance with the solar cycle. Understanding the traditional Hindi months’ names remains culturally relevant, particularly for festivals and religious observances.

The 12 Hindi months’ names, in order, are as follows:

Chaitra (March-April)
Vaisakha (April-May)
Jyeshta (May-June)
Ashadha (June-July)
Shravana (July-August)
Bhadrapada (August-September)
Ashwin (September-October)
Kartika (October-November)
Agrahayana (November-December)
Pausha (December-January)
Magha (January-February)
Phalguna (February-March)

These names not only mark the passage of time but also reflect the rich cultural and religious heritage of India.

Days Name in Month

The days of the week in our calendar have their origins in ancient Roman mythology, specifically from the seven classical planets: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. These days’ names in English trace back to the Old English period when Germanic people adopted the Roman naming system. In various other languages, the names of the days are also influenced by Roman and Norse gods.

Here’s a breakdown of the names:

Sunday is named after the Sun.
Monday is named after the Moon.
Tuesday is named after Mars.
Wednesday is named after Mercury.
Thursday is named after Jupiter.
Friday is named after Venus.
Saturday is named after Saturn.

Our modern calendar has an uneven distribution of days in each month. January, March, May, July, August, October, and December have 31 days. April, June, September, and November have 30 days, while February has either 28 or 29 days. These irregularities stem from the original Roman calendar and were later corrected in the Gregorian calendar in 1582. However, the number of days per month and their mythological names have remained consistent since Roman times.

Hindu Calendar: Days, Months, Years and Epochs

Background

Dating back to ancient times, different regions of the Indian subcontinent kept track of time using different types of lunar- and solar-based calendars, similar in their principle but different in many other ways. By 1957, when the Calendar Reform Committee established a single national calendar for official scheduling purposes, there were about 30 different regional calendars in use in India and the other nations of the subcontinent. Some of these regional calendars are still used regularly, and most Hindus are familiar with one or more regional calendars, the Indian Civil Calendar and the western Gregorian calendar.

Like the Gregorian calendar used by most western nations, the Indian calendar is based on days measured by the movement of the sun, and weeks measured in seven-day increments. At this point, however, the means of time-keeping changes.

While in the Gregorian calendar, the individual months vary in length to accommodate the difference between the lunar cycle and the solar cycle, with a “leap day” inserted every four years to ensure that a year is 12 months long, in the Indian calendar, each month consists of two lunar fortnights, beginning with a new moon and containing exactly two lunar cycles. To reconcile the differences between the solar and lunar calendars, an entire extra month is inserted about every 30 months. Because holidays and festivals are carefully coordinated with lunar events, this means that dates for important Hindu festivals and celebrations may vary from year to year when viewed from the Gregorian calendar. It also means that each Hindu month has a different starting date than the corresponding month in the Gregorian calendar. A Hindu month always starts on the day of the new moon.

The Hindu Days

Names of the seven days in the Hindu week:

Raviãra: Sunday (day of Sun)
Somavãra: Monday (day of Moon)
Mañgalvã: Tuesday (day of Mars)
Budhavãra: Wednesday (day of Mercury)
Guruvãra: Thursday (day of Jupiter)
Sukravãra: Friday (day of Venus)
Sanivãra: Saturday (day of Saturn)

The Hindu Months

Names of the 12 months of the Indian Civil Calendar and their correlation with the Gregorian calendar:

Chaitra (30/ 31* Days) Begins March 22/ 21*
Vaisakha (31 Days) Begins April 21
Jyaistha (31 Days) Begins May 22
Asadha (31 Days) Begins June 22
Shravana (31 Days) Begins July 23
Bhadra (31 Days) Begins August 23
Asvina (30 Days) Begins September 23
Kartika (30 Days) Begins October 23
Agrahayana (30 Days) Begins November 22
Pausa (30 Days) Begins December 22
Magha (30 Days) Begins January 21
Phalguna (30 Days) Begins February 20* Leap years

Hindu Eras and Epochs

Westerners used to the Gregorian calendar quickly notice that the year is dated differently in the Hindu calendar. Western Christians, for example, all mark the birth of Jesus Christ as year zero, and any year before that is denoted as BCE (before Common Era), while the years following are denoted CE. The year 2017 in the Gregorian calendar is therefore 2,017 years after the assumed date of Jesus’ birth.

Hindu tradition marks large spaces of time by a series of Yugas (roughly translated as “epoch” or “era” that fall in four-era cycles. The complete cycle consists of the Satya Yuga, the Treta Yuga, the Dvapara Yuga and the Kali Yuga. By the Hindu calendar, our present time is the Kali Yuga, which began in the year corresponding to the Gregorian year 3102 BCE, when the Kurukshetra war is thought to have ended. Therefore, the year labeled 2017 CE by the Gregorian calendar is known as the year 5119 in the Hindu calendar.

Most modern Hindus, while familiar with a traditional regional calendar, are equally familiar with the official civil calendar, and many are quite comfortable with the Gregorian calendar, as well.

There are 12 months in Hindu lunar Calendar:

Chaitra (30 / 31* Days) Begins March 22 / 21*
Vaisakha (31 Days) Begins April 21
Jyaistha (31 Days) Begins May 22
Asadha (31 Days) Begins June 22
Shravana (31 Days) Begins July 23
Bhadra (31 Days) Begins August 23
Asvina (30 Days) Begins September 23
Kartika (30 Days) Begins October 23
Agrahayana (30 Days) Begins November 22
Pausa (30 Days) Begins December 22
Magha (30 Days) Begins January 21
Phalguna (30 Days) Begins February 20

12 Months in the HINDU CALENDAR (lunar) :

Chaitra (30 / 31* Days) Begins March 22 / 21*

Vaisakha (31 Days) Begins April 21

Jyaistha (31 Days) Begins May 22

Asadha (31 Days) Begins June 22

Shravana (31 Days) Begins July 23

Bhadra (31 Days) Begins August 23

Asvina (30 Days) Begins September 23

Kartika (30 Days) Begins October 23

Agrahayana (30 Days) Begins November 22

Pausa (30 Days) Begins December 22

Magha (30 Days) Begins January 21

Phalguna (30 Days) Begins February 20

Twelve Hindu mas (māsa, lunar month) are equal to approximately 354 days, while the length of a sidereal (solar) year is about 365 days.

This creates a difference of about eleven days, which is offset every (29.53/10.63) = 2.71 years, or approximately every 32.5 months.

The twelve months are subdivided into six lunar seasons timed with the agriculture cycles, blooming of natural flowers, fall of leaves, and weather. To account for the mismatch between lunar and solar calendar, the Hindu scholars adopted intercalary months, where a particular month just repeated.

The choice of this month was not random, but timed to sync back the two calendars to the cycle of agriculture and nature.

Amanta, Purnimanta systems:

Two traditions have been followed in the Indian subcontinent with respect to lunar months: Amanta tradition which ends the lunar month on no moon day, while Purnimanta tradition which ends it on full moon day.

FESTIVALS/RITUALS

1. Chaitra

The month of Chaitra is also associated with the coming of Spring, since Holi, the spring festival of colour, is celebrated on the eve of Chaitra (namely, the last day of Phalgun month). Exactly 6 days after which the festival of Chaiti Chhath is observed.

In lunar religious calendars, Chaitra begins with the new moon in March/April and is the first month of the year. The first of Chaitra – is celebrated as New Year’s Day, known as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Chaitrai Vishu and Ugadi in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Other important festivals in the month are; Ram Navami, the birth anniversary of Lord Ram celebrated on the 9th day of Chaitra, and Hanuman Jayanti that falls on the last day (purnima) of Chaitra.

2. Vaiśākha

The harvest festival of (Baisakhi) is celebrated in this month. Vaisakha Purnima is celebrated as Buddha Purnima or the birthday of Gautama Buddha amongst southern Buddhists or the Theravada school. Purnima refers to the Full Moon. Known in Sinhalese as Vesak, it is observed in the full moon of May

3.Jyaiṣṭha

Vat Pournima is a celebration observed in Maharashtra and Karnataka, India. It is celebrated on the full moon day (the 15th) of the month of Jyeshtha on the Hindu Calendar, which falls in June on the Gregorian Calendar. Women pray for their husbands by tying threads around a banyan tree on this day. It honors Savitri, the legendary wife of Satyavan who escaped death for her husband’s life.

Snana Yatra is a bathing festival celebrated on the Purnima the Hindu month of Jyeshtha. It is an important festival of the Jagannath Cult. The deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, Sudarshan, and Madanmohan are brought out from the Jagannath Temple (Puri) and taken in a procession to the Snana Bedi. They are ceremonially bathed and decorated for a public audience.

Sitalsasthi Carnival is being conducted in this month on the day of Jyeshtha Shuddha Shashthi in Odisha for many centuries

4. Asadha

Guru Purnima, a festival dedicated to the Guru, is celebrated on the Purnima (Full Moon) day of the month. Prior to it Shayani Ekadashi, is observed on the eleventh lunar day (Ekadashi) of the bright fortnight.

5. Sravana

Shravana(jupaka) is considered to be a holy month in the Hindu calendar due to the many festivals that are celebrated during this time. Krishna Janmashtami, marking the birth of Krishna, falls on the 8th day after the full moon. Raksha Bandhan, the festival of brothers and sisters, is celebrated on Shraavana Poornima (Full Moon). This day in Maharashtra is also celebrated as Narali Poornima (Naral in Marathi language means coconut). In the coastal regions of Maharashtra i.e. Konkan, a coconut is offered to the sea for calming it down after the monsoon season. Fishermen now start fishing in the sea after this ceremony. Nag Panchami is also celebrated in many parts of India on the fifth day after Amavasya of Shraavana month. The snake god Nāga is worshiped. The last day of the Shraavana is celebrated as Pola, where the bull is worshiped by farmers from Maharashtra.

In TamilNadu (& also in Kerala) Aadi Amavasaya is celebrated with great importance in all temples. It is an equivalent to Mahalaya Amavasaya of north India.In Karnataka Basava Panchami is celebrated on 5th day after amavasya.

Shravani Mela is a major festival time at Deoghar in Jharkhand with thousands of saffron-clad pilgrims bringing holy water around 100 km on foot from the Ganges at Sultanganj.Shravan is also the time of the annual Kanwar Yatra, the annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as Kanwaria make to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to fetch holy waters of Ganges River

6. Bhādrapada or Bhādra also Proṣṭhapada

Anant Chaturdashi is a Jain religious observance is performed on the fourteenth day (Chaturdashi) of the bright fortnight (Shukla paksha) of Bhadrapad month.

Madhu Purnima (Bengali for ‘honey full-moon’) is a Buddhist festival celebrated in India and Bangladesh, especially in the region of Chittagong. It occurs on the day of the full moon in the month of Bhadro (August/September).

7.Asvina

Several major religious holidays take place in Ashvin, including Durga Puja (6-10 Ashvin), Dasehra (10 Ashvin) and Divali (29 Ashvin), Kojagiri festivals and Kali Puja (new moon of Ashvin),

8.Kartika

The festival of Kartik Poornima (15th day Full Moon) falls in this month, celebrated as Dev Deepavali in Varanasi. This coincides with the nirvana of the Jain Tirthankara – Mahavira and the birth of the Sikh Guru Nanak Guru Nanak Jayanti. And also, the well known festival, for the god of Sabarimalai, Ayyappan’s garland festival.

9.Agrahāyaṇa

Vaikuṇṭha Ekādaśī, the Ekādaśī (i.e. 11th lunar day) of this Mārgaśīṣa month, is celebrated also as Mokṣadā Ekādaśī. The 10th Canto, 22nd Chapter of Bhāgavata Purāṇa, mentions young marriageable daughters (gopis) of the cowherd men of Gokula, worshiping Goddess Kātyāyanī and taking a vrata or vow, during the entire month of Mārgaśīṣa, the first month of the winter season (Śiśira), to get Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their husband.

Kālabhairava Aṣṭamī (or Kālabhairava Jayanti) falls on Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa Aṣṭamī of this month of Mārgaśīṣa. On this day it is said that Lord Śiva appeared on earth in the fierce manifestation (avatāra) as Śrī Kālabhairava. This day is commemorated with special prayers and rituals.

10. Pausa

The harvest festival of Pongal/Makar Sankranti is celebrated on this month.

11. Magha

Vasant Panchami, sometimes referred to as Saraswati Puja, Shree Panchami, or the Festival of Kites is a Sikh and Hindu festival held on the fifth day of Magha (in early February) marking the start of spring and the Holi season. On this day Hindus worship Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music, art and culture.

Ratha Saptami or Rathasapthami is a Hindu festival that falls on the seventh day (Saptami) in the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu month Maagha. It marks the seventh day following the Sun’s northerly movement (Uttarayana) of vernal equinox starting from Capricorn (Makara).

12.Phalguna

Most parts of North India see early celebration of the famous Hindu festival Holi in this month. Holi is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month Phalguna (Phalguna Purnima), which usually falls in the later part of February or March.

The Hindu festival of Shigmo is also celebrated in Goa and Konkan in the month of Phalguna.

Hindi Months Name: 12 Months of the Year in Hindi and English

Hindi Months Name: All of us know the names of months in English because they are taught to us in school and also, in our homes, we use the English calendar. But do you know the Hindi names of these months? It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re a teacher, a student, or a standard person, no matter you’re, however, you use the month, year, week, etc. as a time unit. but the unhappy factor is that several people don’t know the hindi months name. Here, in this article, we will learn about the names of months in Hindi.

12 Months – English Months Name – Hindi Months Name

Months Name in English Months Names in Hindi

(Hindu Calendar) Months in Devanagari

January पौष – माघ जनवरी

February माघ – फाल्गुन फरवरी

March फाल्गुन – चैत्र मार्च

April चैत्र- वैशाख अप्रैल

May वैशाख- ज्येष्ठ मई

June ज्येष्ठ – आषाढ़ जून

July आषाढ़- श्रावण जुलाई

August श्रावण – भाद्रपद अगस्त

September भाद्रपद – आश्विन सितम्बर

October आश्विन – कार्तिक अक्टूबर

November कार्तिक – मार्गशीर्ष (अगहन) नवम्बर

December मार्गशीर्ष – पौष दिसम्बर

Hindi (Hindu) Calendar

A calendar is generally used to organize days, this is done by giving the name to the period like days, weeks, months, and years. There are so many different types of calendars used around the globe in different communities and one of them is our Hindi Calendar which we also call it Hindu Calendar or Panchang or Panjika. This Panchang is a set of various lunisolar calendars which is used traditionally in Indian sub-continents and Southeast Asia. There is a major difference between the English calendar (the Gregorian calendar) and the Hindi calendar.

Features of the Hindu Calendar

The main features of Hindu calendar are:

This is a multi-dimensional calendar which means it offers a multi–dimensional way of structuring time, combining information about lunar days, solar days, lunar months, and solar months also the movement of the Sun and the Moon in relation to the settler constellation.

It consists of 12 lunar months as well as 12 solar months.
Lunar Months Solar (civil) Months

Chaitra Mīna

Vaisakha Meṣa

Jyeshtha Vṛṣabha

Ashadha Mithuna

Shraavana Karkaṭa

Bhadra Siṃha

Ashvin Kanyā

Kartik Tulā

Agahana Vṛścika

Pausha Dhanu

Magha Makara

Phalguna Kumbha

 Seasons within the Hindu (Hindi) calendar year starts with a New Moon before the Sun enters the Zodiac sign of Aries (Meṣa).

 The Hindu calendar also tracks some more astronomical time spans like Nakshatra, Yoga, and Karana.

 The dates of many Hindu holidays are determined according to the lunisolar calendar which means that the festivals coincide with the Full Moon or a New Moon.

Seasons(Ritu) Months as per Hindu Calendar Months (Georgian Calendar/English)

Vasanta (Spring) Chaitra – Vaisakha March-April

Grishma (Summer) Jyeshtha – Ashadha May – June

Varsha (Monsoon/Rainy) Shravana – Bhadra July – August

Sharada (Late Monsoon/Autumn) Ashvin – Kartik September – October

Hemanta (Early Winter) Margashirsha (Agrahayana) – Pausha November – December

Shishira (Winter) Magha – Phalguna January – February

Differences between Hindu and English Calendar

Below are the main difference between the Hindu and English calendar:

English Calendar Hindu Calendar

The Gregorian calendar (English Calendar) is based on the earth’s revolution around the sun.

The Hindu calendar is based on the Moon’s revolution around the earth.

In this calendar, each month out of 12 months has 30 or 31 days except the month of February. February has 28 days normally. Every leap year Feb has 29 days.

Whereas here there are only 30 days in every month.

They add an extra full month after every 32-33 months by complex rules to cover the gap of previous days which is known as “Adhik Maas” or “Purushottam Maas”

According to this calendar, the year starts on 1 January The Hindu calendar begins in Chaitra (March-April).

The name of the months according to this calendar are January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December.

Here the names are Chaitra, Vaisakha, Jyaistha, Asadha, Shravana, Bhadra, Ashwin, Kartika, Mārgasirsa (Agrahayana), Pausha, Magha, and Phalguna.

As per this calendar, there are four seasons; summer, spring, winter, and autumn.

Whereas here there are six seasons; Vasant Ritu (spring), Greeshma (summer), Varsha (monsoon), Sharad (autumn or late monsoon), Hemant (early winter), and Shishira (winter season)

In this Calendar, the whole day is divided into 24 hours with 60 minutes in each hour.

Whereas according to this calendar, the day is divided into 15 muhurtas, each of which has 48 minutes and the night is similarly divided.

In the Gregorian calendar, the days of the week are named after Roman gods, as well as the sun and moon.

In the Hindu calendar, each week has seven days and those are named for Hindu deities. Each day also corresponds with a separate planet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. From which month does the Hindi Calendar start?

Ans. Hindi Calendar starts from Chaitra month (March-April).

Are You Curious to Know the Names of Hindu Months?

Hindu months names are based on the Indian calendar.

Hindu calendar includes 12 months. Let’s find out the more information about these months

12 Hindu Months Names

12 Hindu months are related to solar system. This is also known as Sanskrit Lunar Months.

Hindu Months Corresponding Gregorian Calendar Months

1. Chaitra April – May

2. Vaisakha May – June

3. Jyeshtha June – July

4. Ashadha July – August

5. Shravana August – September

6. Bhadrapada September – October

7. Ashvin October – November

8. Kartik November – December

9. Marghashirshya December – January

10. Pausha January – February

11. Magha February – March

12. Phalguna March – April.

What are the 12 Hindu Months?

Let’s know about 12 months in Hinduism culture.

Chaitra

Chitra is the first Hindu month. This is the Hindu New Year. This begins with the new moon in the April month as per English calendar.

Vaishakh

Vaishakh is the second month in the Hindu Calendar. In many Indian states the harvest festival is celebrated in the Vaishakh.

Jyeshtha

Jyeshtha is the third month of Hindu Calendar. It has 31 days. Traditionally, this month is considered as summer month.

Ashadha

As per the Hindu calendar Ashadha is the fourth month. This is a rainy season month.

Shravana

Shravan month is the 5th month of the Hindu calendar. Hindus considerer this month as holy month. Many people fast in this month and worship God and Goddesses.

Bhadrapada

Bhadrapada is the 6th month in the lunar religious calendar of Hindus. This month is very special for Hindus as people celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in Bhadrapada.

Ashvin

Aswayuja is another name for Ashvin month. This is the 7th month in Hindu calendar. This month has many important days and celebrations such as Navaratri and Durga Pooja in Hinduism culture.

Kartik

Karthik is the 8th month. In this month people celebrate Kartik poornima. It means, full moon day in the Kartik. This month welcomes many Hindu festivals such as Diwali.

Marghashirshya

It is the 9th month in Hindu calendar. This is the month of Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebration for Hindus.

Pausha

This is the 10th month and winter month as per Hindu calendar. This month corresponds with January month of English calendar.

Magha

Month number 11 is Magha. This month is named Magha because in this month the moon is found nearby the “Magha” star cluster.

Phalguna

Phalguna is the last and the 12th month in the Hindu Calendar. Hindus celebrate Holi and Shigmo that are famous Indian festivals in this month.

Hindu stories about Krishna for kids-

As a result of a calendar reform in 1957 C.E., the National Calendar of India is a formalized lunisolar calendar in which leap years coincide with those of the Gregorian calendar (Calendar Reform Committee, 1957). However, the initial epoch is the Saka Era, a traditional epoch of Indian chronology. Months are named after the traditional Indian months and are offset from the beginning of Gregorian months (see the table below).

In addition to establishing a civil calendar, the Calendar Reform Committee set guidelines for religious calendars, which require calculations of the motions of the Sun and Moon. Tabulations of the religious holidays are prepared by the India Meteorological Department and published annually in The Indian Astronomical Ephemeris.

Despite the attempt to establish a unified calendar for all of India, many local variations exist. The Gregorian calendar continues in use for administrative purposes, and holidays are still determined according to regional, religious, and ethnic traditions.

Rules for civil use

Years are counted from the Saka Era; 1 Saka is considered to begin with the vernal equinox of C.E. 79. The reformed Indian calendar began with Saka Era 1879, Caitra 1, which corresponds to C.E. 1957 March 22. Normal years have 365 days; leap years have 366. In a leap year, an intercalary day is added to the end of Caitra. To determine leap years, first add 78 to the Saka year. If this sum is evenly divisible by 4, the year is a leap year, unless the sum is a multiple of 100. In the latter case, the year is not a leap year unless the sum is also a multiple of 400. Table 5.1.1 gives the sequence of months and their correlation with the months of the Gregorian calendar.

Months of the Indian Civil Calendar Days Correlation of Indian/Gregorian

1. Caitra 30* Caitra 1 March 22*

2. Vaisakha 31 Vaisakha 1 April 21

3. Jyaistha 31 Jyaistha 1 May 22

4. Asadha 31 Asadha 1 June 22

5. Sravana 31 Sravana 1 July 23

6. Bhadra 31 Bhadra 1 August 23

7. Asvina 30 Asvina 1 September 23

8. Kartika 30 Kartika 1 October 23

9. Agrahayana 30 Agrahayana 1 November 22

10. Pausa 30 Pausa 1 December 22

11. Magha 30 Magha 1 January 21

12. Phalguna 30 Phalguna 1 February 20

* In a leap year, Caitra has 31 days and Caitra 1 coincides with March 21.

Principles of the religious calendar

Religious holidays are determined by a lunisolar calendar that is based on calculations of the actual postions of the Sun and Moon. Most holidays occur on specified lunar dates (tithis), as is explained later; a few occur on specified solar dates. The calendrical methods presented here are those recommended by the Calendar Reform Committee (1957). They serve as the basis for the calendar published in The Indian Astronomical Ephemeris. However, many local calendar makers continue to use traditional astronomical concepts and formulas, some of which date back 1500 years.

The Calendar Reform Committee attempted to reconcile traditional calendrical practices with modern astronomical concepts. According to their proposals, precession is accounted for and calculations of solar and lunar position are based on accurate modern methods. All astronomical calculations are performed with respect to a Central Station at longitude 82°30’ East, latitude 23°11’ North. For religious purposes solar days are reckoned from sunrise to sunrise.

A solar month is defined as the interval required for the Sun’s apparent longitude to increase by 30o, corresponding to the passage of the Sun through a zodiacal sign (rasi). The initial month of the year, Vaisakha, begins when the true longitude of the Sun is 23° 15’ (see table below). Because the Earth’s orbit is elliptical, the lengths of the months vary from 29.2 to 31.2 days. The short months all occur in the second half of the year around the time of the Earth’s perihelion passage.

Solar Months of the Indian Religious Calendar Sun’s Longitude deg min Approx. Duration d Approx. Greg. Date

1. Vaisakha 23 15 30.9 Apr. 13

2. Jyestha 53 15 31.3 May 14

3. Asadha 83 15 31.5 June 14

4. Sravana 113 15 31.4 July 16

5. Bhadrapada 143 15 31.0 Aug. 16

6. Asvina 173 15 30.5 Sept. 16

7. Kartika 203 15 30.0 Oct. 17

8. Margasirsa 233 15 29.6 Nov. 16

9. Pausa 263 15 29.4 Dec. 15

10. Magha 293 15 29.5 Jan. 14

11. Phalgura 323 15 29.9 Feb. 12

12. Caitra 353 15 30.3 Mar. 14

At right, Rajputs are leading a camel herd to Pushkar, India. Each year during Kartik Purnima, which is the full moon in the Indian calendar month of Kartika, thousands of Rajputs lead their camels across the desert to the town of Pushkar for the annual camel fair. They come to sell, buy, and trade animals.

Lunar months are measures from one New Moon to the next (although some groups reckon from the Full Moon). Each lunar month is given the name of the solar month in which the lunar month begins. Because most lunations are shorter than a solar month, there is occasionally a solar month in which two New Moons occur. In this case, both lunar months bear the same name, but the first month is described with the prefix adhika, or intercalary. Such a year has thirteen lunar months. Adhika months occur every two or three years following patterns described by the Metonic cycle or more complex lunar phase cycles.

More rarely, a year will occur in which a short solar month will pass without having a New Moon. In that case, the name of the solar month does not occur in the calendar for that year. Such a decayed (ksaya) month can occur only in the months near the Earth’s perihelion passage. In compensation, a month in the first half of the year will have had two New Moons, so the year will still have twelve lunar months. Ksaya months are separated by as few as nineteen years and as many as 141 years.

Lunations are divided into 30 tithis, or lunar days. Each tithi is defined by the time required for the longitude of the Moon to increase by 12o over the longitude of the Sun. Thus the length of a tithi may vary from about 20 hours to nearly 27 hours. During the waxing phases, tithis are counted from 1 to 15 with the designation Sukla. Tithis for the waning phases are designated Krsna and are again counted from 1 to 15. Each day is assigned the number of the tithi in effect at sunrise. Occasionally a short tithi will begin after sunrise and be completed before the next sunrise. Similarly a long tithi may span two sunrises. In the former case, a number is omitted from the day count. In the latter, a day number is carried over to a second day.

History of the Indian calendar

The history of calendars in India is a remarkably complex subject owing to the continuity of Indian civilization and to the diversity of cultural influences. In the mid-1950s, when the Calendar Reform Committee made its survey, there were about 30 calendars in use for setting religious festivals for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jainists. Some of these were also used for civil dating. These calendars were based on common principles, though they had local characteristics determined by long-established customs and the astronomical practices of local calendar makers. In addition, Muslims in India used the Islamic calendar, and the Indian government used the Gregorian calendar for administrative purposes.

Early allusions to a lunisolar calendar with intercalated months are found in the hymns from the Rig Veda, dating from the second millennium B.C.E. Literature from 1300 B.C.E. to C.E. 300, provides information of a more specific nature. A five-year lunisolar calendar coordinated solar years with synodic and sidereal lunar months.

Indian astronomy underwent a general reform in the first few centuries C.E., as advances in Babylonian and Greek astronomy became known. New astronomical constants and models for the motion of the Moon and Sun were adapted to traditional calendric practices. This was conveyed in astronomical treatises of this period known as Siddhantas, many of which have not survived. The Surya Siddhanta, which originated in the fourth century but was updated over the following centuries, influenced Indian calendrics up to and even after the calendar reform of C.E. 1957.

The author Pingree provides a survey of the development of mathematical astronomy in India. Although he does not deal explicitly with calendrics, this material is necessary for a full understanding of the history of India’s calendars.

Learning about Hindu Calendars

Calendars have been used for thousands of years to help us keep track of time and important events. Most of the world uses the Gregorian calendar, but did you know that there are more calendars still in use today, such as the Chinese calendar, the Islamic calendar, the Jewish calendar, and the Hindu calendars?

Do you know what calendars your ancestors used to keep track of cultural and personal life events?

Lunar and Solar Calendars

Calendars are usually based on the moon, the sun, or a combination of both. Lunar calendars, such as the Hijiri or Islamic calendar, are based on cycles of the moon. Solar calendars, such as the Gregorian calendar, are based on the position of the earth in its orbit around the sun. Lunisolar calendars, such as the Saka Samvat, use both the moon and the sun to calculate time.

To mark seasons and help organize Hindu celebrations and astrology, several calendars have been established throughout the centuries. At one time, there were 30 calendars in use in India! Some of the calendars used in Hindu countries today are the Saka Samvat, the Vikram Samvat, the Hijiri, the Tamil Calendar, and the Gregorian calendar.

Saka Samvat

Known as the India national calendar, the Saka Samvat is a lunisolar calendar. This calendar is also used in various countries in the Indian subcontinent, such as Bali and Java, and even exists in places outside that region, such as the Phillipines.

The Saka Samvat was adopted as the official calendar of India in 1957, and it is used in news broadcasts and government communications. It has 365 days divided into 12 months, similar to the Gregorian calendar. The new year begins during the month of Chaitra (around March 21 in the Gregorian calendar).

This calendar has a different starting year than the Gregorian calendar. Using the Gregorian calendar, the Saka Samvat’s year 0 is 78 AD, the year Kanishka the Great ascended the throne, an important person in ancient Indian history. This difference means that the Saka Samvat count is 78 years behind the Gregorian calendar, though 79 years behind from January to March. For example, the Gregorian year 2023 in the month of October is the year 1945 in the Saka Samvat calendar.

The image to the right is from The Gazette of India, an official publication that still uses the Saka Samvat. You can see that the date for this particular publication is written in both the Gregorian date and the Saka Samvat date.

Vikram Samvat

The Vikram Samvat is used in northern and western regions of India and other countries in the Indian subcontinent, is a lunar-based calendar. A lunar year is only 354 days, about 11 days shorter than a solar year.

To make up the difference, every third year, an extra lunar month is added. This month is known as Adhik, and is observed as a more auspicious month of the year.

This calendar in particular is used to keep track of auspicious days based on the Hindu religion. As one of the national calendars in Nepal, the Vikram Samvat sets the dates each year for important holidays and festivals.

The Vikram Samvat has a different starting year than the Gregorian calendar. Using the Gregorian calendar, the Vikram Samvat’s year 0 is 56 BC, which is supposedly the year the legendary King Vikramaditya invaded a neighboring land and declared the new Vikram era. This difference means that the Vikram Samvat appears to be 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar, though only 56 years ahead from January to April. For example, the Gregorian year 2023 in the month of July is the year 2080 according to the Vikram Samvat.

Hindu Calendar Names

There are several websites available to convert dates to help calculate your ancestors’ important dates.

Vikram Samvat Gregorian

Baishakh April–May

Jestha May–June

Ashadh June–July

Shrawan July–August

Bhadra August–September

Ashwin September–October

Kartik October–November

Mangsir November–December

Poush December–January

Magh January–February

Falgun February–March

Chaitra March–April

Saka Samvat Gregorian

Chhaitra March 21–April 20

Vaishakha April 21–May 21

Jyeshtha May 22–June 21

Ashadha June 22–July 22

Shravana July 23–August 22

Bhaadra August 22–September 22

Ashwin September 23–October 22

Kartika October 23–November 21

Agrahayana November 22–December 21

Pausha December 22–January 20

Magha January 21–February 19

Phalguna February 20–March 20/21

Hindu Festivals

Sacred days, holidays, and festivals are an important part of Hindu worship and culture. Whether based on the Vikram Samvat or the Saka Samvat, these special days are an important part of culture in the Indian subcontinent.

Given the months based on the Gregorian calendar, could you convert the below holidays to months based on the Vikram Samvat or the Saka Samvat?

Diwali, or the festival of lights, is a religious festival held usually between mid-October and mid-November.
Navaratri is a celebration of fertility and harvest. It is held in spring around March and April and in fall around September and October.
Holi is sometimes known as the festival of colors. Occurring in spring around the end of March, Holi celebrates new beginnings and triumph of good over evil.
Krishna Janmashtami is a celebration of Krishna’s birthday, usually in August or September.
Raksha Bandhan is usually held in August. This celebration honors the bond between brother and sister.
Maha Shivaratri is the great festival of Shiva and overcoming darkness and ignorance. Held in late winter around February and March, it is observed with prayers, fasting, and meditation.

Starting Your Hindu Family Research

Calendars are used to keep track of important life events, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Whether your ancestors used the Vikram Samvat, the Saka Samvat, the Gregorian calendar, or something altogether different, do you know when their important life events happened?

FamilySearch is a free genealogy site that helps you record what you know about your ancestors. Collect stories, records, and images from living family members to start building a time line of your ancestors’ lives. Once you’ve added all this information to FamilySearch, begin researching to learn more!

WHAT IS SO RIGHT ABOUT THE HINDU CALENDAR?

Time and space are two wonders, which extends infinitely behind and ahead of us at the same time. It has made human wonder and explore the outer realms of space and gaze at stars as if to search for patterns, regularities, periods and intervals. He sought answers on how to measure time, in the astronomical phenomena manifesting in the sky.

The primitive man hunted during the day and rested in the night. But, when he transformed from a hunter to a farmer growing crops, he inevitably needed to relate his agricultural operations to the sun and the moon. He started observing the cyclical pattern in seasonal changes and in the waxing and waning of the moon. The necessity of a developing a framework for time-keeping increased, as man grew as a social animal and engaged in more trades. To linearize the time-scale, he sought to calibrate it with the path and duration of sun, moon and stars in the sky.

Computation and calculation of time was a hallmark of all ancient civilizations. Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilization had their abiding interest in chronology and astronomy. The oldest and the largest civilization, the Indus valley civilization, was by far the most advanced and sophisticated in terms of chronological and astronomical acumen. They even had professional astronomers, called ‘nakshatra darshaks’ or ‘star gazers’, who meticulously observed and recorded the phases of the moon in reference to fixed constellations of stars. This method of calculation and its precision, sharply distinguishes Indian astronomy from the astronomy of all other countries.

How is the Hindu calendar different from Western calendar?

Difference of Western and Indian calendar lies in the frame of reference. The western calendar is based on the sun, where a year is defined as the time taken by the earth to traverse one orbit around the sun. Advanced scientific instruments have measured this to be precisely 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds. This solar year comprises of 12 arbitrarily designated months — all of which have either 30 or 31 days, except February, which has 28 in common years and, 29 every fourth year (called the leap year).

The Indian calendar is ingeniously based on both the sun as well as the moon. It uses a solar year, but divides it into 12 lunar months. A lunar month, is the time required for the moon to orbit once around the earth and pass through its complete cycle of phases. Furthermore, these months are formulated in accordance with the successive entrances of the sun into the 12 rashis or the signs of the zodiac derived from the 12 constellations marking the path of the sun.

Origins of Gregorian and Hindu calendar system

A brief historical preview of the Western calendars will help explain why the Indian system is so precise and scientific. The present day western calendar has its origin from the ancient Roman calendar. The term ‘calendar’ has it origin from the first month of Roman calendar- ‘Kalendea’. In 46 BCE, Julius Caesar announced a reformation in the system of dating, called the Julian calendar. It was the Greek astronomer, Sosigenes, who advised Caesar to have this new calendar, because he calculated the length of the solar year to be 365¼ days. To compensate for errors that had accumulated over previous years, Caesar decided to allocate 445 days to the first year. Not surprisingly, 46 BCE later became infamous as ‘The Year of Confusion’. Unfortunately, because of other misunderstandings, the new calendar was not in smooth operation until 8 CE.

In 730 CE, St. Bede the Venerable, an Anglo-Saxon monk, miscalculated and announced that the 365¼ day Julian year was 11 minutes and 14 seconds too long. On the basis of Bede’s calculation, the accumulative effect of the error in Julian calendar had shifted the dates by 14 days, by the 16th century. Displacement of almost a day per century! Pope Gregory VIII in 1582 and ordained a reformation to restore the calendar to its ‘correct’ schedule. The resolution from the Pope Gregory too was flawed because he estimated only a 10-day adjustment. And so the change was effected, by advancing the calendar by 10 days on 4th October 1582. The following day became 15 October 1582! The foibles in the omission and commission, was so evident that the vernal (spring) equinox which occurred on 21st March in 325 CE had shifted to 11th March in 1582!

Needless to say, the non-Catholic countries were reluctant to accept the new Gregorian calendar. It was not until the turn of the 20th century that Russia and Greece converted to Gregorian calendar system. England, too, adopted it very late in 1752. Many Christians abhorred the new system, because the New Year’s Day, which had until then been celebrated on 25th March, had to be moved to 1st January. The major bone of contention though was the Easter Sunday. The Christian ecclesiastical (church) calendar was originally bound by the belief that Jesus’ resurrection was on a Sunday, and so Easter should always fall on a Sunday. Later, it was decreed that the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox should be regarded as Easter Sunday. Despite all this, though, the date still varies from astronomical reckoning because certain important factors of the lunar period were not considered.

The present day Gregorian calendar commences from, the ‘year of grace’, which signifies the year in which Jesus was born, and the beginning of the Christian Era. The year is followed by the initials ‘AD’ which stand for ‘Anno Domini’, which in Latin means ‘in the year of our Lord’. But the Bible clearly gives reference to Jesus being born during the reign of King Herod, who died in 4 BC! All of Christendom now universally accepts that Jesus was born between 8–4 BC.

On the other hand, references from Vedic literature show that the knowledge of chronology (science of Time) and chronometry (scientific measurement of Time) existed even during Vedic times, thousands of years before the Christian era. Knowledge of planetary motions, constellations, eclipses, solstices, seasons, etc. has existed since the beginning of the Vedic age. A method of distributing time into various periods such as days, fortnights, months and years was adopted for the purposes of civic life, these divisions being intimately connected with the affairs of the people. And because of the very fact that the Indian calendar was devised to serve the affairs of day-to-day living, it was allowed the freedom of being both lunar and solar. The Rig Veda, cites months being lunar, but years luni-solar.

This means that there was a constant correlation between the solar year and its monthly lunar divisions. A lunar month is precisely 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes and 3 seconds long. Twelve such months constitute a lunar year of 354 days 8 hours 48 minutes and 36 seconds. To help the lunar months coincide with the solar year, the practice arose of inserting intercalary (extra) months. In general, 60 solar months = 62 lunar months. And so an extra month, called the Adhik Maas (extra month), is inserted every 30 months, approximately every 2½ years. Such a practice was prevalent even in Vedic times. An intercalary month mentioned in the Rig Veda {Vedamãso dhrutavrato dvãdasha prajãvatah; vedã ya upajãyate. (I/25:8)} proves that the month was added to preserve the correspondence between a whole solar year and the 12 lunations.

Such an adjustment assures that the seasons, festivals, etc. retain their general position to the solar year. That is why, for example, Diwali always falls between late October and early November. The omission of intercalary months to the lunar months would have resulted in festivals falling at different times of the year, every year. This is exactly what is lacking in the lunar month system followed according to the Islamic calendar, wherein Muslim festivals such as Eid and Ramadan never fall at the same time every year.

A lunar month is divided into 30 lunar days. Lunar days in the Indian calendar are called tithis. They, too, are calculated very scientifically using the difference of the longitudinal angle between the position of the sun and the moon. Each tithi is defined by the time required for the longitude of the Moon to increase by 12° over the longitude of the sun. The Vedic astronomers had knowledge the orbit of the moon around the earth was elliptical and calculated the duration of each lunar day(or tithi). The length of a tithi was allowed to vary in length from about 20 hours to nearly 27 hours. That is why we find at certain times, a tithi being ‘omitted’, and at certain times, two consecutive days sharing the same tithi.

Ancient Indian astronomers had terms for measurements of time as minute as 34,000th a second! The precision, accuracy and scientifically-proven system of Hindu calendar became popular in Nepal, Tibet, Thailand, Java, as well as the Islamic West and other regions of south-east Asia. Several Indian texts on astronomy got translated into Chinese, during the Sui and Thang Dynasties (581–907CE). Foreign astrologers and astronomers were attracted to India from as far as Persia and Arabia. David Pingree noted this positive influence during his extensive study of the history of Indian literature. He writes in Jyotishastra — Astral and Mathematics Literature, Volume IV– “The basic traditions of Indian astronomy imposed on these external [Babylonian, Greek and Islamic] systems its peculiar stamp, and transformed the science of Mesopotamia, Greece and Iran to something unique to India.”

The two-part lunar month

In the Indian calendar, the month follows the phases of the moon. The interval between two consecutive new moons (no moon) or full moons was the basis of calculating the length of a month. Two systems of month-reckoning were prevalent in different parts of India at different times: the Purnimanta system — in which the month ends with a full moon; and the Amasanta system — in which the month ends with a ‘no moon’ night. Each month is divided into two parts or pakshas- the Shukla paksh and the Krishna paksh. When the moon waxes from new moon to full moon, it is the Shukla paksh (light lunar fortnight). When the moon wanes from the full moon to the new moon, it is the Krishna paksh (dark lunar fortnight). Each paksh is consisting of 15 Tithis. The first day of Shukla paksh starts with Amavasya (‘no moon’) and reaches Purnima (full moon) on the 15th tithi, thereafter starts the first day of Krishna paksh, which ends in new moon on 15th tithi of Krishna paksh. This system of dissecting a month equally into two, and again into 15, is a truly ingenious, logical and simple.

The seven day week

The Hindu calendar system as per the Vedic scriptures does not have any mention about a week concept. This concept of a seven-day clustered week was adopted from the Greeks around third century CE. Vāsara or Vara refers to the weekdays whose names are based on zodiac planets. The Hindu names of the week show great correlation with other Indo-European calendars. For example the latin name of monday being Lunae, which means the moon, whereas the Sanskrit equivalent is ‘Soma’, and hence monday is ‘Soma-Vāsara’

Just like months, the Hindu calendar has two measures of a day, one based on the lunar movement and the other on solar. The solar day or civil day, called divasa, has been what most Hindus traditionally use, is easy and empirical to observe, with or without a clock, and it is defined as the period from one sunrise to another. Traditionally, and quite logically it seems, a new day begins at sunrise (not midnight), and the night, at sunset (not after noon or evening).

Seasons within the Hindu calendar

It is even more interesting, how the solar year was classified on the basis of seasons. The 12 lunar months of a solar year are divided into six ritus (seasons), each comprising of approximately two months. Since the seasons are solar based, each of the six seasons — Sharad (late monsoon), Hemant (early winter), Shishir (winter), Vasant (spring), Grishma (summer) and Varsha (monsoon)- commence around the 21st date (±2) of each even month of the Western calendar.

The Hindu calendar recognizes the importance of the summer solstice and winter solstice in a solar year, determining the six seasons. The Dakshinayana or the sun’s southern course starts from June 21 till December 21, during which the day-length is successively getting shorter until it is the shortest in december. The Uttarayana or the sun’s northern course progresses from December 21 until June 21, during which the day-length gets successively longer until it is the longest in June. Sun reaches the equinox twice in a year, during which the length of day and night are equal. The first point is Vernal Equinox in March 20(Vasant Sampaat). The other point is called Autumnal Equinox in September 22(Sharad Sampaat).

When does the year start?

The start of the year varies from one region to another, predominantly based on the cultural as well as agricultural harvest season. In most regions, the year starts on the New Moon before the Sun enters the zodiac sign of Aries (Meṣa). This happens on or around the day of the March equinox, which marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It is during this time of the year that the grains have been harvested and the new season of sowing starts. It follows the spring equinox (Vasant Sampat) and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year. The same date is observed as the traditional new year in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Tripura, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Sinhalese in Sri Lanka also celebrate the same day as their new year.

Hindu Calendars

The Hindu Calendar is of two types:

the solar calendar or the saura maana, and

the lunisolar calendar or the chaandra maana.

We will describe both in detail in this article.

The Basic Structure

The structure of the Hindu Calendar is of course composed of days making months making years. The system of describing days is the same in both the solar and lunisolar calendars. The system of describing months and hence years is what distinguishes the solar and lunisolar calendars from each other. We shall first describe the day, then the months and year of the solar calendar, and then the months and year of the lunisolar calendar. Then we shall speak about year numbering and the 60 names of the years.

The Day

The Hindu calendrical day starts with local sunrise. It is allotted five “properties”, called anga-s. They are:

the tithi active at sunrise

the weekday

the nakshatra in which the moon resides at sunrise

the yoga active at sunrise

the karana active at sunrise.

Together these are called the panchaanga-s where pancha means “five” in Sanskrit. An explanation of the terms follows.

Tithi

The angular distance (measured anticlockwise) between the sun and moon as measured from the earth can vary between 0° and 360°. This is divided into 30 parts. Each part ends at 12°, 24° etc. The circle ends at 360°. The time spent by the moon in each of this parts (i.e. the time taken for the angular distance to change by 12°) is called one tithi.

The month has two paksha-s or fortnights. The first 15 tithi-s constitute the bright fortnight or shukla paksha and the next 15tithi-s constitute the dark fortnight or krishna paksha. Tithi-s are indicated by their paksha and ordinal number within thepaksha. The 15th tithi of the bright fortnight (full moon) is called puurnimaa and the 15th tithi of the dark fortnight (new moon) is called amaavaasyaa.

The tithi in which the moon is at the time of sunrise of a day is taken to be the tithi for the day.

Weekday

The weekdays are as usual seven. They are (starting from Sunday):

Ravi vaasara

Soma vaasara

Mangala vaasara

Budha vaasara

Guru vaasara

Shukra vaasara

Shani vaasara

There are many other variations of these names, using other names of the celestial bodies of the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. The word vaasara means “weekday”.

Nakshatra

The ecliptic (circle on the sky in which the sun, moon and planets seem to move) is divided into 27 nakshatra-s, which are variously called lunar houses or asterisms. The starting point for this division is the point on the ecliptic directly opposite to the star Spica called Chitraa in Sanskrit. (Other slightly-different definitions exist.) It is called Meshaadi or the “start of Aries”. The ecliptic is divided into the nakshatra-s eastwards starting from this point.

The names of the nakshatra-s are given below. As always, there are many versions with minor differences. The names in parentheses give roughly the correspondence of the nakshatra-s to modern names of stars. Note that nakshatra-s are (in this context) not just single stars but are segments on the ecliptic characterised by one or more stars. Hence you will find many stars mentioned for one nakshatra.

Nakshatra to star correspondence

Nakshatra

Star(s)

Ashvinii

β and γ Arietis

Bharanii

35, 39, and 41 Arietis

Krittikaa

Pleiades

Rohinii

Aldebaran

Mrighashiirsha

λ, φ Orionis

Aardraa

Betelgeuse

Punarvasu

Castor and Pollux

Pushya

γ, δ and θ Cancri

Aashleshaa

δ, ε, η, ρ, and σ Hydrae

Maghaa

Regulus

Puurva Phalgunii

δ and θ Leonis

Uttara Phalgunii

Denebola

Hasta

α to ε Corvi

Chitraa

Spica

Svaatii

Arcturus

Vishaakhaa

α, β, γ and ι Librae

Anuuraadha

β, δ and π Scorpionis

Jyeshtha

α, σ, and τ Scorpionis

Muula

ε, ζ, η, θ, ι, κ, λ, μ and ν Scorpionis

Puurva Ashaadhaa

δ and ε Sagittarii

Uttara Ashaadhaa

ζ and σ Sagittarii

Shravana

α, β and γ Aquilae

Shravishthaa

α to δ Delphinis

Shatabhishaj

γ Aquarii

Puurva Bhaadrapada

α and β Pegasi

Uttara Bhaadrapada

γ Pegasi and α Andromedae

Revatii

ζ Piscium

The nakshatra in which the moon lies at the time of sunrise of a day is the nakshatra for the day.

Yoga

First, the angular distance along the ecliptic of any object on the sky, measured from Meshaadi (as defined above) is called the longitude of that object. Now when the longitude of the sun and the longitude of the moon are added, they produce a value ranging from 0° to 360°. (Values greater than or equal to 360° must be reduced to less than 360° by subtracting 360°.) Now this 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.) Now these parts are called the yoga-s. They are labeled:

Vishkambha

Priiti

Aayushmaan

Saubhaagya

Shobhana

Atiganda

Sukarman

Dhriti

Shuula

Ganda

Vriddhi

Dhruva

Vyaaghaata

Harshana

Vajra

Siddhi

Vyatiipaata

Variiyas

Parigha

Shiva

Siddha

Saadhya

Shubha

Shukla

Braahma

Aindra

Vaidhriti

Again, minor variations many exist. The yoga that is active during sunrise of a day is the yoga for the day.

Karana

A karana is half of a tithi. Since the tithi-s are 30 in number, one would expect there to be 60 karana-s. But there are only eleven. There are four “fixed” karana-s and seven “repeating” karana-s. The four “fixed” karana-s are:

Kimstughna

Shakuni

Naaga

Chatushpaad

The seven “repeating” karana-s are:

Bava

Baalava

Kaulava

Taitila

Gara

Vanija

Vishti

Now the first half of the first tithi (of the bright fortnight) is always Kimstughna karana. Hence this karana is “fixed”.

Next, the seven repeating karana-s repeat eight times to cover the next 56 half-tithi-s. Thus these are the “repeating”karana-s.

The three remaining half-tithi-s take the remaining “fixed” karana-s in order. Thus these are also “fixed”.

The karana active during sunrise of a day is the karana for the day.

The Month and Year of the Solar Calendar

Now that the days are defined, we shall speak of how the solar calendar reckons its months and year.

As has been previously noted, the sun is observed to travel along the ecliptic. The ecliptic is now divided into twelve parts called raashi-s, starting from the point of Meshaadi defined above and moving eastwards. They are:

Mesha

Vrishabha

Mithuna

Kataka

Simha

Kanyaa

Tulaa

Vrishchika

Dhanus

Makara

Kumbha

Miina

These are the Sanskrit equivalents of the zodiac – Aries etc.

The day on which the sun transits into each raashi before sunset is taken to be the first day of the month. In case the sun transits into a raashi after a sunset but before the next sunrise, then the next day is the first day of the month. (Minor variations on this definition exist.)

The days are then labeled 1, 2, 3…. till the first day of the next month.

Thus we get twelve months with varying lengths of 29 to 32 days. This variation in length is because the path of the earth around the sun is an ellipse. The months are named by the raashi in which the sun travels in that month.

The new year day is the first day of the month of Mesha. Currently, it occurs around April 15th on the Gregorian calendar.

This is the structure of the Hindu Solar Calendar.

The Months of the Lunisolar Calendar

When a new moon occurs before sunrise on a day, that day is said to be the first day of the lunar month. The days are not labeled separately from 1 as in the solar calendar, but the tithi is their only label. When two successive days have the sametithi, the latter is called an adhika tithi where adhika 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 kshaya where kshaya means “loss”.

The lunar month names are:

Chaitra

Vaishaakha

Jyaishtha

Aashaadha

Shraavana

Bhaadrapada

Aashvayuja

Kaartika

Maargashiirsha

Pausha

Maagha

Phaalguna

Naming Lunar Months

The naming of the lunar months is somewhat complex. It is based on the raashi into which the sun transits within a lunar month, i.e. before the new moon ending the month.

Extra Months

There are twelve raashi names, there are twelve lunar month names. When the sun transits into Mesha raashi in a lunar month, then the name of the lunar month is Chaitra. When the sun transits into Vrishabha, then the lunar month isVaishaakha. So on.

When the sun does not at all transit into any raashi but simply keeps moving within a raashi in a lunar month (i.e. before a new moon), then that lunar month will be named according to the first upcoming transit. It will also take the epithet of adhikaor “extra”. For example, if a lunar month elapsed without a solar transit and the next transit is into Mesha, then this month without transit is labeled adhika Chaitra. The next month will be labeled according to its transit as usual and will get the epithet shuddha or “clean”. [Note that an adhika month is the first of two whereas an adhika tithi is the second of two.]

An adhika maasa (month) occurs once every two or three years.

Lost Months

Now if the sun transits into two raashi-s within a lunar month, then the lunar month will be labeled by the first transit and will take the epithet kshaya or “loss”. Actually, the month “lost” is the month which would have been labeled by the second transit. For example, if the sun transits into Mesha and Vrishabha in a lunar month, then it will be called Chaitra kshaya. There will be no month labeled Vaishaakha. Sometimes a kshaya is named by both months, so: Chaitra-Vaishaakha Kshayain which case the implication would be that the two months have merged (for religious purposes, see below).

A kshaya maasa occurs very rarely. Known gaps between occurrence of kshaya maasa-s are 19 and 141 years. The last was in 1983 CE. Jan-15 through Feb-12 were Pausha(-Maagha) kshaya. Feb-13 onwards was (adhika) Phaalguna and notMaagha. Maagha was “lost” that year.

Special Case: If there is no solar transit in a lunar month but there are two transits in the next lunar month,

the first month will be labeled by the first transit of the second month (as usual) and take the epithet adhika and

the next month will be labeled by its first transit (as usual) and take the epithet kshaya.

By one calculation, the last such occurrence was in 1963 CE. Oct-18 to Nov-16 midday were adhika Kaartika. From then on to Dec-15 were Kaartika(-Maargashiirsha) kshaya. Dec-16 onwards was Pausha, not Maargashiirsha.

Handling of religious observances in case of extra and lost months

Among normal months, adhika months, and kshaya months, the earlier are considered “better” for religious purposes. That means, if a festival should fall on the 10th tithi of the Aashvayuja month (this is called Vijayadashamii) and there are twoAashvayuja months, the first adhika month will not see the festival, and the festival will be observed only in the second nijamonth. However, if the second month is Aashvayuja kshaya then the festival will be observed in the first adhika month itself.

A festival which is to be observed on a month that was lost will be observed on the corresponding “previous” i.e. kshayamonth. For example, the festival of Mahaashivaraatri which is to be observed on the fourteenth tithi of the dark fortnight ofMaagha was, in 1983 CE, observed on the corresponding tithi of Pausha kshaya, since in that year, Maagha was lost, as we mentioned above.

The Year of the Lunisolar Calendar

The new year day is the first day of the month of Chaitra. In case of adhika Chaitra or Chaitra kshaya the rules outlined above will apply.

Correspondence of the Lunisolar Calendar to the Solar Calendar

A lunisolar calendar is always a calendar based on the moon’s celestial motion, which in a way keeps itself close to a solar calendar based on the sun’s (apparent) celestial motion. That is, the lunisolar calendar’s new year is to kept always close (within certain limits) to a solar calendar’s new year.

Since the Hindu lunar month names are based on solar transits, and the month of Chaitra will, as defined above, always be close to the solar month of Mesha, the Hindu lunisolar calendar will always keep in track with the Hindu solar calendar.

Year numbering and names

The epoch (starting point or first day of the first year) of the current era of Hindu calendar (both solar and lunisolar) is BCE3102 January 23 on the proleptic Gregorian calendar (i.e. the Gregorian calendar extended back in time before its promulgation from 1582 October 15). 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 a unique feature of the Hindu calendar. All other systems use the current ordinal number of the year as the year label. But just as a person’s true age is measured by the number of years that have elapsed starting from the date of the person’s birth, the Hindu calendar measures the number of years elapsed. Today (as of writing this on 2005-05-18) the elapsed years in the Hindu calendar are 5106 and this is the 5107th Hindu calendar year. Note that the lunisolar calendar year will usually start earlier than the solar calendar year.

Apart from this numbering system, there is also a cycle of 60 calendar year names, which started at the first year (at elapsed years zero) and runs continuously:

Prabhava

Vibhava

Shukla

Pramoda

Prajotpatti

Aangirasa

Shriimukha

Bhaava

Yuvan

Dhaatu

Iishvara

Bahudhaanya

Pramaathin

Vikrama

Vrisha

Chitrabhaanu

Svabhaanu

Taarana

Paarthiva

Vyaya

Sarvajit

Sarvadhaarin

Virodhin

Vikrita

Khara

Nandana

Vijaya

Jaya

Manmatha

Durmukha

Hemalambi

Vilambi

Vikaarin

Shaarvari

Plava

Shubhakrit

Shobhana

Krodhin

Vishvaavasu

Paraabhava

Plavanga

Kiilaka

Saumya

Saadhaarana

Virodhikrit

Paritaapin

Pramaadin

Aananda

Raakshasa

Nala

Pingala

Kaalayukti

Siddhaarthin

Raudra

Durmati

Dundubhi

Rudhirodgaarin

Raktaaksha

Krodhana

Akshaya

Eras

Hindu mythology speaks of four eras or ages, of which we are currently in the last. The four are:

Krita Yuga

Tretaa Yuga

Dvaapara Yuga

Kali Yuga

They are often translated into English as the golden, silver, bronze and iron ages. (Yuga means era.) It is believed that the ages see a gradual decline of dharma, wisdom, knowledge, intellectual capability, life span and emotional and physical strength. The epoch provided above is the start of the Kali Yuga. The Kali Yuga is 432,000 years long. The Dvaapara, Tretaaand Krita Yuga-s are said to be twice, thrice and four time the length of the Kali Yuga respectively. Thus they together constitute 4,320,000 years. This is called a Caturyuga.

A thousand and a thousand (i.e. two thousand) caturyuga-s are said to be one day and night of the creator Brahmaa. He (the creator) lives for 100 years of 360 such days and at the end, he is said to dissolve, along with his entire Creation, into the Eternal Soul or Paramaatman or Brahma (different from Brahmaa).

Hindu Months Name & Corresponding Gregorian Months

There are 12 months in Hindu Calendar. Hindus Follows Lunar & Solar calendars.

In some calendar Chaitra is the First Month, In Some Calendars Baisakhi is the first month. Example in Bengali calendar Vaisak is the first month, in Gujarati Calendar Kartik is the first month of the year.

But all festivals falls on the same day as per Gregorian calendar.

Apart from these 12 months, Adhik Masa is there which falls once in 3 years.

1. Chaitra (March/April)

Chaitra is also known as Chet, Choitro, Chaitramu, Chaitram, Chaiti. In different regions, it is called with a different name.

Chaitra Masam or Chait Mahina is the first month in Lunar Hindu calendar. It is the last month in Bengali calendar & Nepali calendar.

As per Gregorian calendar, Chaitra Masa falls in March/April.

2. Vaishak (April/May)

Second Hindu month Vaishak Masam is also called as Vaisakha or Vishaka Mahina. In Orissa, Bengali and Punjabi calendar it is known as Baisakha. In Tamilnadu, it is called as Vaikasi.

The name of the month is Vaishaka came from the position of the moon near the star Vaishakha.

Bengalis celebrate new year day on Vaishakha Sankranthi.

As per Gregorian calendar, Vaishaka Masa falls in April/May.

3. Jyeshta (May/June)

Jyeshta is the third month in Hindu calendar.

In Bengal, it is known as Joishtho.

As per Gregorian calendar, Jyeshta Mahina falls in May/June.

4. Ashadha Month (June/July)

Ashadha is the third month in Hindu calendar.

Corresponding Gregorian calendar month for Bengali calendar is Asarh, the third month for Bengalis.

5. Shravan or Sawan or Sravana Masam (July/August)

Sawan or Sravana Mahina is the fifth month in Hindu calendar.

This month coincides with July and August.

Hindu women, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamilnadu, and Karnataka observes fasting by performing puja to Goddess Lakshmi, Gayathri, Saraswati, Parvathi, etc.

6. Bhadrapada Masam (August/September)

Bhadrapada is also known as Bhadra or Bhaado or Bhadraba.

As per Gregorian calendar Bhadrapada falls in August/September.

7. Ashwin or Aswayujamwin (September/October)

Ashwin month is also known as Asvin or Aswayuja. As per Gregorian, it falls in the month of September/October.

In Tamil calendar, this month is known as Aipasi.

8. Karthika Masam (October/November)

Kartika month is known as Karthikai or Kartika or Kartik.

In Gujarati, Calendar Kartika is the first month.

As per Gregorian this month falls in October/November.

9. Margashiram or Mrigashiva or Margashirsha (November/December)

Margasirsa month is known as Margashira or Mrigashiram or Agrahayana.

Agrahayana is derived from Agra = First, Ayana = Travel of the Sun (Equinox).

As per Gregorian this month falls in November/December.

10. Paush or Pushya Masam (December/January)

Paush month is the tenth Month of the year.

As per Gregorian this month falls in December/January.

It is also spelled as Pausha or Poush.

11. Magh or Magha Masam (January/February)

Magha is the 11^th month in Hindu Calendar.

As per Gregorian this month falls in January/February.

During this month, Magh Mela is the important festival celebrated in north India.

12. Phalguna Masam (February/March)

Phalguna month is also known as Phalgun. This is the last month in Hindu calendar.

According to Bengali calendar, this is the 11^th month & Chaitra is the last month.

In Gujarati calendar, this is the fifth month, as Gujarati New Year starts in Kartik month.

Hindu Calendar!? 12 Months-Copied by everyone as it is!!

Hindu Calendar is called “Panchang”(पंचांग) in Hindi. It generally follows the lunar cycle instead of Solar Cycle like in typical “Gregorian Calendar.” Hindu Calendar is in use in India since ages immemorial. The official Calendar of India is also based on Lunar Cycle Calendar which is “Saka Samvat”. Samvat is a Hindi translation of Calendar, Indian Government also uses Gregorian Calendar along with Hindu Calendar.

This Calendar is used by the native faiths of India like Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, etc. All these faiths follow Hindu Panchang for their day to day business.

Composition of Hindu Calendar

Hindu Calendar or Samvat or Panchang all are same, consists of 12 Months. It is very strange and fascinating thing that Hindu Calendar is the one which has been followed by every other Calendar in the world exists today, the only difference is that the names are changed but the basic structure is still exactly similar to the Hindu Calendar.

1. A month includes

a. Paksha (cycle of moon)

(I). Krishna Paksha: It is the phase of moon cycle in which moon is under ‘waning phase’. It goes from full moon size to no moon with each day diminishing it’s luster. This phase consists of around 15 days.

(II). Shukla Paksha: It is the very next phase of moon cycle starts just after the ‘waning phase’ finishes. It is also called ‘Waxing phase’ in which moon goes from no moon to full moon. This phase is also consists of around 15 days similar to the Krishna Paksha.

b. Tithi (the dates)

Tithi is the term that is used in Hindu Calendar referred to as dates in Gregorian Calendar. The Catch here is that date starts from 1 and goes up until 15. But again after 15 the date would start from 1 even if it is the same month.

It goes along with each Paksha (cycle of moon). When Krishna Paksha starts, the dates start from 1 and goes up until 15. Again when Shukla Paksha starts, the date becomes 1 and goes up to 15.

Pronunciation of Dates or Tithis in Hindu Calendar.

1. Padva (1st) 8. Ashtami (8th)

2. Dwitiya or Dauj or Dooj (2nd) 9. Navmi (9th)

3. Tritiya or Teej (3rd) 10. Dashami (10th)

4. Chaturth or Chauth (4th) 11. Ekadashi (11th)

5. Pancham or Panchami (5th) 12. Dvadashi (12th)

6. Shashthi (6th) 13. Trayodashi or Tyoras (13th)

7. Saptami (7th) 14. Chaudash (14th)

15. Amavas (when it is no moon or last day of Krishna Paksha) 15th

16. Poornima (when it is full moon or last day of Shukla Paksha) 15th

Circulation of Hindu Calendar

In Hindu Calendar there is no concept of adjusting the due dates of the year into the month of February after every 4 years or so. In Hindu Calendar each moth according to the cycle of the moon adjust dates each month. That’s why it is very common in Hindu Calendar that sometimes we miss tithis or skip them. And sometimes two days consists of same Tithi.

For example if today is Dauj (2^nd) it might happen that tomorrow would also be Dauj or tomorrow would be Chauth or Chaturth (4^th). It all depends on moon cycle, the most fascinating thing about Hindu Calendar is that it has been calculated for thousands of years in future as to at which date which moon phase would be there and Tithis are assigned already, some few thousands of years back by Hindu Mathematicians and Astrologers. Even today same calculated Calendar is being followed and there is not even a zilch of mistake in that calculation.

Hindu Festivals and Hindu Calendar

Hindus all over the world follows this Calendar and all their festivals are in sync with it. Irrespective of the last year celebration day of Diwali, it is not sure that next year would also be the same Gregorian date. It would differ, but Tithi would remain same for the next year as it was last year for any Hindu festival.

1. Ram Navmi (Birth of Bhagwan Ram) – It is celebrated on the Navmi (9th) of Shukla Paksha in the Month of Chaitra (The very first month of Hindu Calendar)

2. Hanuman Jayanti (Birth of Hanuman, the servant of Bhagwan Ram) – It is celebrated on the Poornima (15th) of Shukla Paksha in the Month of Chaitra.

3. Diwali – It is celebrated on the Amavas (15th) day of Krishna Paksha in the Month of Kartika or the 8th Month of Hindu Calendar.

Hindus are the Oldest and the Only living civilization in this entire world. They are the most ancient by their culture, no one is older than them. Their heritage and their knowledge is very rooted inside the science and logic. But because of the long centuries of subjugation by Muslim and British Invaders, their development was hampered. Now they are rising again and doing the same good things that they have been doing since ages along with following their roots and culture.

Name of 12 months in Marathi and English – Hindu Months in Marathi

Hindu months name in Marathi language

There are 12 months in Hindu lunar Calendar.Marathi months do not exactly match with English months.

January – जानेवारी

February – फेब्रुवारी

March – मार्च

April – एप्रिल

May – मे

June – जून

July – जुलै

August – ऑगस्ट

September – सप्टेंबर

October – ऑक्टोबर

November – नोव्हेंबर

December – डिसेंबर

चैत्र – Chaitra

वैशाख – Vaishakh

ज्येष्ठ – Jeshta

आषाढ – Ashad

श्रावण – Shravan

भाद्रपद – Bhadrapad

आश्विन – Ashwin

कार्तिक – Kartik

मार्गशीर्ष – Margashirshya

पौष – Paush

माघ – Maagh

फाल्गुन – Falgun

चैत्र – Chaitra – April to May

Chaitra begins with the new moon in April. The first day of this month is called Gudi Padwa, which marks the day of Hindu new year.

वैशाख – Vaishakh – May to June

Akshay trutiya is celebrated in Vaishakh.It is season of crop harvesting and the second month of hindu calendar.

ज्येष्ठ – Jeshta – June to July

Maharashtrians celebrate vat purnima in this month. This is third month of hindu calendar.

आषाढ – Ashad – July to August

In this fourth month, Maharashtrians celebrate Gurupurnima and ashadi ekadashi celebrate.

श्रावण – Shravan – August to September

This fifth month brings also the festivals of Naagpanchimi and Narali purnima.

भाद्रपद – Bhadrapad – September to October

This is month marks the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.

आश्विन – Ashwin – October to November

Navratri celebrated in the seventh month of Ashwin.

कार्तिक – Kartik – November to December

Diwali is celebrated in the month of Kartik.

मार्गशीर्ष – Margashirshya – December to January

Dattajayanti is celebrated in Margashirshya

पौष – Paush – January to February

Sankranti is celebrated in this month.

माघ – Maagh – February to March

Mahashivratri is celebrated in this month. On this day, people worship lord Mahadev.

फाल्गुन – Falgun – March to April

This is last month in the Hindu calendar. Holi is celebrated in this month.

जर तुम्हाला Months flashcard पाहिजे असतील तर आम्हाला ई-मेल करा.

Hindu Month Name Importance in Detail:

1. Chaitra

The period between March to April is recognized as Chaitra. Chaitra is the first month of the year, according to the Hindu calendar. Various Hindu festivals fall between March to April. The starting day of Chaitra is celebrated as ‘Gudi Parwa’ popularly known as New Year’s Day in Maharashtra. Chaitra Vishu in Tamil Nadu and Ugadi in Karnataka is also celebrated by several people.

Also, Ram Navami, which is remembered as the birthday of Lord Ram and Hanuman Jayanti, is celebrated by Hindus in this auspicious month of Chaitra. The famous Bengali festival ‘Charak puja’ falls in this month only. The Meaning of the Word ‘Chaitra’ is spring.

Festival:

Gudi Parwa
Chaitra Vishu
Ram Navami
Hanuman Jayanti
Charak puja
Somvati Amavasya

2. Vaisakha

The month of April /May in the Gregorian calendar is named ‘Vaisakha’ in the Hindu calendar. Vaisakha starts on 15th April and ends on 15th May. The first day of Vaisakha is celebrated with Bengali New Year. This particular day marks the starting of a business in West Bengal. Generally, people celebrate this day by giving sweets to customers. According to the Punjabi calendar, this auspicious month of Vaisakha is known for its Harvest festival and it marks the Punjabi New year.

Vaisakha Purnima marks the birthday of Lord Gautama Buddha and people from South East Asia celebrate this day joyously. In Tamil Nadu, Vaisakha Purnima holds great importance as it marks the birthday of Lord Murugan. Narasimha Jayanthi Festival is also celebrated in the most famous Lakshmi Narasimha Swamivari Temple.

Festival:

Bengali New Year
Vaisakha Purnima
Narasimha Jayanthi

3. Jyeshtha

According to the Hindu calendar, Jyeshtha is the third month of the year. Also named Joishtho in Bengali. The period between May to June is known as Jyeshtha. Various Hindu festivals are celebrated this month. On the New moon day or Amavasya, Shani Dev Jayanti is celebrated. On the 10th day of Jyeshtha, Ganga Dussehra is celebrated to get rid of our sins. In Maharashtra, Vat Purnima is celebrated on 15th June. This festival holds utter importance as wives pray for their husband’s long lives by tying thread around the banyan tree to honour Savitri.

The important festival of Jagannath Cult is Snana Yatra where the idols of Jagannath Temple are given a religious bath and decorated beautifully. Sitalsasthi Carnival is also an auspicious festival celebrated in Odisha in the month of Jyeshtha.

Festival:

Shani Dev Jayanti
Ganga Dussehra
Vat Purnima
Jagannath Cult

4. Ashadha

In the Hindu calendar, the fourth month of the year is referred to as Ashadha or Aadi. Ashadha lies between 22nd June to 22nd July and it starts on the new moon. The first festival celebrated in Ashadha is Rath Yatra. Rath Yatra is a festival dedicated to Lord Jagannath and is mainly celebrated in Puri. Guru Purnima is a festival dedicated to our teachers, and it is celebrated in Purnima.

Other festivals like Shayani Ekadashi and Aadi Amavasya are other festivals celebrated in Tamil Nadu. The beginning of the Monsoon season is celebrated by farmers by throwing muds at each other and singing plantation songs. They also eat rice and curd in this season.

Festival:

Rath Yatra
Guru Purnima
Shayani Ekadashi
Aadi Amavasya

5. Shraavana

Shraavana starts in the last days of July and ends in the third week of August. It is the second month of monsoon and heavy rainfall is experienced in the whole month. Shraavana is auspicious for Hindus because usually, people keep fast in this month. People worship Lord Shiva on Monday and Goddess Parvati on Tuesday. Festivals celebrated this month are Raksha Bandhan, Krishna Janmashtami, Narya Poornima, Nag Panchami, Basava Panchami, Avani Avittam Shri Baladeva birthday, Gamha Purnima, Kajari Purnima, Pavitropana Pavitra Ekadashi, Jandhyam Poornima, Salono, pola, and Shravani Mela.

Festival:

Raksha Bandhan
Krishna Janmashtami
Narya Poornima
Nag Panchami
Basava Panchami
Avani Avittam Shri Baladeva birthday
Gamha Purnima
Kajari Purnima
Pavitropana Pavitra Ekadashi
Jandhyam Poornima
Salono
pola
Shravani Mela

6. Bhadrapada

Bhadrapada is the sixth month of the Hindu calendar. It starts on 23^rd August and ends on 22^nd September. List of famous festivals celebrated in the month of Bhadrapada are Krishna Janmashtami, Radha Janmashtami, Haritalika Tritiya, Ganesh Chaturthi, Karam, Rishi Panchami, Shukla Chaturdashi, Anant Chaturdashi, and Madhu Purnima. In some parts of Tamil Nadu, people visit Vaishnava temples during this month.

Festival:

Krishna Janmashtami
Radha Janmashtami
Haritalika Tritiya
Ganesh Chaturthi
Karam
Rishi Panchami
Shukla Chaturdashi
Anant Chaturdashi
Madhu Purnima

7. Ashvin

Ashvin is the seventh month of the year, according to the Hindu calendar. It is also known as Aswayuja. Ashvin lies between September and October in the autumn season. Festivals celebrated in this auspicious month are Navaratri, Durga Puja, Kojagiri Purnima, Vijayadashami or Dussehra, Diwali festival including Dhanteras, Naraka Chaturdasi, Lakshmi Puja, and Kali Puja.

Festival:

Navaratri
Durga Puja
Kojagiri Purnima
Vijayadashami
Dussehra
Diwali
Dhanteras
Naraka Chaturdasi
Lakshmi Puja
Kali Puja
Sakat Chauth

8. Kartika

Kartika is the eighth month of the year, according to the Hindu calendar. Kartika lies between October and November. Kartik Poornima, which is also known as Dev Deepavali, is celebrated this month. Lord Mahavira Nirvana and Sikh Guru Nanak’s birthday also falls in this month. Bharatrudwitiya is a festival celebrated by brothers and sisters all over the country and it falls on the second day of Kartika.

Some other festivals celebrated this month are Balipratipada, Govardhan Puja, Bhai Dooj, Kartik Poornima, Sohrai, Kartik Ekadashi, Diwali, and Nag Nathaiya.

Festival:

Kartik Poornima also known as Dev Deepavali
Mahavira Nirvana
Guru Nanak’s birthday
Bharatrudwitiya
Balipratipada
Govardhan Puja
Bhai Dooj
Kartik Poornima
Sohrai
Kartik Ekadashi
Diwali
Nag Nathaiya

9. Agrahayana

Agrahayana is the ninth month of the year, according to the Hindu calendar. It lies between December and January. According to some religious beliefs, Agrahayana starts with the entry of the sun into Sagittarius. Festivals like Bhairava Ashtami, Mokṣadā Ekādaśī, and Manabasa Gurubara are celebrated this month.

Festival:

Bhairava Ashtami
Mokṣadā Ekādaśī
Manabasa Gurubara

10. Pausha

Pausha is the tenth month of the year, according to the Hindu calendar. It lies between December and January. The starting and ending date of this month varies every year. Some important festivals like Makar Sankranti and Pongal fall in this month. In Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamyvari Temple, people celebrate Pausa Bahula Amavasya’s day.

Festival:

Makar Sankranti
Pongal
Pausa Bahula Amavasya

11. Magha

Magha is the eleventh month of the year, according to the Hindu calendar. Magha is the name of a famous Sanskrit poet. Some festivals like Vasant Panchami and Saraswati are celebrated this month.

Festival:

Vasant Panchami

12. Phalguna

Phalguna is the last month of the year, according to the Hindu calendar. It lies between February and March. For people living in Gujarat, Phalguna is the fifth month of the year. Festivals like Holi, Shivratri, Gaura-Purnima, Shigmo are celebrated this month.

Festival:

Holi
Shivratri
Gaura-Purnima
Shigmo

Hindu Month: FAQ

Which month is good for marriage in hindu

January (15, 20, 23, 27, 28, 29)
February (05, 11, 18, 21, 22)
March (04)
April (17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 28)
May (02, 03, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 20, 25, 26, 31)
June (06, 08, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22)
July (03, 05, 06, 08)
November (04, 21, 24, 25, 27)
December (02, 07, 08, 09, 14)

What is the first month of hindu calendar

The period between March to April is recognized as Chaitra. Chaitra is the first month of the year, according to the Hindu calendar.

Which hindu month is diwali observed on

Kartika
Kartika is the eighth month of the year, according to the Hindu calendar. Kartika lies between October and November.

May month in hindu calendar

Jyeshtha is the third month of the year. Also named Joishtho in Bengali. The period between May to June is known as Jyeshtha. Various Hindu festivals Shani Dev Jayanti
Ganga Dussehra, Vat Purnima, Jagannath Cult celebrated in the month of Jyeshtha.

Hindu calendar

The Hindu calendar is of two types:

the solar calendar or the saura māna

the lunisolar calendar or the chāndra māna

Both are described in this article.

Basic structure

The structure of the Hindu calendar is of course composed of days making months making years. The system of describing days is the same in both the solar and lunisolar calendars. The system of describing months and hence years is what distinguishes the solar and lunisolar calendars from each other. We shall first describe the day, then the months and year of the solar calendar, and then the months and year of the lunisolar calendar. Then we shall speak about year numbering and the 60 names of the years.

Day

The Hindu calendrical day starts with local sunrise. It is allotted five “properties”, called anga-s. They are:

the tithi active at sunrise

the weekday

the nakshatra in which the moon resides at sunrise

the yoga active at sunrise

the karana active at sunrise.

Together these are called the panchānga-s where pancha means “five” in Sanskrit. An explanation of the terms follows.

Tithi

The month has two paksha-s or fortnights. The first 15 tithi-s constitute the bright fortnight or shukla paksha and the next 15 tithi-s constitute the dark fortnight or krishna paksha. tithi-s are indicated by their paksha and ordinal number within the paksha. The 15th tithi of the bright fortnight (full moon) is called pūrnimā and the 15th tithi of the dark fortnight (new moon) is called amāvāsyā.

The tithi in which the moon is at the time of sunrise of a day is taken to be the tithi for the day.

Weekday

The weekdays are as usual seven. They are (starting from Sunday):

Ravi vāsara

Soma vāsara

Mangala vāsara

Budha vāsara

Guru vāsara

Shukra vāsara

Shani vāsara

There are many other variations of these names, using other names of the celestial bodies of the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. The word vāsara means “weekday”.

Nakshatra

The ecliptic (circle on the sky in which the sun, moon and planets seem to move) is divided into 27 nakshatra-s, which are variously called lunar houses or asterisms. The starting point for this division is the point on the ecliptic directly opposite to the star Spica called Chitrā in Sanskrit. (Other slightly-different definitions exist.) It is called Meshādi or the “start of Aries”. The ecliptic is divided into the nakshatra-s eastwards starting from this point.

Ashvinī β and γ Arietis

Bharanī 35, 39, and 41 Arietis

Krittikā Pleiades

Rohinī Aldebaran

Mrighashīrsha λ, φ Orionis

Ārdrā Betelgeuse

Punarvasu Castor and Pollux

Pushya γ, δ and θ Cancri

Āshleshā δ, ε, η, ρ, and σ Hydrae

Maghā Regulus

Pūrva Phalgunī δ and θ Leonis

Uttara Phalgunī Denebola

Hasta α to ε Corvi

Chitrā Spica

Svātī Arcturus

Vishākhā α, β, γ and ι Librae

Anūrādha β, δ and π Scorpionis

Jyeshtha α, σ, and τ Scorpionis

Mūla ε, ζ, η, θ, ι, κ, λ, μ and ν Scorpionis

Pūrva Ashādhā δ and ε Sagittarī

Uttara Ashādhā ζ and σ Sagittarī

Shravana α, β and γ Aquilae

Shravishthā α to δ Delphinis

Shatabhishaj γ Aquarī

Pūrva Bhādrapada α and β Pegasi

Uttara Bhādrapada γ Pegasi and α Andromedae

Revatī ζ Piscium

The nakshatra in which the moon lies at the time of sunrise of a day is the nakshatra for the day.

Yoga

First, the angular distance along the ecliptic of any object on the sky, measured from Meshādi (as defined above) is called the longitude of that object. Now when the longitude of the sun and the longitude of the moon are added, they produce a value ranging from 0° to 360°. (Values greater than or equal to 360° must be reduced to less than 360° by subtracting 360°.) Now this 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.) Now these parts are called the yoga-s. They are labeled:

Vishkambha

Prīti

Āyushmān

Saubhāgya

Shobhana

Atiganda

Sukarman

Dhriti

Shūla

Ganda

Vriddhi

Dhruva

Vyāghāta

Harshana

Vajra

Siddhi

Vyatīpāta

Varīyas

Parigha

Shiva

Siddha

Sādhya

Shubha

Shukla

Brāhma

Aindra

Vaidhriti

Again, minor variations many exist. The yoga that is active during sunrise of a day is the yoga for the day.

Karana

Kimstughna

Shakuni

Nāga

Chatushpād

The seven “repeating” karana-s are:

Bava

Bālava

Kaulava

Taitila

Gara

Vanija

Vishti

Now the first half of the first tithi (of the bright fortnight) is always Kimstughna karana. Hence this karana is “fixed”.

Next, the seven repeating karana-s repeat eight times to cover the next 56 half-tithi-s. Thus these are the “repeating” karana-s.

The three remaining half-tithi-s take the remaining “fixed” karana-s in order. Thus these are also “fixed”.

The karana active during sunrise of a day is the karana for the day.

Month and year of the solar calendar

Now that the days are defined, we shall speak of how the solar calendar reckons its months and year.

As has been previously noted, the sun is observed to travel along the ecliptic. The ecliptic is now divided into twelve parts called rāshi-s, starting from the point of Meshādi defined above and moving eastwards. They are:

Mesha

Vrishabha

Mithuna

Kataka

Simha

Kanyā

Tulā

Vrishchika

Dhanus

Makara

Kumbha

Mīna

These are the Sanskrit equivalents of the zodiac – Aries etc.

The day on which the sun transits into each rāshi before sunset is taken to be the first day of the month. In case the sun transits into a rāshi after a sunset but before the next sunrise, then the next day is the first day of the month. (Minor variations on this definition exist.)

The days are then labeled 1, 2, 3…. till the first day of the next month.

Thus we get twelve months with varying lengths of 29 to 32 days. This variation in length is because the path of the earth around the sun is an ellipse. The months are named by the rāshi in which the sun travels in that month.

The new year day is the first day of the month of Mesha. Currently, it occurs around April 15th on the Gregorian calendar.

This is the structure of the Hindu solar calendar.

Months of the lunisolar calendar

When a new moon occurs before sunrise on a day, that day is said to be the first day of the lunar month. The days are not labeled separately from 1 as in the solar calendar, but the tithi is their only label. When two successive days have the same tithi, the latter is called an adhika tithi where adhika 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 kshaya where kshaya means “loss”.

The lunar month names are:

Chaitra

Vaishākha

Jyaishtha

Āshādha

Shrāvana

Bhādrapada

Āshvayuja

Kārtika

Mārgashīrsha

Pausha

Māgha

Phālguna

Naming lunar months

The naming of the lunar months is somewhat complex. It is based on the rāshi into which the sun transits within a lunar month, i.e. before the new moon ending the month.

There are twelve rāshi names, there are twelve lunar month names. When the sun transits into Mesha rāshi in a lunar month, then the name of the lunar month is Chaitra. When the sun transits into Vrishabha, then the lunar month is Vaishākha. So on.

Extra Months

When the sun does not at all transit into any rāshi but simply keeps moving within a rāshi in a lunar month (i.e. before a new moon), then that lunar month will be named according to the first 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 transit is into Mesha, then this month without transit is labeled adhika Chaitra. The next month will be labeled according to its transit as usual and will get the epithet nija or “original”. [Note that an adhika month is the first of two whereas an adhika tithi is the second of two.]

An adhika māsa (month) occurs once every two or three years.

Lost Months

Now if the sun transits into two rāshi-s within a lunar month, then the lunar month will be labeled by the first transit and will take the epithet kshaya or “loss”. Actually, the month “lost” is the month which would have been labeled by the second transit. For example, if the sun transits into Mesha and Vrishabha in a lunar month, then it will be called Chaitra kshaya. There will be no month labeled Vaishākha.

A kshaya māsa occurs very rarely. Known gaps between occurrence of kshaya māsa-s are 19 and 141 years. The last was in 1983. Jan-15 through Feb-12 were Pausha kshaya. Feb-13 onwards was (adhika) Phālguna and not Māgha. Māgha was “lost” that year.

Special Case: If there is no solar transit in a lunar month but there are two transits in the next lunar month,

the first month will be labeled by the first transit of the second month (as usual) and take the epithet adhika and

the next month will be labeled by its first transit (as usual) and take the epithet kshaya.

This is a very very rare occurrence. The last was in 1315. Oct-08 to Nov-05 were adhika Kārtika. Nov-06 to Dec-05 were Kārtika kshaya. Dec-06 onwards was Pausha, not Mārgashīrsha.

Handling of religious observances in case of extra and lost months

Among normal months, adhika months, and kshaya months, the earlier are considered “better” for religious purposes. That means, if a festival should fall on the 10th tithi of the āshvayuja month (this is called Vijayadashamī) and there are two āshvayuja months, the first 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 āshvayuja kshaya then the festival will be observed in the first adhika month itself.

A festival which is to be observed on a month that was lost will be observed on the corresponding “previous” i.e. kshaya month. For example, the festival of Mahāshivarātri which is to be observed on the fourteenth tithi of the dark fortnight of Māgha was, in 1983 CE, observed on the corresponding tithi of Pausha kshaya, since in that year, Māgha was lost, as we mentioned above.

Year of the lunisolar calendar

The new year day is the first day of the month of Chaitra. In case of adhika Chaitra or Chaitra kshaya the rules outlined above will apply.

Correspondence of the lunisolar calendar to the solar calendar

Year numbering and names

The epoch (starting point or first day of the first year) of the current era of Hindu calendar (both solar and lunisolar) is BCE 3102 January 23 on the proleptic Gregorian calendar (i.e. the Gregorian calendar extended back in time before its promulgation from 1582 October 15). 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.

Apart from this numbering system, there is also a cycle of 60 calendar year names, which started at the first year (at elapsed years zero) and runs continuously:

Prabhava

Vibhava

Shukla

Pramoda

Prajāpati

Āngirasa

Shrīmukha

Bhāva

Yuvan

Dhātri

īshvara

Bahudhānya

Pramāthin

Vikrama

Vrisha

Chitrabhānu

Svabhānu

Tārana

Pārthiva

Vyaya

Sarvajit

Sarvadhārin

Virodhin

Vikrita

Khara

Nandana

Vijaya

Jaya

Manmatha

Durmukha

Hemalambi

Vilambi

Vikārin

Shārvari

Plava

Shubhakrit

Shobhana

Krodhin

Vishvāvasu

Parābhava

Plavanga

Kīlaka

Saumya

Sādhārana

Virodhikrit

Paritāpin

Pramādin

Ānanda

Rākshasa

Pingala

Kālayukti

Siddhārthin

Raudra

Durmati

Dundubhi

Rudhirodgārin

Raktāksha

Krodhana

Kshaya

Eras

Hindu mythology speaks of four eras or ages, of which we are currently in the last. The four are:

Krita Yuga or Satya Yuga

Tretā Yuga

Dvāpara Yuga

Kali Yuga

They are often translated into English as the golden, silver, bronze and iron ages. (Yuga means era or age.) It is believed that the ages see a gradual decline of dharma, wisdom, knowledge, intellectual capability, life span and emotional and physical strength. The epoch provided above is the start of the Kali Yuga. The Kali Yuga is 432,000 years long. The Dvāpara, Tretā and Krita Yuga-s are said to be twice, thrice and four time the length of the Kali Yuga respectively. Thus they together constitute 4,320,000 years. This is called a Chaturyuga.

A thousand and a thousand (i.e. two thousand) chaturyuga-s are said to be one day and night of the creator Brahmā. He (the creator) lives for 100 years of 360 such days and at the end, he is said to dissolve, along with his entire Creation, into the Eternal Soul or Paramātman.

History

The Hindu Calendar obviously descends from the Vedic times. There are many references to calendrics in the Vedas. The Vedānga (adjunct to Veda) called Jyautisha (literally, “celestial body study”) prescribed all the aspects of the Hindu calendars. After the Vedic period, there were many scholars such as Āryabhata (5th century), Varāhamihira (6th century) and Bhāskara (12th century) who were experts in Jyautisha and contributed to the development of the Hindu Calendar.

The most widely used authoritative text for the Hindu Calendars in the Sūuuūrya Siddhānta, a text of uncertain age, though some place it at 10th century.

The Hindu Calendar

The Year

The Hindu calendar is based on lunar months corresponding to the phases of the moon. In one year there are twelve months of 29.5 days, accounting for a total of 354 days.The shortfall means that the date of each festival moves back 11 days each year. To rectify this, an extra leap month is added about once every three years. The Hindu calendar is therefore luni-solar, with a precise month and an approximate year.

The year – starting with Makara Sankranti, the sun’s entrance into Capricorn – is divided into two halves and six seasons. There are various ways of reckoning the New Year; most common is the day after the new moon in the month of Chaitra or, in Gujarat, the day after the Diwali new moon. Various eras are used for numbering the years; the most common are the Vikrami Era, beginning with the coronation of King Vikram-aditya in 57 BCE and the Shaka Era, counting from 78 CE. In rituals the priest often announces the dates according to KaliYuga, (see Kala: Time). For these three systems, the year 2000 corresponds to 2057, 1922, and 5102 respectively, though the last figure is subject to some debate.

The diagram shows the Hindu year, with months and the corresponding festivals. It is somewhat approximate, as the exact dates change yearly relative to the Gregorian calendar – with a month between the earliest and latest possible dates. A few festivals are determined by the sun alone, and their Gregorian dates are the same (or within one day) each year.

The Month

Within each month, there are two “fortnights,” each consisting of 15 “lunar days.” Although the solar and lunar days technically begin at different times, each solar day is ascribed one particular lunar day numbered from one to fifteen, either of the bright fortnight (waxing moon) or the dark fortnight (waning moon). Months average out to 29.5 days, so occasionally a day will be dropped. For example, in one month, the fourth day of the waxing moon may be followed by the sixth.

There are two main calendars. In North India, the month generally begins with the full moon, in South India with the new moon. Festival days will still fall on the same day, or very closely, but the name of the month may be different. For example, Krishna’s Birthday falls on the eighth day of the dark moon; in the North this is in the month of Bhadra; in the South in Shravana.

The Week

The week is divided into seven days, each corresponding to one of seven planets, exactly as in the West. No day is particularly special but each is related to a specific deity. For example, Monday is often associated with Shiva and Tuesday with Hanuman. Hindus may perform fasts and recite prayers to supplicate a particular deity on the corresponding day of the week.

The Day

The day usually begins at dawn, or just before, according to which astronomical and astrological systems are used. The day is divided into 15 muhurtas, each of about 48 minutes, and the night is similarly divided. Traditionally brahmanas chant the Gayatri mantra at sunrise, noon and sunset because these are considered particularly important times of the day. The first two muhurtas (about one hour) of the morning before dawn are considered most auspicious, especially for spiritual practices.

The Scientific Reasons behind the Formation of Hindu Calendar Months

The Hindu calendar is a complex and intricate system that has been in use for thousands of years. It is based on the movement of the sun, the moon, and the stars and has its roots in ancient Hindu texts and scriptures. While the Hindu calendar is steeped in tradition and mythology, it is also based on scientific principles that have been observed and studied for centuries. In this article, we will explore the scientific reasons behind the formation of Hindu calendar months.

The Hindu calendar is a lunar calendar, which means that it is based on the cycles of the moon. The lunar month is approximately 29.5 days long, which is shorter than the solar month of 30.44 days. In order to keep the lunar calendar in sync with the solar calendar, an additional month, known as Adhik Maas or Purushottam Maas, is added every few years. This helps to ensure that the Hindu calendar months remain in step with the seasons.

The Hindu calendar has twelve months, and each month is named after a particular constellation or Nakshatra. The twelve months are as follows:

Chaitra (March – April)

Vaisakha (April – May)

Jyaistha (May – June)

Ashadha (June – July)

Shravana (July – August)

Bhadrapada (August – September)

Ashvina (September – October)

Kartika (October – November)

Margashirsha (November – December)

Pausha (December – January)

Magha (January – February)

Phalguna (February – March)

Each month is divided into two lunar fortnights, or Pakshas, of 15 days each. The first fortnight is known as the Shukla Paksha, or waxing phase of the moon, while the second fortnight is known as the Krishna Paksha, or waning phase of the moon.

The Hindu calendar is based on the movement of the sun and the moon in relation to the earth. The sun’s movement is used to determine the length of the solar year, while the moon’s movement is used to determine the length of the lunar month. The lunar month is divided into 27 Nakshatras, which are small groups of stars that are used to mark the passage of time.

The Nakshatras are believed to have a profound influence on human life and are used to determine auspicious dates and times for various Hindu rituals and ceremonies.

Each Nakshatra is associated with a particular deity, and each deity is believed to have specific qualities and attributes. For example, the Nakshatra Rohini is associated with Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, and is believed to be a particularly auspicious time for new beginnings.

The formation of the Hindu calendar months is based on a combination of the movement of the sun and the moon, as well as the position of the Nakshatras. The lunar month begins on the day of the new moon, or Amavasya, and ends on the day of the full moon, or Poornima. The position of the moon in relation to the Nakshatras is used to determine the start and end dates of each month.

The Hindu calendar months are also closely tied to the seasons, which are determined by the movement of the sun. The Hindu calendar is divided into two seasons, known as the Uttarayana and the Dakshinayana. The Uttarayana is the period of the year when the sun moves northward, and it begins on the winter solstice. The Dakshinayana is the period of the year when the sun moves southward, and it begins on the summer solstice.This division of the year into two seasons is believed to have been recognized by ancient Indian astronomers and is also referenced in Hindu texts such as the Mahabharata.

The movement of the sun also plays a role in determining the length of each month in the Hindu calendar. The lunar month is approximately 29.5 days long, which means that there are roughly 12.37 lunar months in a solar year. To reconcile the lunar and solar calendars, the Hindu calendar inserts an extra month (known as an adhika masam) every few years. This helps to keep the lunar calendar aligned with the solar calendar and the seasons.

In addition to these scientific reasons for the formation of the Hindu calendar, there are also spiritual and cultural reasons. Each month is associated with a particular deity and has specific rituals and ceremonies dedicated to that deity. For example, the month of Kartik (October/November) is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, and the festival of Diwali is celebrated during this month.

The Uttarayana and Dakshinayana are divided into six-month periods each, and they correspond to different zodiac signs. The Uttarayana period, when the sun is moving northward, is considered to be more auspicious than the Dakshinayana period. During the Uttarayana period, the days are longer, and the weather is generally more pleasant. This period is also associated with the festival of Makar Sankranti, which marks the beginning of the harvest season.

On the other hand, the Dakshinayana period is associated with a more challenging environment. The days are shorter, and the weather is hotter and more humid. This period is also associated with the festival of Guru Purnima, which is celebrated in honor of the guru or teacher. It is believed that during this period, the mind and body are more prone to illnesses and negative energies.

In addition to the seasons and zodiac signs, the Hindu calendar months are also determined by the position of the moon. The lunar month in the Hindu calendar begins on the day after the full moon and ends on the day of the next full moon. This is known as a Purnimanta calendar system, as opposed to the Amanta calendar system used in other cultures, which begins the lunar month on the day after the new moon.

The lunar month is further divided into two fortnights, known as the Shukla Paksha and the Krishna Paksha. The Shukla Paksha is the waxing phase of the moon, and it is considered to be more auspicious for new beginnings and growth. The Krishna Paksha is the waning phase of the moon, and it is associated with introspection and letting go of things.

Each lunar month in the Hindu calendar is associated with a specific Nakshatra or constellation, which is believed to have an impact on human behavior and emotions. The Nakshatras are also used to determine auspicious dates and times for various Hindu rituals and ceremonies.

Furthermore, the Hindu calendar is also used to determine auspicious dates and times for various ceremonies and events, such as weddings and housewarming ceremonies. Astrology and horoscopes are also an integral part of Hindu culture and are used to determine the most favorable dates and times for these events.

In conclusion, the Hindu calendar is a complex and multifaceted system that is based on both scientific and cultural reasons. It reflects the ancient wisdom of Indian astronomers and the rich spiritual and cultural traditions of Hinduism. Understanding the formation and significance of the Hindu calendar can provide a deeper appreciation for the customs and traditions of Hindu culture.

Hindu Calander 2024

Name of Festival Date
Makar Sankranti 14 Jan
Thai Pongal 15 Jan
Thai Poosam Flag Hoisting 16 Jan
Vaikunta Ekadashi 21 Jan
Thai Poosam Kavady 25 Jan
Vasanth Panchami 13 Feb
Masi Magham 24 Feb
Maha Shivaratri 08 Mar
Holika Dahan 24 Mar
Panguni Uthiram Flag Hoisting 24 Mar
Hindi New Year 09 Apr
Ugadhi Telugu New Year 09 Apr
Ramayana Week 09 Apr
Tamil New Year 14 Apr
Sri Ram Naumee 17 Apr
Hanuman Jayanti 23 Apr
Chitra Paruvam Flag Hoisting 23 Apr
Narsingha Jayanti 21 May
Vaikasi Visagam 22 May
Nirjala Ekadashi 17 Jun
Guru Purnima 21 Jul
Naag Panchami 09 Aug
Shitla Satam 11 Aug
Nori Nem 13 Aug
Varaluxmi Vratam 16 Aug
Name of Festival Date
Raksha Bandhan 19 Aug
Gita Week 20 Aug
Krishna Ashtami 26 Aug
Purattasi 17 Sep – 17 Oct
Maha Ganesh Chaturthi 07 Sep
Pitra Paksha 17 Sep to 02 Oct
Mahalaya Paksham 17 Sep to 02 Oct
Venkateshwara Brahmotsavam 03 Oct to 12 Oct
Navaratri 03 Oct to 12 Oct
Sri Saraswathi Pooja (North) 10 Oct
Sri Saraswathi Pooja (South) 11 Oct
Sri Durga Ashtami 11 Oct
Sri Durga Naumee 11 Oct
Vijay Dashmi 12 Oct
Dhan Trayodashi 29 Oct
Narak Chaturdashi 30 Oct
Deepavali / Luxmi Pooja (North & South) 31 Oct
Gujarati New Year 02 Nov
Annakuta Govardhan Pooja 02 Nov
Prabhodhini Ekadasi/Tulsi Vivaha 02 Nov
Skanda Shashti 07 Nov
Tulsi Vivaha 13 Nov
Kartik Purnima 15 Nov
Gita Jayanti 11 Dec
Kaarthigai Deepam 13 Dec