Calendars in India

Lunar calendar and solar calendar

The moon based calendar is known as the lunar calendar, and the sun based calendar is known as the solar calendar. The lunar calendar was first developed by the Mesopotamians. The Mesopotamians also divided the day into 24 hours. The solar calendar was first developed by the Egyptians, who used the sun as their base.

Vikram Samvat

It is believed that in 58 BC, King Vikramaditya of Ujjain defeated the Saka king (Azes) and a new year called Vikram Samvat began to celebrate his victory. It is also known as Krita era and Malava era.

Saka Samvat

The Saka calendar is the national calendar of India. The Saka calendar was started by the Kushana king Kanishka in 78 AD. The Saka calendar was adopted as the national calendar of India on 22 March 1957. The first month of the 12 month Saka calendar is Chaitra and the last month is Phalguna. The months of the Saka calendar are Chaitra, Vaishakha, Jyeshtha, Ashadha, Shravana, Bhadra, Ashwin, Karthika, Agrahayana, Pausha, Magha and Phalguna. The year 2024 was 1946 according to the Saka calendar.

Hijri calendar

The Hijri calendar is the official calendar of Islam. The Hijri calendar consists of 12 lunar months. The Hijri year begins in 622 AD, when the Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina. The first month of the Islamic calendar is Muharram and the last month is Dhu'l-Hijjah.

Julian calendar

The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. Julius Caesar's calendar was started on the advice of an astronomer named Sosigenes. The Julian calendar had 365 days. The Julian calendar was the first to introduce the concept of a 'leap year'.

Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar system in the world today. The Gregorian calendar was established in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. The Gregorian calendar came into existence by correcting the shortcomings of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was created by a physician named Aloysius Lilius at the behest of the Pope. The Gregorian calendar is based on the year of Jesus Christ's birth, AD 1. Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Poland were the first countries to adopt the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar has 12 months, from January to December. They are January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. The month of January is named after the Roman god Janus. Janus is the god of gates and doors. February is the shortest month, with less than 30 days. In leap years, February has 29 days (every four years). The name February comes from the Latin word fibrum, meaning 'purification'. The month of March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. The month of June is named after the Roman goddess Juno. July is the month named in memory of Julius Caesar. 

Regional calendars

The Kollavarsham is the Malayalam calendar. It is believed that Kollavarsham was started by Udaya Marthanda Varma in 825 AD. Kollavarsham is a solar-based calendar system. The first month of the Malayalam calendar is Chingam and the last month is Karkidakam. The months of the Kollavarsham (Malayalam calendar) are Chingam, Kanni, Thulam, Vrischikam, Dhanu,  Makaram, Kumbham, Meenam, Medam, Edavam, Mithunam and Karkidakam. The Tamil calendar, which is based on the sun, also has 12 months. The first month of the Tamil calendar is Chithirai and the last month is Panguni. The months of the Tamil calendar are Chithirai, Vaikasi, Aani, Aadi, Avani, Purattasi, Aippasi, Karthigai, Margazhi, Thai, Maasi and Panguni.