Various types of Calendars used in India

India, being a hotbed of cultures, is home to people belonging to various ethnicities and following date and time calculator many different religions. This has resulted in Indians following various types of calendars for religious, cultural and official purposes. Though there are numerous, some of the most common types of calendars used in India include the Saka Samvat, Vikram Samvat, the Hijri calendar and the Georgian calendar.

The Saka Samvat lunisolar Hindu calendar is believed to have been introduced by the rulers of the Satavahana dynasty. Quite similar to those used for official purposes, this calendar also has 365 days and 12 months, and in 1957, it was adopted as the ‘Indian National Calendar’. However, unlike the official new year’s eve, according to the system followed by the Saka Samvat calendar, a new year begins with the onset of the ‘Chaitra’ month whose first day coincides with March 22 in a conventional calendar or with March 21 if its a leap year.

Similarly, there are some unconventional factors that accompany the Vikram Samvat and the Hijri calendar as well. The Vikram Samvat is a Hindu lunar calendar that is based on the movement of the moon. It has 354 days and 12 months in a year. The months in this calendar are further divided into two phases: ‘Shukla Paksha’ which begins with a new moon and ‘Krishna Paksha’ which starts with a full moon. The Hijri calendar is a lunar Islamic calendar that also has 354 days. Followed worldwide, this calendar is used to determine the dates for various Islamic rituals including Ramadan and Hajj.

The calendar used for official purposes
An improvised version of the Julian calendar, the Georgian calendar is used in India as well as various other countries around the world for official purposes. In this calendar, a year is divided into 365 days, with the exception of a leap year, which has 366 days. The total number of days in a calendar year are categorized into 12 months of varying lengths. Each month either has 30 or 31 days, except the month of February which has 28 days in a normal year and 29 days in a leap year.