Samvat and Hindu Months

Samvat names a calendar era; a month names a part of a calendar year. Neither can be translated reliably by adding a fixed number to every Gregorian date or mapping each Hindu month to one English month.

Vikram Samvat and Saka are different eras

Different calendar systems can use different starting years and new-year boundaries. In a Chaitra-based Vikram Samvat reckoning, the year changes in spring. Other regional practices use a different boundary, including a Kartika new year. The Indian national calendar uses the Saka era. Always identify which system a displayed year belongs to.

The Government of India's national-calendar description explains the Saka calendar and its relationship to the Gregorian calendar. This is a useful reference for official civil-calendar context and should not be confused with every regional religious calendar.

Recognising the month names

Amanta and Purnimanta

Amanta months end at new moon; Purnimanta months end at full moon. This changes how a month name is assigned to part of the lunar cycle. Two calendars can therefore appear to disagree in their labels while describing the same civil day. Regional solar calendars add another reason to avoid one all-India month label.

Tithi and paksha

Shukla Paksha is the waxing fortnight and Krishna Paksha is the waning fortnight. A tithi is based on the changing Sun-Moon angular separation. Its boundary can occur during a civil day; the observance assigned to that date also depends on the relevant festival rules. Location affects sunrise, local clock labels and observance selection, not the underlying geocentric phase instant.

Read a calendar entry in order

First identify the civil date and place. Then read the calendar convention, month, paksha and tithi. Finally check whether the entry is a festival, a government holiday or a bank closure. The India calendar labels source limitations, and the Hindu-calendar guide explains why different observances may need different references.