Indian Calendar

India officially recognizes two major calendar eras. The **Shaka Samvat** (started 78 CE) is the National Calendar of India, used for official government gazettes. It begins with the month of Chaitra (March/April). The **Vikram Samvat** (started 57 BCE) is the popular cultural calendar used in North and Western India for festivals like Diwali.

This calendar shows the Gregorian date alongside the computed Tithi and Nakshatra for each day. Shaka and Vikram Samvat year numbers are visible in the Daily Panchang view. This ensures that you are aligned not just with the civil calendar (Gregorian dates) but also with the cultural heartbeat of the nation (Vedic dates).

A lunar year is approximately 354 days, while a solar year is 365 days. This creates an 11-day gap every year. To prevent festivals from drifting out of season (like Diwali moving to summer), the Indian calendar inserts an extra month roughly every 2.5 years. This is called **Adhik Maas** (Extra Month) or *Purushottam Maas*.

During Adhik Maas, the Sun does not change signs (no Sankranti). It is considered a time of 'Stasis'. No weddings or material beginnings are performed. Instead, it is a 'Bonus Month' for spiritual credit—fasting, charity, and meditation performed now yield multiplied results.

One common confusion is why a festival date might differ between two calendars. This happens because the **Civil Date** changes at midnight, while the **Tithi** (Religious Date) changes at varying times based on the Moon. A festival is usually celebrated on the day when the Tithi is present at **Sunrise** or during a specific time (e.g., Moonrise for Karwa Chauth).

Our calendar calculates these 'Tithi-based' festival dates accurately for your timezone. We distinguish between the 'Government Holiday' date (fixed by rule) and the 'Ritual Date' (fixed by astronomy), ensuring you never miss the auspicious moment.