The Vikrama Samvat is the most widely used traditional Hindu calendar era. Named after the legendary King Vikramaditya of Ujjain, it is 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar. The year 2026 CE corresponds to Vikrama Samvat 2083.
The Shaka era was officially adopted as the Indian National Calendar in 1957. It is 78 years behind the Gregorian calendar. The year 2026 CE corresponds to Shaka 1948. The Government of India uses it alongside the Gregorian calendar for official purposes.
The Hindu lunar month can be reckoned in two ways, creating an important regional distinction in calendar traditions:
| Feature | Amanta (New Moon ending) | Purnimanta (Full Moon ending) |
|---|---|---|
| Month ends on | Amavasya (New Moon) | Purnima (Full Moon) |
| Month begins with | Shukla Pratipada | Krishna Pratipada |
| Paksha order | Shukla then Krishna | Krishna then Shukla |
| Regions | South India, Maharashtra, Gujarat | North India, Nepal |
| Month name offset | Same as Surya Siddhanta | Shifts by ~15 days |
| Region | Calendar Name | New Year | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telugu / Kannada | Ugadi | Chaitra Shukla 1 | Amanta |
| Tamil | Puthandu | Chithirai 1 (Apr 14) | Solar |
| Malayalam | Vishu | Medam 1 (Apr 14-15) | Solar |
| Bengali / Assamese | Pohela Boishakh | Baishakh 1 (Apr 14-15) | Solar |
| Punjabi | Vaisakhi | Vaisakh 1 (Apr 13-14) | Solar |
| Marathi | Gudi Padwa | Chaitra Shukla 1 | Amanta |
| Gujarati | Bestu Varas | Kartika Shukla 1 (post-Diwali) | Amanta |
| Hindi (North) | Vikram Samvat | Chaitra Shukla 1 | Purnimanta |