How the Vikram Samvat calendar works
Vikram Samvat is a lunisolar calendar. Its months follow the Moon, from one new moon to the next, and are kept in step with the seasons by the Sun. The era is traditionally dated from 57 BCE and linked to King Vikramaditya, so the Vikram Samvat year is the Gregorian year plus 57 once the new year has begun, and plus 56 before it. In North India, Maharashtra and most of the country the new year starts on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada in March or April. Gujarat starts its year on Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the day after Diwali, which is why this page also shows the Gujarati Vikram Samvat. The Shaka Samvat of the Indian national calendar begins on the same day as the Chaitra new year.
How each day is calculated
A tithi is the time the Moon takes to gain 12 degrees on the Sun, so there are 30 in a lunar month: 15 in the bright Shukla paksha and 15 in the dark Krishna paksha. Because tithis are not tied to the clock, the calendar gives each civil day the tithi that is running at local sunrise, called the udaya tithi. This is why a tithi can occasionally be skipped, or fall on two days in a row, and why two calendars for different cities can disagree.
The Sun and Moon positions are computed in your browser with the same astronomy used by the Janam Kundali calculator: a Keplerian solar model, a truncated ELP-2000 lunar theory and the Lahiri ayanamsa. Sunrise and sunset come from the latitude and longitude of the place you pick: search for any of about 25,000 cities worldwide, or use your device's location. The city list is a static file loaded into your browser, and nothing you choose is sent to a server.
Amanta and Purnimanta months
Hindu months are counted in two ways. In the Amanta system, followed in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, a month ends on Amavasya. In the Purnimanta system, followed in most of North India, it ends on Purnima. The bright half is named the same in both, but the dark half carries the next month's name in Purnimanta. A day that is Krishna Saptami of Bhadrapada in the Amanta system is Krishna Saptami of Ashwin in the Purnimanta system. Use the Month names switch above to see either.
Adhik Maas, the leap month
A lunar year is about eleven days shorter than a solar year. To keep the two together, a month in which the Sun does not change zodiac sign is added roughly every 32 months and is called Adhik Maas. Festivals are not held in it. In 2026 the leap month is Adhik Jyeshtha, which runs from 17 May to 15 June in the Amanta system, and it pushes every festival after it later than in 2025.
Why a date can differ from other calendars
Most festivals are fixed by a tithi at a particular time of day rather than at sunrise. Diwali is kept when Amavasya prevails in the evening, Janmashtami at midnight, and Ram Navami at midday. Holika Dahan and Raksha Bandhan must also avoid Bhadra, an inauspicious half-tithi. When a tithi covers that time on two days, or on neither, communities choose differently, and Smarta and Vaishnava traditions each have their own rule. This calendar applies one standard rule per festival and shows the city's own sunrise, so it can differ by a day from a regional panchang. For a puja or vrat, confirm the timing locally.
This calendar is provided for learning and planning. It is not a substitute for a priest's guidance on religious observances.