Overview
The Indian National Calendar, commonly called the Saka calendar, is the official civil calendar used by Government of India publications and broadcasts. It provides a fixed solar framework for administrative and official dating while coexisting with the Gregorian calendar and a variety of regional Hindu calendars used for religious and cultural events.
Structure and months
The calendar is a solar calendar with twelve months. Month lengths are fixed: Chaitra is 30 days in a common year and 31 days in a Gregorian leap year; the next five months each have 31 days, and the remaining six months each have 30 days, producing a 365-day ordinary year and a 366-day leap year.
- Chaitra
- Vaishakha
- Jyeshtha
- Ashadha
- Shravana
- Bhadrapada
- Ashwin
- Kartika
- Agrahayana (also Margashirsha)
- Pausha
- Magha
- Phalguna
The Saka year normally begins on 22 March of the Gregorian calendar and on 21 March in Gregorian leap years. Because the Saka year begins in March, converting a date between the two systems requires checking whether the date falls before or after the Chaitra first day.
History and adoption
The modern civil form of the Saka calendar was recommended during the 1950s by a national calendar reform effort and was officially adopted for civil purposes by the Government of India in 1957. It is based on the Saka era, a historical epoch beginning in 78 CE, but the civil calendar simplifies and regularizes month lengths for administrative consistency.
Uses and distinctions
Official publications such as the Gazette of India, government communications and many All India Radio bulletins use dates in the Indian National Calendar alongside Gregorian dates. In everyday life and international affairs, the Gregorian calendar remains predominant, while regional lunisolar Hindu calendars continue to govern religious festivals and local observances.
For further official references about the calendar and its civil usage, see the government documentation and announcements here.