National Calendar

The Saka era calendar (Indian National Calendar)  was adopted on March 22, 1957. It is based on the Saka Era and is also known as the Shalivahana Saka Calendar.  The calendar is lunar-based. The dates of this calendar lie in correspondence with the dates of the Gregorian calendar, that is, the first date of Chaitra falls on March 22 every normal year, and on March 21, every day. The Saka calendar consists of 12 months and 365 days, much like its Gregorian counterpart.

There are raging debates among historians regarding the origin of the Saka era calendar. However, many among the coveted historians are of the view that it was the ascension of King Chashtana in 78 CE. This calendar is also referred to as the Saka Samvat.

Background

The Saka Era, according to many, is believed to be founded by King Shalivahana of the Satavahana dynasty based on some popular legends. According to the legends, the Era marked the victory of Shalivahana over the Sakas. However, the legends are hardly based on accurate historical evidence. For other historians, the Era marks the ascension of King Chasthana in the year 78 CE.

Structure

The calendar consists of 12 months and 365 days. When compared with the Gregorian calendar, the first day of the first month (Chaita) falls on March 22 after the spring equinox in a normal year. In leap years, the first day of Chaitra corresponds with March 21 of the Gregorian Calendar. The following are the names and duration of the months based upon the Saka Samvat:

• Chaitra (March 21- April 20)
• Vaishakha (April 21- May 21)
• Jyeshtha (May 22-June 21)
• Ashadha (June 22- July 22)
• Shravana (July 23- August 22)
• Bhadra (August 22- September 22)
• Ashwin (September 23-October 22)
• Kartika (October 23- November 21)
• Agrahayana (November 22- December 21)
• Pausha (December 22- January 20)
• Magha (January 21-February 19)
• Phalguna (February 20- March 21/22)

The months of Vaishakha, Jyeshtha, Ashadha, Shravana, Bhadra and Chaitra (during leap years) consist of 31 days in this calendar, while the rest of the months consist of 30 days each. The calculations for all this stems from the fact that the earth revolves in elliptical orbits around the sun. There Is also a mechanism to convert years from the Common Era to years in Saka by subtracting the given date from 78 for dates up to December 31 and from 79 for dates later than December 31. 

The following are the names of days according to the Saka calendar in correspondence with their counterparts in the Gregorian Calendar:

• Ravivara-Sunday
• Somavara-Monday
• Mangalavara-Tuesday
• Budhwar-Wednesday
• Brahaspativara-Thursday
• Sukravara-Friday
• Shanivara-Saturday

A varied version of the same (Saka Era) calendar is followed in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. According to this version of the calendar, the first day of Chaitra falls on April 6.

History of Adoption as National Calendar

In the words of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, “They (different calendars) represent past political divisions in the country. Now that we have attained independence, it is obviously desirable that there should be a certain uniformity in the calendar for our civic, social and other purposes, and this should be done on a scientific approach to this problem” in other words, the need for a uniform national calendar for official purposes was deeply felt. The Calendar Reform Committee, which was formed for this purpose, met and approved the Saka Era calendar as part of the “Indian Ephemeris and Nautical Almanack”. 

The committee was headed by Dr Meghnad Saha, who was a renowned astrophysicist. 

India had different calendaring systems prevalent in different parts of the country. The committee’s job was to identify the most suitable choice among them all, which was free of any religious influences. The Saka Era was selected by the committee and was officially mandated for official use on March 22, 1957 (Chaitra 1, 1879).

Uses

The Indian National Calendar (Saka Samvat) is used for the following purposes:

• It is used in official news broadcasts by All India Radio.
• It is also used in calendars and official communication papers issued under the jurisdiction of the Government of India, which includes publications in the Official Gazette (Gazette of India).
• In the Hindu religion, the theologists use it to calculate holy days of relevance.

List of Official Holidays as per the Indian National Calendar

The following is the list of official holidays according to the Indian National Calendar, issued under the circular of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions:

• New Year Day (R)
• Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday (R)
• Lohri (R)
• Makar Sankranti/Pongal/Magh Bihu (R)
• Republic Day (G)
• Basant Panchami (R)
• Hazrat Ali’s Birthday (R)
• Guru Ravidas’s Birthday (R)
• Shivaji Jayanti (R)
• Swami Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti (R)
• Mahashivratri (G)
• Holika Dahan (R)
• Holi (G)
• Chaitra Sukhladi/Gudi Padwa (R)
• Ram Navami (R)
• Mahavir Jayanti (G)
• Good Friday (G)
• Easter Sunday (R)
• Jamat-Ul-Vida (R)
• Eid-Ul-Fitr (G)
• Guru Rabindranath’s Birthday (R)
• Buddha Purnima (G)
• Rathyatra (R)
• Eid-Ul-Zuha (G)
• Muharram (G)
• Raksha Bandhan (R)
• Independence Day (G)
• Parsi New Year (R)
• Janmashtami(Smarta) (R)
• Janmashtami (G)
• Ganesh Chaturthi (R)
• Onam (R)
• Gandhi Jayanti (G)
• Maha Saptami (R)
• Maha Ashtami (R)
• Maha Navami (R)
• Dussehra (G)
• Milad-Un-Nabi (G)
• Maharishi Valmiki’s Birthday (R)
• Karva Chauth (R)
• Diwali (G)
• Naraka Chaturdashi (R)
• Govardhan Puja (R)
• Bhai Duj
• Chhat Puja (R)
• Guru Nanak’s Birthday (G)
• Guru Teg Bahadur’s Martyrdom Day (R)
• Christmas Eve (R)
• Christmas Day (G)
• Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday (R)

*R-Restricted Holiday

*G-Gazetted Holiday

Conclusion

The Saka Calendar or the Saka Samvat is the national calendar for India, used for official purposes besides the Gregorian Calendar. It consists of 12 months and 365 days with the name of the first month being Chaitra. The first day of Chaitra falls on March 22 in normal years, and on March 21, in leap years.