Vikram Samvat: the Hindu year count

What it is

Samvat = year or era. Vikram Samvat (also Vikrama Samvat or Bikram Sambat) is one of the most widely used Hindu year counts. It is used in North and West India, and in Nepal, where it is the official calendar. The name links the era to King Vikramaditya, but historians treat that link as traditional and not proven. The era is counted from an epoch in the first century before the common era.

Many Hindu families see the year number printed on a calendar, invitation or temple notice and wonder how it relates to the Gregorian year. The rule is simple.

Converting to the Gregorian year

• After the new year begins, Vikram Samvat is the Gregorian year plus 57.
• Before the new year begins, in the earlier part of the Gregorian year, it is the Gregorian year plus 56.

So the Vikram Samvat number changes once a year, at the start of the Hindu new year, and not on the first of January. For most of the Gregorian year, the Vikram year is 57 ahead. In the weeks between the Gregorian new year and the Hindu new year it is 56 ahead.

When the year starts

There are two main customs.

Chaitradi (Chaitra start). The year begins on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, the first day after the New Moon of Chaitra, in spring. This is the main count used by this site, and the usual one in North India. The same day is celebrated as Ugadi in the Deccan and as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra.

Kartikadi (Kartika start). In Gujarat, the year begins on Kartika Shukla Pratipada, the day after Diwali. This is the day of Bestu Varas, the Gujarati New Year, and it marks the start of the farming year.

The Kartikadi year number rises about six months after the Chaitradi number. So from Chaitra until the day after Diwali, the Gujarati year number is one lower than the Chaitradi number. After that, the two match again until the next Chaitra.

Months and Vikram Samvat

The year is lunisolar, so it follows lunar months with an extra month added about every three years. Gujarat uses the Amanta month system, while North India uses Purnimanta, as explained on the Amanta and Purnimanta page. Which month system goes with Vikram Samvat depends on the region, and sources describe it in different ways.

Nepal's official Bikram Sambat is a solar calendar, based on the Sun's movement through the zodiac, and its year starts in the month of Baisakh. It uses the same era but not the same months, so festival dates may differ from the Hindu lunar calendar.

Reading a date

A complete date on a Hindu calendar often reads like this: "Vikram Samvat year number, month, paksha, tithi". Some calendars also name the year in the sixty-year cycle, such as a named samvatsara, which is a separate system.

Why more than one count?

India has many calendars, each fitted to its region. Vikram Samvat is common in the north and west. Shaka Samvat is used in the Deccan and in the Indian national calendar. Tamil and Malayalam communities have their own year counts. These do not conflict; they are different ways of numbering the same years.

What this site shows

The site shows the Chaitradi Vikram Samvat as the main year and notes the Gujarati Kartikadi year where it differs. Ask your family which year count they use for ceremonies; your priest will usually state it in the sankalpa, the statement of intent at the start of a puja.