The Gujarati calendar

What kind of calendar it is

The Gujarati calendar is lunisolar and Amanta. Its months follow the Moon and end on the new moon (amas). An extra month is added about every three years so that festivals stay in their seasons. The two fortnights are called Sud (the bright fortnight, Shukla paksha) and Vad (the dark fortnight, Krishna paksha).

It is a form of Vikram Samvat, but with two differences from the version shown on the site's main pages: the months end on the new moon, and the year begins in Kartak, not in Chaitra.

Era and year number

The era is Vikram Samvat, which counts from 57 BCE. In the Gujarati calendar the year changes on Kartak Sud 1, the day after Diwali. This style is called Kartikadi (Kartik-first).

The number is easy to work out. From Bestu Varas to the end of the Gregorian year, the Gujarati Vikram year is the Gregorian year plus 57. From January 1 until the next Bestu Varas, it is the Gregorian year plus 56.

The Chaitradi version used on the site's main pages changes its number earlier, at Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. So from Chaitra until Diwali, a Gujarati calendar shows a year number one lower than a Chaitradi calendar does. This is a normal result of the two starting points, not an error.

The twelve months

Spellings vary (Phagan for Fagan, Bhadrapad for Bhadarvo). Gujarat's Amanta months match the Amanta names used in the south and in Maharashtra, so Kartak here begins on the day after the new moon of Diwali.

The New Year

The New Year is Bestu Varas, on Kartak Sud 1, the day after Diwali. The name means the "starting year". Families visit temples, wear new clothes, greet each other with "Saal Mubarak" and visit relatives and neighbours. Merchants open new account books (chopda), traditionally with a short puja. The Bestu Varas page on this site covers the customs.

Sources differ slightly on when the day begins in some years, because Kartak Sud 1 can begin on one day and end on the next, so panchangams may place it on different days. Follow your local panchang.

Festivals that differ from the North Indian calendar

Gujarati observances are the same lunar days as elsewhere, but some are especially important in Gujarat.

• Vagh Baras, the day before Dhanteras, when cows and calves are honoured. It is the start of Diwali in Gujarat.
• Labh Pancham on Kartak Sud 5, when businesses reopen after Diwali and offer prayers for gain (labh).
• Uttarayan at Makar Sankranti, a kite-flying festival for the whole state.
• Navaratri in Aso, with nine nights of garba and dandiya dances around a lamp or an image of the Goddess.
• Rath Yatra of Ahmedabad on Ashadhi Bij, Ashadh Sud 2.
• Janmashtami and Shravan observances, with fasting on Mondays in Shravan for Shiva devotees in many homes.

Many Gujarati families are Jain, Vaishnava, Shaiva or Swaminarayan, and each has its own calendar notes. The Jain tradition has its own era, described on the Jain calendar page.

Months and the dark fortnight

In an Amanta calendar the dark fortnight belongs to the month that is ending. A date such as Aso Vad 14 in Gujarat is the same day that northern almanacs name Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi. That is how Diwali falls on Aso Vad Amas in Gujarat and on Kartik Amavasya in much of North India.

How the day is reckoned

The day is counted from sunrise to sunrise. The tithi at sunrise names the day in most almanacs, with special rules for festivals tied to a certain time of day. Fasting days and festivals may differ by a day between almanacs, so follow your temple.

How it differs from the site's main Panchang

1. The months end on the new moon, so each dark fortnight has the name of the earlier month. The site shows the Amanta name beside the main Purnimanta name.
2. The year starts after Diwali, in Kartak, not in Chaitra. A Gujarati calendar therefore has its year number change in autumn.
3. The bright fortnights are named the same in both systems, so Navaratri begins on Aso Sud 1, which is Ashwin Shukla Pratipada on the main pages.