The Jain calendar

What kind of calendar it is

The Jain calendar is lunisolar, like the Vikram and Shaka calendars. Months follow the Moon, tithis and nakshatras are listed for each day, and an extra month is added from time to time to keep the festivals in their seasons. The month names are the same as in the Hindu calendar, such as Chaitra, Ashadha and Bhadrapada.

The distinctive feature is the era. Jains count years from the nirvana (final liberation) of Bhagwan Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara. Jain families also use the Vikram year in everyday life, especially in Gujarat and Rajasthan, so a Jain almanac usually prints both.

Era and year number

The era is called the Vira Nirvana Samvat (VNS). Sources place its start in 527 BCE, tied to Mahavira's nirvana. The earliest text cited for this date is a work of the sixth century CE. Sources disagree on the exact day the count begins, and scholars have also proposed other dates for the nirvana, so treat 527 BCE as the traditional figure.

The year changes the day after Diwali, which is Kartik Shukla Pratipada. From that day to the end of the Gregorian year, the VNS year is the Gregorian year plus 527. From January 1 until the next Diwali, it is the Gregorian year plus 526.

Another way to relate it to the Vikram year is to add 470, since Jain tradition places Mahavira's nirvana 470 years before the start of Vikram Samvat. Some sources give 469 for the part of the year between Chaitra Shukla Pratipada and Diwali in the Chaitradi style, which is why books show 469 or 470.

The months and the New Year

Jain months have the same names and order as the months of the Hindu lunisolar calendar. The Jain year in the VNS count begins with Kartik, not Chaitra.

This table follows the Amanta style used by most Gujarati and Rajasthani Jain communities, where the month ends on the new moon. Some communities in North India follow Purnimanta. Check your community's almanac.

The New Year, on the day after Diwali, is a time for greeting family, visiting the temple and, in business families, opening new account books. Diwali itself holds a special place for Jains, since it commemorates Mahavira's nirvana.

Observances special to the Jain calendar

• Mahavir Jayanti on Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi, the birth anniversary of Mahavira.
• Akshaya Tritiya, on which Jains remember the first Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha, ending a long fast, and many complete the year-long Varshi Tap fast.
• Chaturmas, the four months of the rainy season when monks and nuns stay in one place, and laypeople take on extra vows.
• Paryushana in Bhadrapada, the most important period of the year.
• Oli, a nine-day period of simple food and prayer that is observed twice a year, in Chaitra and Ashwin.
• Kartik Purnima, a day for pilgrimage to Shatrunjaya and other holy places.
• Gyan Panchami on Kartik Shukla Panchami, when scriptures are honoured.

Paryushana and forgiveness

Paryushana lasts eight days for the Shvetambara tradition and ten days for the Digambara tradition, where it is called Das Lakshana. It ends with a day of forgiveness. Shvetambara communities call this Samvatsari, held on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi or Panchami depending on the tradition. Digambara communities hold Kshamavani after the ten days end, commonly on the first day of the dark fortnight of Ashwin. Sources give slightly different dates for the start and end, so follow your community's calendar.

On this day, people ask forgiveness from everyone, saying Michchhami Dukkadam (Shvetambara) or Uttam Kshama (Digambara), which both mean "may any wrong I did be forgiven".

How the day is reckoned

The Jain day runs from sunrise to sunrise. Many fasts, such as the fortnightly fast on Chaturdashi, depend on the tithi at sunrise. Many Jains also avoid eating after sunset, so sunset times are important. The site computes both for your city.

How it differs from the site's main Panchang

The site's main pages use Vikram Samvat in the Chaitradi Purnimanta style.

1. The Jain era is the Vira Nirvana Samvat, which is 469 or 470 higher than the Vikram year.
2. The Jain New Year is the day after Diwali. In the Chaitradi style the year begins in Chaitra.
3. Many Jain communities use Amanta months, as in Gujarat, so the dark fortnight carries the name of the earlier month. The site shows the Amanta name next to the Purnimanta name.

The festivals are on the same tithis. For Jain dates, always check them against a Jain almanac from your own community, since the two main traditions and the sub-traditions differ in some dates.