The Malayalam calendar

What kind of calendar it is

The Malayalam calendar, used in Kerala and by Malayali communities abroad, is a sidereal solar calendar. Each month begins when the Sun enters a zodiac sign, so the months keep nearly the same place in the Gregorian year. The month names are the Malayalam forms of the zodiac signs.

Moon-based dates are also in the almanac, and many temple festivals use them. But in everyday Kerala life, the solar month and the nakshatra (birth star) matter most. Families often mark birthdays and memorial days by the star on which the event fell, and Onam itself is the day of the Thiruvonam star in the month of Chingam.

Era and year number

The era is the Kollam Era (Kollam Andu), which dates from 825 CE. Sources differ on why it began. One account links it to a great assembly at Kollam under King Kulashekhara, and other accounts give different origins, including legend. This page does not choose between them.

The year changes at Chingam 1, which the Kerala government treats as the Malayalam New Year. The year number is the Gregorian year minus 825 from January 1 until Chingam 1 (around mid August), and minus 824 from Chingam 1 to the end of the Gregorian year.

The twelve months

Spellings vary in English (Vrishchikam, Karkkidakam, Kumbham). Month lengths change from year to year and run from about 29 to 32 days.

The New Year

Kerala has two New Year days, and both are kept.

• Chingam 1 is the start of the Kollam year, and the one the state government recognises as the Malayalam New Year.
• Vishu, on Medam 1 around April 14, is the day the Sun enters Mesha. Some accounts say Vishu was treated as the start of the year before Chingam 1 was adopted, and many families still think of it as the New Year in spirit. It is celebrated with the Vishukkani (the auspicious first sight), gifts of money, and a feast.

One source also mentions that the year in older Malabar practice began in Kanni, but this is not well confirmed and is not a current custom.

Festivals that differ from the North Indian calendar

Because the months are solar and the nakshatra matters, Kerala festivals sit differently from the lunar calendar.

• Onam in Chingam, on the Thiruvonam star, the great harvest festival of Kerala.
• Vishu on Medam 1.
• Karkidakam, the monsoon month, which many homes spend reading the Ramayana, called Ramayana Masam. The new moon of this month, Karkidaka Vavu, is a day for offerings to ancestors.
• Vrischikam 1 marks the start of the Mandala season, the main pilgrimage period for Sabarimala.
• Thiruvathira in Dhanu, a festival of women with songs and a circular dance.

Diwali and Navaratri are lunar, and Malayalis keep them on the usual days. Kerala's Navaratri has a special form with the worship of books and instruments on the last days, followed by Vidyarambham, the day on which children begin to write.

How the day is reckoned

The day runs from sunrise to sunrise. A month begins when the Sun enters a sign, and a rule decides whether the first day of the month is the day of the entry or the next. This rule is based on the time of day when the Sun crosses the sign boundary, so two printed Malayalam calendars can differ by a day. Follow the calendar of your family or temple.

How it differs from the site's main Panchang

The site's main pages follow Vikram Samvat in the Chaitradi, Purnimanta style. Compared with that:

1. Malayalam months are solar and begin at the Sun's entry into a sign, not at the new or full Moon.
2. The Kollam Era is a different count of years, 824 or 825 behind the Gregorian year, as described above.
3. The Malayalam year begins in Chingam, in August, while Vikram Samvat begins in Chaitra.

For lunar festivals such as Diwali or Maha Shivaratri, the same tithi is used, so you can read the main Panchang. For Onam and Vishu you should use the Malayalam calendar's solar dates and nakshatra, which this site computes for each year.