The Marathi calendar
The Amanta lunisolar calendar of Maharashtra, counted in the Shaka era, with its twelve months, Gudi Padwa and how it differs from Vikram Samvat.
What kind of calendar it is
The traditional Marathi calendar, used in Maharashtra and by Marathi families around the world, is lunisolar and Amanta. Lunisolar means months follow the Moon, and an extra month (adhik maas) is added now and then to keep the festivals in their seasons. Amanta means each month ends on the new moon, so the dark fortnight closes the month rather than opens it.
The Marathi almanac, called a panchang, is among the best-known regional almanacs in India. It lists the tithi, nakshatra, yoga and karana for each day, with a festival note.
Era and year number
The era is the Shaka era (Shalivahana Shaka), which counts from 78 CE. Scholars link its start to the reign of the ruler Chashtana, while popular tradition links it to King Shalivahana and his victory, and the origin is debated. The count itself is certain. After Gudi Padwa, the Shaka year is the Gregorian year minus 78. In the early months of the Gregorian year, before Gudi Padwa, it is the Gregorian year minus 79.
Each year also has one of the sixty cyclical names that begin with Prabhava, the same cycle used in the Telugu, Kannada and Tamil almanacs.
Vikram Samvat does appear in Marathi writing, mostly in literary and accounting contexts, but the Shaka year is the main one for religious use in Maharashtra. Do not confuse the Shaka era with the Indian national calendar, which is a solar calendar the Government of India adopted for official use, based on the same era.
The twelve months
| No. | Marathi month | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chaitra | Year begins on Shukla Pratipada |
| 2 | Vaishakh | |
| 3 | Jyeshtha | |
| 4 | Ashadh | Includes Ashadhi Ekadashi |
| 5 | Shravan | Month of vows and fasting days |
| 6 | Bhadrapad | Ganeshotsav |
| 7 | Ashwin | Navaratri and Dussehra |
| 8 | Kartik | Diwali begins in the dark fortnight of Ashwin |
| 9 | Margashirsha | |
| 10 | Paush | |
| 11 | Magh | |
| 12 | Phalgun | Holi on Phalgun Purnima |
Spellings in English vary (Ashadh or Ashadha, Bhadrapad or Bhadrapada).
The New Year
The New Year is Gudi Padwa, on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. Families raise a gudi in front of the home: a bright cloth tied to a long stick, topped with a garland of sugar crystals (gathi), neem leaves and mango leaves, and an inverted silver or copper pot. It is usually raised in the morning and taken down in the evening. The Ugadi-Gudi Padwa page on this site covers the full customs.
Festivals that differ from the North Indian calendar
Most Marathi festivals follow the same tithis as elsewhere, but some have a strong local character.
- Ashadhi Ekadashi and the Pandharpur Wari, a pilgrimage of walking devotees to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
- Narali Purnima on Shravan Purnima, when coconuts are offered to the sea, especially by fishing communities.
- Mangala Gauri, observed on Tuesdays in Shravan by newly married women.
- Ganeshotsav in Bhadrapad, the public ten-day Ganesh festival that is a signature of the state.
- Vasubaras, the first day of Diwali in Maharashtra, when the cow and calf are honoured.
- Tilgul on Makar Sankranti, when people exchange sesame and jaggery sweets with the greeting meaning "take this sweet and speak sweetly".
The month names and the dark fortnight
Because the system is Amanta, the dark fortnight carries the name of the month that is ending. For instance, the Krishna paksha that North Indian almanacs call Ashwin Krishna is known in Maharashtra as Bhadrapad Krishna. Diwali, for example, falls in the dark fortnight that Maharashtra calls Ashwin and many northern almanacs call Kartik. Neither is wrong. They are two ways of naming the same days.
How the day is reckoned
The day runs from sunrise to sunrise, and the tithi at sunrise names the day in most almanacs. When a tithi is present at two sunrises, or at none, the almanac applies the standard rules for each festival, and the festival day may differ between almanacs by one day. Follow your family's almanac or priest.
How it differs from the site's main Panchang
The site's main pages use Vikram Samvat, Chaitradi and Purnimanta. Compared with the Marathi calendar:
- The months here end on the new moon, so the dark fortnight is named for the earlier month. The site shows the Amanta name beside the Purnimanta name for every date.
- The era is Shaka. Its number is 135 years behind the Vikram Samvat number.
- The bright fortnight is the same in both systems, and the New Year falls on the same day, Chaitra Shukla Pratipada.
If this site's main page says Shravan Krishna and your Marathi almanac says Ashadh Krishna, they are describing the same day.