The Punjabi and Sikh calendars
The Nanakshahi solar calendar and the Bikrami lunisolar calendar used in Punjab, with their months, Vaisakhi, Gurpurabs and how they differ from Vikram Samvat.
Two calendars in one community
Punjabi families, Sikh and Hindu, use more than one calendar, and it helps to know which is which.
- The Bikrami calendar is the traditional Punjabi form of Vikram Samvat. It is lunisolar and has been used for centuries in Punjab for festivals, birth anniversaries (Gurpurabs) and everyday dating.
- The Nanakshahi calendar is a solar calendar introduced for Sikhs in the early 2000s. It was designed by Pal Singh Purewal, and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the body that manages gurdwaras in Punjab, adopted it in 2003. It was meant to give Sikh occasions fixed dates in the Gregorian calendar.
Many Sikhs use the Nanakshahi calendar for dates such as the New Year and a number of historical days. Others keep the Bikrami lunar dates for some Gurpurabs. The SGPC amended the calendar in 2010, making some dates follow the Bikrami lunar reckoning again, and some Sikh bodies still use the original 2003 version. Discussions continue. This is why a Gurpurab can appear on two different days in different gurdwaras. Follow your own gurdwara or committee. That is the practice that matters.
Era and year number
The Nanakshahi era counts from the birth year of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, 1469 CE. Its year begins on Chet 1, around March 14. The year number is the Gregorian year minus 1468 from Chet 1 to the end of the Gregorian year, and minus 1469 from January 1 until Chet 1.
The Bikrami calendar uses the Vikram era, 56 or 57 years ahead of the Gregorian year, and its year starts in Chaitra.
The twelve months
| No. | Nanakshahi month | Roughly begins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chet | Mid March |
| 2 | Vaisakh | Mid April |
| 3 | Jeth | Mid May |
| 4 | Harh | Mid June |
| 5 | Sawan | Mid July |
| 6 | Bhadon | Mid August |
| 7 | Assu | Mid September |
| 8 | Katak | Mid October |
| 9 | Maghar | Mid November |
| 10 | Poh | Mid December |
| 11 | Magh | Mid January |
| 12 | Phagun | Mid February |
Spellings vary (Vaisakh, Vaisakhi, Savan, Katik). Sources differ on the exact day counts of each month, so use a published Nanakshahi calendar for details. In the original 2003 Nanakshahi calendar, Vaisakh begins on April 14 and Chet on March 14; the amended version moves some month starts. The Bikrami lunar months have the same names but start at the new or full moon.
The first day of each solar month is called Sangrand. Gurdwaras announce the coming month on this day, often with a reading from the Barah Maha, a poem in Guru Granth Sahib that describes the twelve months.
The New Year
The Nanakshahi New Year is Chet 1, around March 14. Many Punjabis, however, think of Vaisakhi, around April 13 or 14, as the great spring day of the year. It marks the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699, and it is also the wheat harvest festival. The Baisakhi page on this site covers it.
Festivals that differ from the North Indian calendar
- Vaisakhi around April 13 or 14, on a fixed solar date.
- Maghi on the first of Magh, remembering the Forty Liberated Ones (Chali Mukte) at Muktsar.
- Lohri, the winter bonfire festival the night before Makar Sankranti.
- Gurpurabs, the birth and martyrdom days of the Gurus. Some are on fixed Nanakshahi dates and some follow lunar dates, depending on the committee.
- Bandi Chhor Divas, which falls on the day of Diwali for Sikhs and remembers Guru Hargobind Ji's release.
- Hola Mohalla around the time of Holi, kept with martial displays and gatherings.
Punjabi Hindus keep festivals such as Karwa Chauth, Diwali and Holi on the usual lunar days, in the Purnimanta way.
How the day is reckoned
The traditional Punjabi lunar day uses the tithi at sunrise, as elsewhere. Nanakshahi dates are solar and tied to fixed Gregorian dates, so there is no tithi to check. In gurdwaras, the daily rhythm begins with the early morning prayers (Amrit Vela), before sunrise.
How it differs from the site's main Panchang
The site's main pages use Vikram Samvat in the Chaitradi Purnimanta style. The Bikrami calendar is close to this, since it is also lunisolar, Purnimanta and Chaitra-first. The Nanakshahi calendar is different:
- Its months are solar, not lunar, with fixed Gregorian dates for each month's start.
- Its era begins in 1469 CE, not 57 BCE.
- Its year begins in mid March, around Chet 1, not on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada.
Use this site's main pages for the Bikrami lunar dates, and a Nanakshahi calendar from your gurdwara for the solar dates.