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Bikram Samwat

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Vikram Samvat also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...

:विक्रम संवत्, abbreviated "V.S." or "B.S") is the calendar established by India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n emperor Vikramaditya

Vikramaditya

Vikramaditya was a legendary emperor of Ujjain, India, famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity. The title "Vikramaditya" was later assumed by many other kings in Indian history, notably the Gupta King Chandragupta II and Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya .The name King Vikramaditya is a...

. It is a popularly used calendar in India

India

and the official calendar of Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

.

The Vikrama Samvat was founded by the emperor Vikramaditya

Vikramaditya

of Ujjain

Ujjain

Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...

following his victory over the Saka

Saka

The Saka were a Scythian tribe or group of tribes....

s in 56 BCE, although it is popularly (and incorrectly) associated with the subsequent king Chandragupta Vikramaditya. It is a lunar calendar based on ancient Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

tradition (see Hindu calendar

Hindu calendar

The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...

and Vedic time keeping). The Vikram Samvat calendar is 56.7 years ahead (in count) of the solar Gregorian calendar

Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...

. For example, the year 2056 BS began in CE

Common Era

Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...

1999 and ended in CE 2000. In Northern India the calendar starts with the first day after the new moon in the month Chaitra

Chaitra

Chaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar....

, which usually falls in March/April in the Gregorian calendar. Again in Western India the same era begins with the first day after the new moon in the month of Kartika

Kartika (month)

Kartika , is a month of Hindu and Bengali calendars, named after the Hindu god, Kartikeya....

which usually falls in October and November in the Gregorian calendar. In Nepal, it begins in mid-April and marks the start of the solar new year.

In India, Saka Calendar is officially used but interestingly in the Hindi version of Preamble of The Constitution of India, the date of adoption of constitution 26 Nov 1949 is presented in Vikram Samvat (Margsheersh Shukla Saptami Samvat 2006 ).

Months

No.	Name	Nepali Nepali language Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...	Days
1	Baishākh Baishakh (Nepali calendar) Baishakh is the First month in the Bikram Samwat, the official Nepali calendar. This month coincides with April 14 to May 14 of the Western Calendar and is 31 days long.Important Events during this month:April 14: Baishakh 1, New Year...	बैशाख	30 / 31
2	Jeṭha Jetha (Nepali calendar) Jetha is the second month in Bikram Samwat, the official Nepali calendar. This month starts with May 15 to 14 June of the Western calendar and is 30 days long. The Bikram Sambat originated from the Vikram Samwat....	जेष्ठ or जेठ	31 / 32
3	Asār Asar (Nepali calendar) Asar also called Aashadh is the third month in the Bikram Samwat, the official Nepali calendar. This month coincides with June 15 to July 16 of the Western Calendar and is 31 or 32 long.-Months in Nepali Calendar:-References:...	आषाढ़ or असार	31 / 32
4	Sāun Saaun (Nepali calendar) Saaun also called Shrawan is the fourth and the last month in the Bikram Samwat, the official Nepali calendar. This month coincides with July 17 to August 16 of the Western calendar and is 31 days long.-Months in Nepali Calendar:...	श्रावण or साउन	31 / 32
5	Bhadau Bhadau (Nepali calendar) Bhadau also called Bhadra is the fifth month in the Bikram Samwat, the official Nepali calendar. This month coincides with Auguar 17 to September 16 of the Western Calendar and is 31 days long....	भाद्र or भदौ	31 / 32
6	Asoj Asoj (Nepali calendar) Asoj also called Ashwin is the sixth month in the Bikram Samwat, the official Nepali calendar. This month coincides with September 17 to October 17 of the Western Calendar and is 31 days long....	आश्विन or असोज	30 / 31
7	Kartik Kartika (Nepali calendar) Kartika is the seventh month in the Bikram Samwat, the official Calendar for Nepalese. This month usually starts in 18th October till 16th November. This month usually has 30 days.Kartika is also known as the month of festivals because two major festivals, Dashain and Tihar, usually falls in this...	कार्तिक	29 / 30
8	Mangsir	मार्ग or मंसिर	29 / 30
9	Push	पौष or पुष/पूस	29 / 30
10	Magh Magh (Nepali calendar) Magh is the tenth month in Bikram Sambat or B.S., the official and Hindu religious calendar of Nepal. This month approximately coincides with January 15 to February 12 of the Gregorian calendar and is 29 days long.Important religious holidays:...	माघ	29 / 30
11	Falgun Falgun Falgun is the eleventh month in the नेपाली Nepali calendar বঙ্গাব্দ Bangla Calendar and the Bikram Sambat. This also marks the arrival of spring,the sixth and final season in Nepal and Bangladesh...	फाल्गुन or फागुन	29 / 30
12	Chaitra Chait (Nepali calendar) Chait also called Chaitra is the twelfth and the last month in the Bikram Samwat, the official Nepali calendar. This month coincides with March 15 to April 13 of the Western calendar and is 30 days long.Important Events during this month:...	चैत्र or चैत	30 / 31

No.	Name	North Indian languages	Days
1	Vaishakh	वैशाख or बैसाख	30 / 31
2	Jyeshtha	ज्येष्ठ or जेठ	31 / 32
3	Aashadh	आषाढ़	31 / 32
4	Shraawan	श्रावण or सावन	31 / 32
5	Bhadrapad	भाद्रपद or भादो	31 / 32
6	Ashvin Ashvin Ashvin , also known as Aswayuja, is the seventh month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, the Tamil solar calendar where it is known as Aipassi and the solar India's national civil calendar. It is the sixth month of the solar Bengali calendar. It falls in the season of Shôrot, or Autumn...	आश्विन	30 / 31
7	Kartik Kartika (month) Kartika , is a month of Hindu and Bengali calendars, named after the Hindu god, Kartikeya....	> 29 / 30
8	Aghrahaayan	अग्रहायण or मार्गशीर्ष	29 / 30
9	Paush	पौष or पुष/पूस	29 / 30
10	Magh Magh Magh may refer to:* Magi* Magh people, the Arakanese nationalities known in Bengal as Maghs* Maagha, a month in Hindu calendar* Magh * Magh * Magh * Magha , author of Shishupala Vadha...	माघ	29 / 30
11	Phalgun	फाल्गुन or फागुन	29 / 30
12	Chaitra Chaitra Chaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar....	चैत्र or चैत	30 / 31

No.	Name	West Indian languages Hindi Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi... / Gujarati Gujarati language Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...	Days
1	Kārtika Kartika (month) Kartika , is a month of Hindu and Bengali calendars, named after the Hindu god, Kartikeya....	> 29 / 30
2	Agrahayana or, Mārgashīrsha Agrahayana Agrahayana or Margashirsha, is a month of the Hindu calendar and Tamil calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Agrahayana is the ninth month of the year, beginning on 22 November and ending on 21 December. Since Vedic times, this month is known as Maargashirsha after the Nakshatra ...	अग्रहायण or मार्गशीर्ष / માગશર	29 / 30
3	Pausha Pausha Pausha is a month of the Hindu calendar In the Indian national calendar, Pausha is the tenth month of the year, beginning with the solstice on 22 December and ending on 20 January....	पौष or पुष/पूस / પોષ	29 / 30
4	Māgah Maagha Maagha is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Maagh is the eleventh month of the year, beginning in January and ending in February....	माघ / મહા	29 / 30
5	Phālguna Phalguna Phalguna is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Phaalgun is the twelfth month of the year, beginning on 20 February and ending on 21 March .In lunar religious calendars, Phaalgun may begin on either the new moon or the full moon...	फाल्गुन or फागुन / ફાગણ	29 / 30
6	Chaitra Chaitra Chaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar....	चैत्र or चैत / ચૈત્ર	30 / 31
7	Vaishākha Vaisakha Vaishakha or Baisakha is a month of the Hindu calendar. It is the first month of the Nepalese calendar and the Bengali calendar . In the Indian national calendar Vaisakha is the second month of the year, beginning on April 21 and ending on May 20.In the Hindu solar calendar, Vaisakha begins in...	वैशाख or बैसाख / વૈશાખ	30 / 31
8	Jyaishtha Jyeshta Jyeshta is a month of the Hindu calendar, also known as Jeth or Iethe. In India's national civil calendar, Jyestha is the third month of the year, beginning on 21 May and ending on 22 June...	ज्येष्ठ or जेठ / જેઠ	31 / 32
9	Āshādha Aashaadha Aashaadha is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Aashaadh is the fourth month of the year, beginning on 22 June and ending on 22 July. The month is known as Aadi in Tamil...	आषाढ़ / અષાઢ	31 / 32
10	Shrāvana Shraavana Shraavana is a month of the Hindu calendar, also known as Sawan. In India's national civil calendar, Shraavan is the fifth month of the Hindu year, beginning in late July and ending in the third week of August. In the Tamil calendar, it is known as Aavani and is the fifth month of the solar year...	श्रावण or सावन / શ્રાવણ	31 / 32
11	Bhaadra or, Bhādrapada Bhaadra Bhaadra or Bhadrapada is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar , Bhaadra is the sixth month of the year, beginning on 23 August and ending on 22 September. Known as Purattaasi, it is the sixth month of the Tamil solar calendar...	भाद्रपद or भादो / ભાદરવો	31 / 32
12	Āshwin	आश्विन / આષો	30 / 31

History

This calendar derives its name from the original king Vikramaditya

Vikramaditya

of Ujjain

Ujjain

. After the rise of the Rana oligarchs in Nepal, Vikram Sambat came into unofficial use along with the official Shaka Sambat for quite some time. They discontinued Shaka Sambat in its 1823rd year and replaced it with Vikram Samwat for official use since then to date. Vikram Sambat came into official use in its 1958th year. The calendar is widely in use in western India, where it is known as the Vikram Samvat.

The date is supposed to mark the victory of king Vikramaditya

Vikramaditya

over the Sakas, who had invaded Ujjain

Ujjain

. To the new era was established to commemorate this event. Alternatively, it is thought to correspond to the Azes era, of the Indo-Scythian king Azes I

Azes I

Azes I was an Indo-Scythian ruler who completed the domination of the Scythians in northern India.-History:Although Maues and his successors had conquered the areas of Gandhara, as well as the area of Mathura from 85 BCE, they were unsuccessful against the Indo-Greek kings remaining behind the...

The story is described in "Kalakacharya Kathanaka", a much later work by a Jain sage called Mahesara Suri (Probably circa 12th century CE). The Kathanaka (meaning, "an account") tells the story of a famed Jain monk Kalakacharya. It mentions that Gardabhilla, the then powerful king of Ujjain, abducted a nun called Sarasvati who was the sister of the monk. The enraged monk sought help of the Saka

Saka

The Saka were a Scythian tribe or group of tribes....

ruler, a "Sahi", in Sakasthana

Sakastan

Sakastan or Sakaistan or Sakasthan is a term indicating certain regions of the South Asia where the Scythians or Sakas settled around 100 BC. Sakastan region includes southern Afghanistan; Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh provinces of Pakistan; also includes Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and...

. Despite heavy odds (but aided by miracles) the Saka king defeated Gardabhilla and made him a captive. Sarasvati was repatriated. Gardabhilla himself was forgiven though. The defeated king retired to the forest where he was killed by a tiger. His son, Vikramaditya, being brought up in the forest, had to rule from Pratishthana (in modern Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

). Later on Vikramaditya invaded Ujjain and drove away the Sakas. To commemorate this event he started a new era called the Vikrama era. This story seems to be a jumbled one, as the original Vikramaditya began his rule from Ujjain and not from Pratishthana. The Ujjain calendar started around 56 BCE to 58 BCE, and the subsequent Shalivahan Saka calendar was started in 78 A.D. at Pratishthan.

Culture

The traditional New Year of Bikram Samwat is one of the many festivals of Nepal, marked by parties, family gatherings, the exchange of good wishes and participation in rituals to ensure good fortune in the coming year. It occurs in mid-April each year and coincides with the traditional new year in Assam, Bengal, Maharashtra,Burma, Cambodia, Kerala, Manipur, Orissa, Punjab, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and Thailand.

In addition to Nepal, the Bikram Sambat calendar are also recognized in northern India

India

, eastern India, and in Gujarat among Hindus. In Buddhist communities, the month of Baishakh is associated with Vesak, known as Visakah Puja or Buddha Purnima in Nepal, India and Bangladesh, Visakha Bucha in Thailand, Waisak in Indonesia and Wesak in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. It commemorates the birth, Enlightenment and passing of Gautama Buddha on the one historical day, the first full moon day in May, except in a leap year when the festival is held in June. Although this festival is not held on the same day as Pahela Baishakh, the holidays typically fall in the same month (Baishakh) of the Bengali, Hindu, and Theravada Buddhist calendars, and are related historically through the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism in South Asia.

In Gujarat the fifth day of Diwali

Diwali

Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...

is celebrated as the first day of the Vikram Samvat calender.

Conversion

The basic rule of thumb for conversion (This method is not exact and almost all of the time it gives wrong dates. However for general idea it is very useful)

Nepali Date to English:
Subtract - 56 Years
- 8 Months
- 15 Days

English Date to Nepali Date:
Add - 56 Years
- 8 Months
- 15 Days

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.