At present, only one calendar is used the most in the world, and that is the Gregorian calendar. Which can also be called the English calendar. Because the British had been ruling the world for a long time. That is why they started giving maximum recognition to only one calendar. And the result was that today this Gregorian calendar is used around the world, which also includes India. It is not that there is only a Gregorian calendar in the world, due to which people have no option other than using it. Because the world is full of millions of different civilizations, the calendar can be divided into regional and historical groups. That is why many types of calendars exist all over the world.
Along with the calendar, there are some other things that are important to understand, like AD and BC, CE and BCE. And what is Sak Samvat or Vikram Samvat in the Indian calendar? And how the Indian calendar came before the Gregorian calendar and how time is measured in both of these calendars. You will get complete information on this subject through this article, in which you will see the connection between all these. First of all, you should understand what a calendar is.
What is a calendar?
Calendars are systems that organize units of time to measure time over long periods of time. They follow set rules to repeat astronomical cycles. Every country has its own distinct civilization; that is why the way people measure time is according to their culture and civilization. That is why they use their own calendar to measure time. And that is why there are many types of calendars in the world, like the Hebrew/Jewish calendar, the Egyptian calendar, the Umma calendar, the Roman calendar, etc. But at present, there are only six main calendars that are used to measure time. Those calendars are like this: the Gregorian, Jewish, Islamic, Indian, Chinese, and Julian calendars.
The calendar is divided into four parts: solar, lunar, seasonal, and lunisolar. And these calendars correspond to civilizations. Such as Jewish, Hijri, Sikh, Mayan, Aztecan, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Iranian, Hindu, and Buddhist civilizations. Since the history of these civilizations is ancient, people who believe in them follow their own calendar. But there is a story behind the Gregorian calendar, which is currently used all over the world. These details are given below.
Gregorian Calendar 📆:
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western or Christian calendar, is the most widely used calendar system in the world today. Named after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in October 1582, the Gregorian calendar has played a crucial role in shaping the way we organize and measure time.
Before the Gregorian calendar, various calendar systems were in use across different cultures and regions. The Julian calendar, established by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE, was the predominant calendar in Europe for over 1,500 years. However, a discrepancy between the calendar year and the solar year, primarily caused by the Julian calendar's slightly longer year, led to the need for reform.
In the late 16th century, Pope Gregory XIII commissioned a reform to correct the inaccuracies of the Julian calendar. The main objective was to align the calendar year more closely with the solar year to ensure that important dates, such as Easter, remained in their appropriate seasons.
Gregorian Calendar History
The Gregorian Calendar is a Christian calendar that was created by the followers of Christianity to measure time. According to Christianity, this calendar starts on the day of the birth of Jesus Christ. Now, for example, we use a date (01/01/2024) and a time line. You can see the picture of the time line above. The center point in this time line represents the birth of Jesus Christ. That means Jesus Christ was born at this point. In the picture, the progression of time is shown from the birth of Jesus Christ towards the right side of the arrow. For example, the date taken (January 1, 2024) is the time that has passed since the birth of Jesus Christ.
The way the day, month, and year are displayed on this date. Which means that according to the Gregorian calendar, the first day of the first month of 2024 has now passed since the beginning of the calendar. If you understand well, till now, 2024 years have passed according to this calendar. That means the Gregorian calendar starts from 01/01/0001, i.e., the first month of the year and the first day of the first month.
According to Christian beliefs and the history of this Gregorian calendar, Christian people needed a fixed calendar to measure time. But they did not know where they should start. But when Jesus Christ was born, the followers of Christianity increased their belief that God had come to earth in the form of Jesus. And since then, people have started the Gregorian calendar on the birthday of Jesus Christ. People in Christianity believe that the beginning of the universe begins with the birthday of Jesus, and that is why the Gregorian calendar started on 01/01/0001. But the difference between this calendar and the Vikram Samvat calendar of India is that the Vikram Samvat calendar started 57 years before the Gregorian calendar. That means if today the year 2024 is going on according to the Gregorian calendar, then the year 2080 is going on according to the Vikram Samvat calendar. We can say that Vikram Samvat 2080 is going on today.
What is AD & BC?
These words AD and BC have great importance in the Gregorian calendar. Because in the history books of India, both of these words have been used to represent a particular date. By putting these two words behind any year, it can be found out when that event took place. In the Gregorian calendar, BC means before Christ, and AD means Anno Domini. Anno Domini is a Latin word meaning "in the year of the Lord." In simple words, it means the day of our God.
In the Gregorian calendar, AD means after Jesus Christ. That is, the word AD is used to represent the year after the birth of Jesus Christ. As India gained independence in the year 1947, it can also be written as 1947AD. That is, the time from the starting date of this calendar, 01/01/0001, till now and further is called AD.
And B.C. means before Christ. That means the time that happened before the birth of Jesus Christ. Or we can say the time before 01/01/0001. Now, time is measured in such a way that the years after the birth of Jesus in A.D. are shown in increasing order (100 A.D., 200 AD, 1000 AD, 1500 AD, 2000 AD). And in BC, the years before the birth of Jesus Christ are shown in descending order (2000 BC, 1500 BC, 1000 BC, 200 BC, 100 BC). For example, 1000AD means one thousand years after the birth of Jesus Christ, and 1000BC means one thousand years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
To date, in Indian history books, we have read AD and BC, in which AD (Ishwi) and BC (Isha Purva). For a simple example, Maharana Pratap was born in 1540 AD, which means that he was born 1540 years after the birth of Jesus Christ.
What is CE & BCE?
When the followers of Christianity created the Gregorian calendar, the time-marking words used hurt the followers of many of their religions. Because in this calendar, the full meaning of AD is Anno Domini. Which literally means the time of our God means the time of Jesus. When the time after the birth of Jesus came to be called AD, people of other religions faced problems due to this. Supporters of those other religions said that using such indicators in the calendar would forcefully impose Christianity on people of other religions. Because at that time, just like today, there were people who believed in many religions; hence, it would not be right at all for them to say “the time of our God.”.
Because the Gregorian calendar was completely based on Christianity, there was a need for a calendar to measure time all over the world. For this reason, people of other religions started using CE in place of AD and BCE in place of BC. CE means the Christ Era, and BCE means before the Christ Era. For example, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in the year 1630. Since he was born in the Hindu religion, it would be appropriate to write his birth year as 1630 CE instead of 1630 AD.
Examples For AD & BC Timeline:
For example, here we are going to tell the names of famous people in the AD timeline, i.e., after the birth of Jesus Christ, which will make it easier to understand. Pay attention because these names are only the names of AD timelines.
15 Indian King's Of AD/CE Timeline
| Total | Name | AD |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akbar | 1552-1605AD |
| 2 | Chatrapati Shivaji | 1630-1680AD |
| 3 | Ranjit Singh | 1780-1839AD |
| 4 | Maharana Pratap | 1540-1597AD |
| 5 | Ahilyabai Holkar | 1725/1795AD |
| 6 | Chhatrapati Sahu Maharaja | 1682-1749AD |
| 7 | Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb) | 1721-1761AD |
| 8 | Krishnadevaraya | 1471-1529AD |
| 9 | Prathvi Raj Chauhan | 1166-1539AD |
| 10 | Samudragupta | 335-380AD |
| 11 | Guru Nanak | 1469-1539AD |
| 12 | Guru Govind Singh | 1466-1708 |
| 13 | Babar | 1483-1530AD |
| 14 | Shah Jahan | 1592-1666AD |
| 15 | Tipu Sultan | 1751-1799AD |
As mentioned above, B.C. and BCE mean the time line before Jesus Christ. And the year before the birth of Jesus is written as BC or BCE. And if you look at the time chart, you will see that the years before the birth of Jesus are written in descending order. For example, if someone was born one year after the birth of Jesus, it would be written as 1AD/CE. And if birth is 1 year ago, then it is written as 1 BC/BCE. Pay attention because even if the birth year of Lord Shri Ram is written, it will be written in the form of BC or BCE.
10 Famous Kings of BC/BCE Timeline
| Total | Name | BC/BCE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chandragupta Maurya | c. 340-298 BC |
| 2 | Ashoka The Great | c. 304-232 BC |
| 3 | Porus | c. 375-315 BC |
| 4 | Bindusara | c. 558-491 BC |
| 5 | Mahapadama Nanda | c. 5the century BC |
| 6 | Pushyamitra Shunga | c. 185-149 BC |
| 7 | Kharavela | c. 209-170 BC |
| 8 | Pradyota Dynasty | c. 6th century BC |
| 9 | Gautamiputra Satkarni | c. 2nd century BC |
| 10 | Bimbisara | c. 558-491 BC |
Now do not get confused by seeing 2nd century BC and 5th century BC because century means 100 years. And 2nd century BC means 200 BC, i.e., 200 years before the birth of Jesus.
Vikram Samvat:
The calendar is called Panchang in the Hindi language. And Vikram Samvat is an important part of the Hindu calendar. This calendar is used to calculate the festivals, muhurtas, and mythological events of Hinduism. The year of Vikram Samvat is determined by taking into account the movement of the entire moon around it. Also, it's called Vikrami Samvat. This calendar of India is special from the Gregorian calendar because this panchang was created in 57 BC from the Gregorian calendar. And that is why, according to Vikram Samvat, today is not 2024 but the 2081st year. There is an interesting history and story behind the creation of this calendar.
Story And Historical Background:
Vikram Samvat was started by Emperor Vikramaditya. Vikramaditya was born in 102 BC, according to the Gregorian calendar, and died in 16 AD. He created Vikram Samvat in 57 BC, and if data is extracted from the date of his birth and Vikram Samvat, then it comes to light that he created Vikram Samvat at the age of 45 years. Vikramaditya was intelligent and brave in the art of war and adept in jurisprudence.
According to the story, Emperor Vikramaditya one day, during a trip, met a particularly thoughtful Brahmin and decided to acquire some territories from him with his army. Thus, Vikramaditya conquered various regions with his army and started a new era. This Samvat was called "Vikram Samvat," which means "time of Vikramaditya.".
According to Vikram Samvat, to find the date, 57 is added to the current year, which gives the year of Vikram Samvat.
Difference between English Calendar & Vikram Samvat:
There is a difference of 57 years between the English calendar and Vikram Samvat. When you look at the time diagram given above, you will know that in the Gregorian calendar or English calendar, 0 starts from the birth of Jesus Christ. But in Vikram Samvat, 0 starts 57 years before the English calendar, which is why the year of Vikram Samvat is 57 years ahead. According to the English calendar, the New Year is celebrated on January 1. But the new year of Vikram Samvat is celebrated on the full moon day of Margashirsha month, according to the Hindi calendar. Margashirsha Purnima is also known as the last date of 'Kartik month'. In 2024, Vikram Samvat 2080 will end and 2081 will begin.
Details of the coming 10 years according to Vikram Samvat:
| Vikram Samvat | Starting Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2080 | 22 March 2023 | 21 March 2024 |
| 2081 | 22 March 2024 | 20 March 2025 |
| 2082 | 21 March 2025 | 19 March 2026 |
| 2083 | 20 March 2026 | 18 March 2027 |
| 2084 | 19 March 2027 | 17 March 2027 |
| 2085 | 18 March 2028 | 16 March 2029 |
| 2086 | 17 March 2029 | 15 March 2030 |
| 2087 | 16 March 2030 | 14 March 2031 |
| 2088 | 15 March 2031 | 13 March 2032 |
| 2089 | 14 March 2032 | 12 March 2033 |
Total days in the year, according to Vikram Samvat:
According to Vikram Samvat, there are 365 days in a year, while sometimes there can be 366 days. This is being told if there is a unique day in the year, which is called Adhikahar Maas. In this way, the months in Vikram Samvat can be counted not only from 12 months but sometimes from 13 months as well.
Names of 12 months according to Vikram Samvat:
According to the Gregorian calendar, the names of the months are from January to December. But Vikram Samvat also has 12 months like the English calendar, and according to Vikram Samvat, the first month of the year is Chaitra. And in the Hindi calendar, the new year starts with this month. According to Vikram Samvat, the names of 12 Indian or Hindi months are given below.
- 1. Chaitra: This is the first month in the Hindi calendar.
- 2. Vaishakh: After Chaitra comes Vaishakh, and festivals like Baisakhi are celebrated in this month.
- 3. Jyeshtha: After this comes the month of Jyeshtha, which is worshiped for its specialties.
- 4. Ashadh: After Jyeshtha comes Ashadh, in which the month of Sawan starts and the Kanwar Yatra takes place.
- 5. Shravan: After Ashadh comes Shravan, and in this month in Hindu religion, the Kanwar Yatra takes place, which is performed by the worshipers of Lord Shiva.
- 6. Bhadrapada: After Shravan comes Bhadrapada, and important festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi are celebrated in this month.
- 7. Ashvyuj/Ashwin: After Bhadrapada comes Ashvyuj, in which Navratri and Dussehra are celebrated.
- 8. Kartik: After Ashvayuj comes the month of Kartik, in which Diwali and Tulsi Puja are celebrated.
- 9. Margashirsha: After Kartik comes Margashirsha, in which Ekadashi and the full moon of Krishna Paksha fall.
- 10. Paush: After Margashirsha comes Paush, in which Magh Mela is held and Makar Sankranti is celebrated.
- 11. Magh: After Paush comes Magh, in which Magh bath and Maghi Purnima are worshipped.
- 12. Phalgun: Finally comes Phalgun, in which festivals of colors like Holi are celebrated. And with the month of Phalgun, the year of Vikram Samvat ends, and then the new year starts with the month of Chaitra.
When do Hindi months come in English calendar?
At present, the English calendar is used all over the world. But people do not know when the 12 months of the Hindu calendar start in the English calendar. That is, the question could be whether Chaitra, the first month of the year of Vikram Samvat, will fall in which month of the year of the Gregorian calendar. So the answer would be that Chaitra, the first month of Vikram Samvat, falls in the months of March and April of the English calendar. Or we can say that the month of Chaitra is from the 15th of March until the 15th of April. But this is just an example. Because Hindi month can start on any date of the month in the Gregorian calendar. Taking the example of the year 2024, Vikram Samvat 2080 is currently going on, which will end on March 21, 2024.
Because the new year of Vikram Samvat 2080 started on March 22, 2023, which will last for 365 days. And Vikram Samvat 2080 will end on March 21, 2024. Vikram Samvat 2081 will start on March 22, 2024, and Vikram Samvat 2081 will end on March 20, 2025. The Hindu New Year always starts on the Pratipada tithi of Shukla Paksha in Chaitra month. In 2024, this date falls on March 22. And in the year 2024, the Chaitra month of Vikram Samvat 2081 will start on Wednesday, March 22, 2024, and end on Tuesday, April 19, 2024. According to the Hindu calendar, a detailed description of the 12 months in the English calendar can be seen below.
| Hindu Month's | According to Gregorian Calendar |
|---|---|
| Chaitra | March - April |
| Vaishakh | April - May |
| Jyaitha | May - June |
| Ashadha | June - July |
| Shravana/Savan | July - August |
| Bhadrapada | August - September |
| Ashwin | September - October |
| Kartik | October - November |
| Agrahayana | November - December |
| Pausha | December - January |
| Magha | January - February |
| Phalguna | February - March |
Sak Samvat:
The calendar used in India after Vikram Samvat is Shaka Samvat. Shaka Samvat is a solar-principle calendar prevalent in India. It began in 78 AD and is also called the Saka era. The word Shaka is derived from the 'Saka' people, who were an ancient people group living in the north-west of India. The year in the Shaka Samvat is named after the Shaka king. Shaka Samvat started in 78 AD, i.e., 78 years after the formation of the Gregorian Calendar and 135 years after the creation of Vikram Samvat. And for this reason, Shaka Samvat is 78 years behind the Gregorian calendar. Whereas Vikram Samvat is 135 years ahead of Shaka Samvat. According to the Gregorian calendar, the year 2024 is going on; according to Vikram Samvat, the year 2080 is going on; but according to Shak Samvat, only the year 1946 is going on.
The duration of the year of Shaka Samvat is 365 days, and the duration of the month is 30 to 31 days. The names of the months of Shaka Samvat and the names of the months of Vikram Samvat are the same. According to Shak Samvat, 1946 is going on now, so it will be written as Shak Samvat 1946. Shaka Samvat is used in government work, in calculating festivals and dates, in astrology, and in making almanacs. It is not at all true that Shaka Samvat is used only in India; rather, it is used in countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Burma. Shaka Samvat is also called Shalivahana Samvat.
Hijri Samvat:
After Vikram Samvat and Shak Samvat, the calendar that is important to know about is Hijri Samvat. The Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar used in the Islamic religion. This calendar is based on the event of the migration (Hijrat) from Mecca to Medina of Prophet Mohammed, the founder of the Muslim religion. Hijri Samvat started on July 16, 622 AD, and according to Hijri Samvat, 1445 years are currently going on. It started on July 19, 2023, and will run till July 8, 2024. That means this calendar is 622 years behind the Gregorian calendar.
The Hijri calendar is based on the orbits of the moon and consists of 12 months. And each month is 29 or 30 days. You need to know the difference between the Gregorian calendar and the Hijri calendar: the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar, and the Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar. And Hijri Samvat is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, due to which the new year of Hijri Samvat starts 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar. And for this reason, the year of Hijri Samvat is not of 365 days but of 354 or 355 days.
History of Hijri Samvat:
In Muslim religion, the Hijri era is considered to begin with the event of Hijrat, which took place in 622 AD. The word Hijrat literally means "migration" or "transfer." According to the story, in Mecca, Prophet Mohammed and his followers faced a lot of persecution by the Quraysh tribe. They were threatened, tortured, and even attempts were made to kill them. Under these circumstances, Prophet Mohammed decided to leave Mecca and go to Medina. The incident of Hijrat had a deep impact on Islam and Muslims. This incident helped the Muslims remain united. And for this reason, the memory of Hijrat in Islam is celebrated in the month of Ramjaan. And on this occasion, Muslims keep fast and pray.
Names of 12 months of Hijri Samvat:
Like Shaka Samvat, Vikram Samvat, and the Gregorian Calendar, Hijri Samvat of the Islam religion has 12 months. And the name of the first month of Hijri Samvat is Muhurram, and the new year of Hijri Samvat starts in this month. The names of the months of Hijri Samvat are Muharram, Safar, Rabiul-Awal, Rabiul-Akhir, Jamadiul-Awal, Jamadiul-Akhir, Rajab, Shaban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Zilqad, and the name of the 12th and last month is Zilhijj. This is worth noting because some months of Hijri Samvat are also called by different names.
Now it is a matter of concern that we currently use the Gregorian calendar, and it is imprinted in our minds. But when do the months of Hijri Samvat start in the Gregorian calendar? Its complete information is given below.
| Hijri Month | Gregorian Calendar Start Date |
|---|---|
| Muharram | July - August |
| Safar | August - September |
| Rabi' al-Awwal | September - October |
| Rabi' al-Thani | October - November |
| Jumada al-Awwal | November - December |
| Jumada al-Thani | December - January |
| Rajab | January - February |
| Sha'ban | February - March |
| Ramadan | March - April |
| Shawwal | April - May |
| Dhu al-Qi'dah | May - June |
| Dhu al-Hijjah | June - July |
Gregorian Calendar, Vikram Samvat, Shak Samvat, and Hijri Samvat:
To understand these four calendars in brief, you can use the time line of the Gregorian calendar. Which is also shown in the picture. Because it is easy to understand all the dates in the Gregorian calendar. From the picture given above, you can understand that it has been 2024 years since the English calendar started, which started on 01/01/0001. And the time before 01/01/0001 is called BC/BCE, while the time after, i.e., the present, is called AD or CE. Vikram Samvat started in 57 BC, Shaka Samvat started in 78 AD, and Hijri Samvat started in 622 AD. In the Gregorian Calendar, Vikram Samvat, Shak Samvat, and Hijri Samvat, the oldest calendar is Vikram Samvat because it started 57 years before the Gregorian Calendar.
All the information shown in this article is based on the internet, some offline sources, and historical sources. But if you still feel that this article needs some further improvement, then you can contact us with the help of the contact form.
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