তেলেগু ক্যালেন্ডার (পঞ্চাঙ্গম্) 2026–2027

The Telugu calendar is a lunisolar reckoning system whose annual cycle is anchored to the Salivahana Shaka era, an epoch that began in 78 CE. The scholarly consensus is that the era’s true historical origin most likely lies in the ascension of Indo-Scythian king Chashtana in 78 CE, documented in coin inscriptions found in Kutch. The popular tradition, however, attributes the era to the legendary South Indian emperor Salivahana, who is said to have defeated the invading Shakas — historian Dineshchandra Sircar notes that the “Shalivahana era” attribution appears to be derived from the victory of the Satavahana ruler Gautamiputra Satakarni over certain Shaka kings. Either way, the Telugu Panchangam and every traditional liturgical document in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana counts years from this 78 CE epoch. The Government of India adopted the same Shaka era as the basis of the official Indian National Calendar in 1957.

The Telugu calendar uses chandramana (lunar reckoning), in which months are defined by lunations rather than solar transits. Month boundaries follow the amanta convention, ending on the new moon (amavasya) — the convention shared with Maharashtra, Karnataka and the broader Deccan. This contrasts with the souramana (solar) calendars of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where year-beginnings such as Puthandu fall in mid-April. Because chandramana months drift against the solar year, an intercalary month (Adhika Masa) is inserted approximately every 32–33 months to restore alignment, following the rules codified in the Surya Siddhanta.

The Telugu New Year — Ugadi — falls on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra. In 2026, Ugadi corresponds to 19 March 2026, opening the Parabhava Nama Samvatsara.

Layered on top of the Shaka year-count is the 60-year Jovian cycle (Brihaspati cycle), known as the Prabhavadi cycle because it begins with the year named Prabhava. The cycle corresponds roughly to the least common multiple of Jupiter and Saturn’s orbital periods (~12 and ~30 solar years); every sixty years, both planets return nearly to their starting sidereal coordinates. The 60 samvatsaras are divided into three groups of twenty, traditionally assigned to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Telugu tradition uses the same name-list as the Kannada tradition (Prabhava → Vibhava → Shukla → Pramodutha … Akshaya), with Telugu-script orthographic variants such as Sobhakritu (శోభకృతు), Krodhi (క్రోధి), Visvavasu (విశ్వావసు) and Parabhava (పరాభవ).

This three-layered structure — Shaka year + 60-year samvatsara name + chandramana month/tithi — is what gives every Telugu Panchangam its formal title, e.g. Sri Parabhava Nama Samvatsara Panchangam, Shaka 1948 for the year inaugurated at Ugadi 2026.

The Telugu Panchangam tradition is unusually well-documented because it has been continuously produced by major temples and astrological houses for centuries. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) publishes one of the most widely circulated Telugu Panchangams; the TTD edition is formally read at the Ugadi Asthanam ceremony at the Sri Venkateswara temple.

The Telugu calendar has been shaped by individual siddhantis — astrologer-mathematicians who carry forward the Surya Siddhanta tradition. The Pidaparthi lineage of Pidaparthi Vari Gantala Panchangam publishes annually and is one of the longest-running family-published Telugu almanacs. Other widely consulted modern editions include the Mulugu Panchangam (compiled by the Mulugu Siddhanti family).

The South Indian Jyotisha tradition that feeds the Telugu Panchangam draws on regional astronomers including Bhaskara I (c. 600–680 CE), whose school of mathematicians was probably based in Asmaka — most likely the Nizamabad district of present-day Telangana. His two principal works, the Mahabhaskariya and Laghubhaskariya, are astronomical treatises in verse that remain part of the canonical reading list for traditional South Indian Jyotisha training, and his prose commentary on the Aryabhatiya (the Aryabhatiyabhashya of 629 CE) is one of the earliest surviving treatments of Aryabhata’s astronomy.

Panchangam Sravanam is one of the most important rituals performed on Ugadi day. "Sravanam" means "listening" — in this ceremony, a priest or scholar reads out the new year's Panchangam (almanac) to an assembled audience. The recitation covers the Nava Nayakas (nine rulers) of the year: the King (Rajya Prabhu), Minister (Mantri), Commander-in-Chief (Senadhipati), Sasyaadhipati (lord of crops), Dhanyaadhipati (lord of grains), Arghadhipati (lord of prices), Meghadhipati (lord of rains), and Rasadhipati (lord of liquids). Each of these roles is assigned to a specific planet based on the weekday, tithi, nakshatra, and other panchanga elements of Ugadi day. Based on these planetary rulers, the scholar makes predictions about the year's agricultural prospects, rainfall patterns, commodity prices, political stability, and general prosperity. Panchangam Sravanam is performed in temples, community halls, and on television broadcasts, watched by tens of millions of Telugu people with keen interest. The tradition dates back centuries and remains one of the most distinctive features of Telugu New Year celebrations, distinguishing Ugadi from other Indian New Year observances.

The Telugu Panchangam is one of the oldest continuously maintained almanac traditions in India, tracing its computational methods back to the Vedic period and classical astronomical texts like the Surya Siddhanta and the Arya Bhatiya. Traditional astronomers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, known as "Siddhantis," have been computing and publishing Panchangams for generations. These Siddhantis use sophisticated mathematical methods derived from classical Indian astronomy to determine the exact tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana, and planetary positions for each day. The Telugu Panchangam is not merely a calendar — it is a comprehensive almanac that guides virtually every aspect of traditional Telugu life, from the timing of daily prayers to agricultural sowing dates, from wedding muhurtas to commercial ventures.

One of the distinctive features of the Telugu Panchangam is its Amanta system — months end on Amavasya (New Moon), which is identical to the system used in Karnataka and Maharashtra but differs from the North Indian Purnimanta system where months end on Purnima (Full Moon). This has practical consequences: some festivals fall in a differently-named month in North India versus Telugu regions. For example, Deepavali on Kartika Amavasya in the Telugu Panchangam is called "Ashwin Amavasya" in the Purnimanta system. This difference arises because the Amavasya's position within the month differs between the two systems, even though the actual date (and the night sky) are identical.

Even in the modern era, the Telugu Panchangam remains indispensable for millions of households. The annual purchase of a new Panchangam around Ugadi time is a cherished tradition — families discuss the year's predictions over festive meals, and the almanac sits in a place of honour in the home. Today, digital Panchangam apps and websites make this information available to the global Telugu diaspora, yet the authority and traditional value of the printed Panchangam has not diminished. Major Panchangam publishers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana continue to enjoy significant readership, and the annual Panchangam Sravanam ceremonies at temples draw large crowds both in person and via live television broadcasts.