Three major calendar conventions run in parallel across the subcontinent. (1) The lunisolar Vedic panchang — the Moon's tithi cycle anchored to the Sun's sidereal motion — drives Diwali, Holi, Ekadashi and most vrats. (2) The solar calendars — based on the Sun's sankranti entries into each Rashi — include the Tamil panchangam (Chithirai through Panguni), the Malayalam panchangam (Kollavarsham / Chingam), and the Bengali panjika (Boishakh through Chaitra). (3) The Gregorian civil calendar covers official and international use. The three do not replace each other — they are three different maps of the same day.

Within the lunar months there are two conventions. The north Indian "Purnimanta" system ends each month at Purnima; the south Indian "Amanta" system ends each month at Amavasya. Both track the same lunar cycle, but a given lunar date can be tagged with a different month name in each — the offset is roughly fifteen days. Our masa table and tithi table show both conventions side by side, letting you spot Adhika Masa years — like 2026's Jyeshtha Adhika — at a glance.

The year-numbering is not unified either. North India uses Vikram Samvat (currently 2083), roughly 57 years ahead of Gregorian. The national civil calendar uses Shaka Samvat (currently 1948), 78 years behind Gregorian. Bengal uses Bangabda (currently 1433). The Tamil tradition uses a 60-year "Varsha cycle" — Pingala, Kala Yukti, Siddharthi, and so on. Hindu Calendar 2026 shows all these year systems in one reference.

Regional traditions are tightly woven into each calendar — for example, Tamil Panchangam (Chithirai Thiruvizha through Karthigai Deepam), Bangla Panjika (Poila Boishakh, Durga Puja, Kali Puja), Gujarati Panchang (Bestu Varas, Uttarayan), and the ISKCON Vaishnava calendar. To learn the full system, study the Hindu Calendar module or the Masa curriculum.

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