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Bengali calendar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Calendar used in the Bengal region
This article is about the traditional calendar used in Bengal region. For the civil calendar of Bangladesh which is a standardized version of this calendar, seeBangladeshi national calendar.

Today
(atUTC+00)
Saturday
Gregorian calendar25 October,AD2025
Islamic calendar3Jumada al-awwal,AH 1447
(usingtabular method)
Hebrew calendar3Cheshvan,AM 5786
Coptic calendar15Paopi,AM 1742
Solar Hijri calendar3Aban, SH 1404
Bengali calendar9Kartik,BS 1432
Julian calendar12 October,AD 2025
Bengali
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Bengalis

TheBengali calendar orBangla calendar (Bengali:বঙ্গাব্দ,romanized: Bôṅgābdô, colloquiallyবাংলা সন,Bāṅlā Sôn orবাংলা সাল,Bāṅlā Sāl, "Bangla Year")[1] is asolar calendar[2] used in theBengal region of theIndian subcontinent. In contrast to the traditional Indian Hindu calendar, which begins with the monthChaitra, The Bengali calendar starts withBaishakh. A revised version of theBangladeshi calendar is officially used inBangladesh, while an earlier, traditional version continues to be followed in the Indian states ofWest Bengal,Tripura, andAssam. The Bengali calendar began in 590–600 CE to commemorate the ascension ofShashanka, the first independent king in Bengal's unified polity.[3][4] Some modifications were done to the original calendar during Mughal emperorAkbar's era, to facilitate the collection of land revenue at the start of the Bengali harvesting season. The first day of the Bengali year is known asPohela Boishakh (1st of Boishakh) which is a public holiday in Bangladesh.[5]

The Bengali era is calledBengali Sambat (BS)[6] and has a zero year that starts in 593/594 CE. It is 594 less than theAD orCE year in theGregorian calendar if it is before Pohela Boishakh, or 593 less if after Pohela Boishakh.

History

[edit]

TheSaka Era was widely used inBengal, prior to the arrival of Muslim rule in the region, according to various epigraphical evidence.[7][8] TheBikrami calendar was in use by the Bengali people of the region. This calendar was named after kingVikramaditya with a zero date of 57 BCE.[9] In rural Bengali communities, the Bengali calendar is credited to "Bikromaditto", like many other parts of India andNepal. However, unlike these regions where it starts in 57 BCE, the modern Bangladeshi and Bengali calendar starts from 593 CE suggesting that the starting refers the Bengali kingShashaka's ascent to throne.[10]

Buddhist/Hindu influence

[edit]

Some historians attribute the Bengali calendar to the 7th century Bengali kingShashanka, whose reign covered the Bengali era of 594 CE.[11][12][1] The termBangabda (Bangla year) is found too in two Shiva temples many centuries older thanAkbar era, suggesting that a Bengali calendar existed long before Akbar's time.[1]

Hindus developed a calendar system in ancient times.[13]Jyotisha, one of the six ancientVedangas,[14][15] was the Vedic era field of tracking and predicting the movements of astronomical bodies in order to keep time.[14][15][16] The ancient Indian culture developed a sophisticated time keeping methodology and calendars for Vedic rituals.[13]

The Hindu Vikrami calendar is named after king Vikramaditya and starts in 57 BCE.[17] In rural Bengali communities of India, the Bengali calendar is credited to "Bikromaditto", like many other parts of India and Nepal. However, unlike these regions where it starts in 57 BCE, the Bengali calendar starts from 593 suggesting that the starting reference year was adjusted at some point.[18][19]

Various dynasties whose territories extended into Bengal, prior to the early 13th-century, used theVikrami calendar. For example, Buddhist texts and inscriptions created in thePala Empire era mention "Vikrama" and the months such asAshvin, a system found in Sanskrit texts elsewhere in ancient and medieval Indian subcontinent.[20][21]

Hindu scholars attempted to keep time by observing and calculating the cycles of the Sun (Surya), Moon, and the planets. These calculations about the Sun appear in various Sanskrit astronomical texts inSanskrit, such as the 5th centuryAryabhatiya byAryabhata, the 6th centuryRomaka by Latadeva andPanca Siddhantika by Varahamihira, the 7th centuryKhandakhadyaka by Brahmagupta and the 8th centurySisyadhivrddida by Lalla.[22] These texts present Surya and various planets and estimate the characteristics of the respective planetary motion.[22] Other texts such asSurya Siddhanta dated to have been complete sometime between the 5th century and 10th century.[22]

The current Bengali calendar in use by Bengali people in the Indian states such asWest Bengal,Tripura,Assam, andJharkhand is based on the Sanskrit textSurya Siddhanta and includes the modifications introduced during the reign of Shashanka, the first independent ruler ofGauda. The timeline Shashanka becoming the sovereign ruler of Bengal rising from a territorial ruler matches with the first year ofBangabda. It retains the historic Sanskrit names of the months, with the first month as Baishakh.[11] Their calendar remains tied to the Hindu calendar system and is used to set the various Bengali Hindu festivals.[11]

Influence of Islamic calendar

[edit]

Another theory is that the calendar was first developed byAlauddin Husain Shah (reign 1494–1519), aHussain Shahi sultan of Bengal by combining the lunarIslamic calendar (Hijri) with the solar calendar, prevalent in Bengal.[1] Yet another theory states that the Sasanka calendar was adopted by Alauddin Husain Shah when he witnessed the difficulty with collecting land revenue by the Hijri calendar.[1]

During theMughal rule, land taxes were collected from Bengali people according to the Islamic Hijri calendar. This calendar was a lunar calendar, and its new year did not coincide with the solar agricultural cycles. The current Bengali calendar owes its origin in Bengal to the rule of Mughal Emperor Akbar who adopted it to time the tax year to the harvest. The Bangla year was therewith calledBangabda. Akbar asked the royal astronomerFathullah Shirazi to create a new calendar by combining the lunarIslamic calendar and solarHindu calendar already in use, and this was known asFasholi shan (harvest calendar). According to some historians, this started the Bengali calendar.[11][23] According to Shamsuzzaman Khan, it could be NawabMurshid Quli Khan, a Mughal governor, who first used the tradition ofPunyaho as "a day for ceremonial land tax collection", and used Akbar's fiscal policy to start the Bangla calendar.[12][24]

It is unclear whether it was adopted by Hussain Shah or Akbar. The tradition to use the Bengali calendar may have been started by Hussain Shah before Akbar.[1] According toAmartya Sen, Akbar's official calendar "Tarikh-ilahi" with the zero year of 1556 was a blend of pre-existing Hindu and Islamic calendars. It was not used much in India outside of Akbar's Mughal court, and after his death the calendar he launched was abandoned. However, adds Sen, there are traces of the "Tarikh-ilahi" that survive in the Bengali calendar.[25] Regardless of who adopted the Bengali calendar and the new year, states Sen, it helped collect land taxes after the spring harvest based on traditional Bengali calendar, because the IslamicHijri calendar created administrative difficulties in setting the collection date.[1] The government and newspapers of Bangladesh widely use the term Bangla shal (B.S.). For example, the last paragraph in thepreamble of theConstitution of Bangladesh reads "In our Constituent Assembly, this eighteenth day of Kartick, 1379 B.S., corresponding to the fourth day of November, 1972 A.D., do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this Constitution."[26]The zero year in the Bangladeshi calendar era is 593 CE.[25][18][19][27]

Shamsuzzaman Khan wrote, "that it is called Bangla san or saal, which are Arabic and Parsee words respectively, suggests that it was introduced by a Muslim king or sultan."[12] In contrast, according to Sen, its traditional name isBangabda.[1][28] In the era of the Akbar, the calendar was called asTarikh-e-Elahi (তারিখ-ই ইলাহি). In the "Tarikh-e-Elahi" version of the calendar, each day of the month had a separate name, and the months had different names from what they have now. According to Banglapedia, Akbar's grandsonShah Jahan reformed the calendar to use a seven-day week that begins on Sunday, and the names of the months were changed at an unknown time to match the month names of the existingSaka calendar.[29] This calendar is the foundation of the calendar that has been in use by the people ofBangladesh.[2][29][1]

Calendar structure

[edit]

The Bengali calendar used inBangladesh is asolar calendar[2][29] and the one used in India is alunisolar calendar.

Months

[edit]
Month name
(Bengali)		RomanizationDays
(Bangladesh, 1966/1987–2018)		Days
(Bangladesh, 2019–)		Start date (Bangladesh, 2019–)Days
(India) (Exact Period in Days)
[citation needed]		Traditional Season
inBengal		Month name
(Gregorian calendar)		Month name
(Hindu Vikrami solar)
বৈশাখBoishakh313114 April30/31 (30.950)গ্রীষ্ম (Grishshô)
Summer		April–MayMesha
জ্যৈষ্ঠJyoishţho313115 May31/32 (31.429)May–JuneVrshaba
আষাঢ়Ashaŗh313115 June31/32 (31.638)বর্ষা (Bôrsha)
Wet season/Monsoon		June–JulyMithuna
শ্রাবণShrabon313116 July31/32 (31.463)July–AugustKarkataka
ভাদ্রBhadro313116 August31/32 (31.012)শরৎ (Shôrôd)
Autumn		August–SeptemberSimha
আশ্বিনAshshin303116 September30/31 (30.428)September–OctoberKanya
কার্তিকKartik303017 October29/30 (29.879)হেমন্ত (Hemonto)
Dry season		October–NovemberTula
অগ্রহায়ণÔgrohayon303016 November29/30[30][31] (29.475)November–DecemberVrschika
পৌষPoush303016 December29/30 (29.310)শীত (Sheet)
Winter		December–JanuaryDhanu
মাঘMagh303015 January29/30 (29.457)January–FebruaryMakara
ফাল্গুন/ ফাগুনFalgun/ Fagun30 / 31 (leap year)29 / 30 (leap year)14 February29/30 (29.841)বসন্ত (Bôsôntô)
Spring		February–MarchKumbha
চৈত্রChoitro303015 March30/31 (30.377)March–AprilMeena

Days

[edit]

The Bengali calendar incorporates the seven-dayweek as used by many other calendars. The names of the days of the week in the Bengali calendar are based on theNavagraha (Bengali:নবগ্রহ,romanized: nôbôgrôhô). The day begins and ends at sunrise in the Bengali calendar, unlike in the Gregorian calendar, where the day starts at midnight.

According to some scholars, in the calendar originally introduced by Akbar in the year 1584 CE, each day of the month had a different name, but this was cumbersome, and his grandsonShah Jahan changed this to a 7-day week as in theGregorian calendar, with the week also starting on a Sunday.[29]

Day name (Bengali)RomanizationDivine figure/celestial bodyDay name (English)Day name (Sylheti)Day name (Rohingya)
রবিবার/ রোববারRôbibar/ RobbarRobi/SunSundayRoibbárRooibar
সোমবারShombarSom/MoonMondayShombárCómbar
মঙ্গলবারMônggôlbarMongol/MarsTuesdayMongolbárMongolbar
বুধবারBudhbarBudh/MercuryWednesdayBudbárBuidbar
বৃহস্পতিবারBrihôspôtibarBrihospoti/JupiterThursdayBishudbárBicíbbar
শুক্রবারShukrôbarShukro/VenusFridayShukkurbárCúkkurbar
শনিবারShônibarShoni/SaturnSaturdayShonibárCónibar

Traditional and revised versions

[edit]
Two versions of the Bengali calendar. Top: the "Traditional version" followed inWest Bengal; Below: the "Revised version" followed inBangladesh.

The current Bengali calendar in the Indian states is based on the Sanskrit textSurya Siddhanta. It retains the historic Sanskrit names of the months, with the first month as Baishakh.[11] Their calendar remains tied to theHindu calendar system and is used to set the various Bengali Hindu festivals.[11]

In Bangladesh, however, the old Bengali calendar was modified in 1966 by a committee headed byMuhammad Shahidullah, making the first five months 31 days long, the rest 30 days each, with the month of Falgun adjusted to 31 days in every leap year.[11] This was officially adopted by Bangladesh in 1987.[11][29]

Festivals

[edit]

The following lists major festivals on the Bangladeshi calendar.

Pohela Boishakh

[edit]
Main article:Pohela Boishakh

The first day of the month ofBoishakh ushers the Bengali New Year and is known asPohela Boishakh. The festival is similar toNew Year's Day,Nowruz andSongkran. InDhaka, the cultural organizationChhayanaut hosts a notable concert inRamna Park, starting at dawn on 14 April. TheMangal Shobhajatra parades are brought out in many Bangladeshi cities during the festival and is regarded byUNESCO as anintangible cultural heritage.[32]

The Bengali New Year's Day is anational holiday in Bangladesh andIndian state ofWest Bengal, observed on 14 and 15 April on each region, respectively.[33]

Haal Khata

[edit]
Main article:Haal Khata

Traders start a newHaal Khata book on Pohela Boishakh to keep financial records and settle debts.[34]

Boishakhi Mela

[edit]
Main article:Boishakhi Mela

TheBoishakhi Mela are fairs organized on Pohela Boishakh.[34]

Spring festival

[edit]
Main articles:Pohela Falgun andBasanta Utsab

Pohela Falgun andBasanta Utsab is the first day of spring in the Bengali calendar celebrated in Bangladesh and India, respectively.[citation needed]

Boli Khela

[edit]
Main article:Boli khela

In theChittagong region of Bangladesh, theBoli khela wrestling matches are organized during the month of Boishakh.[34]

Cattle racing

[edit]

Cattle races are a popular activity inManikganj andMunshiganj districts of Bangladesh during Boishakh.[34]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdefghiNitish K. Sengupta (2011).Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. Penguin Books India. pp. 96–98.ISBN 978-0-14-341678-4.
  2. ^abcKunal Chakrabarti; Shubhra Chakrabarti (2013). "Calendar".Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis. Scarecrow Press. pp. 114–5.ISBN 978-0-8108-8024-5.
  3. ^Chakraborty, Yajnaseni (15 April 2022)."A few Bengali calendar basics as we begin 1429".
  4. ^Jayakumar, Anagha (15 April 2025)."Why Bangladesh celebrates Pohela Boishakh on April 14".The Indian Express.
  5. ^Raidah, Nazifa (14 April 2024)."The mystery of Pahela Baishakh and the Bengali calendar".The Daily Star. Retrieved14 April 2024.
  6. ^Ratan Kumar Das (1996).IASLIC Bulletin. Indian Association of Special Libraries & Information Centres. p. 76.
  7. ^Richard Salomon (1998).Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages. Oxford University Press. pp. 148,246–247, 346.ISBN 978-0-19-509984-3.
  8. ^D. C. Sircar (1996) [First published 1965].Indian Epigraphy. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 241,272–273.ISBN 978-81-208-1166-9.
  9. ^Eleanor Nesbitt (2016).Sikhism: a Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. pp. 122, 142.ISBN 978-0-19-874557-0.
  10. ^Lal, Dr Avantika."Gauda Kingdom".World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved15 April 2025.
  11. ^abcdefghKunal Chakrabarti; Shubhra Chakrabarti (2013).Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis. Scarecrow. pp. 114–115.ISBN 978-0-8108-8024-5.Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved15 April 2017.
  12. ^abcGuhathakurta, Meghna; Schendel, Willem van (2013).The Bangladesh Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press. pp. 17–18.ISBN 9780822353188.
  13. ^abKim Plofker 2009, pp. 10, 35–36, 67.
  14. ^abMonier Monier-Williams (1923).A Sanskrit–English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 353.Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved16 April 2017.
  15. ^abJames Lochtefeld (2002), "Jyotisha" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing,ISBN 0-8239-2287-1, pages 326–327
  16. ^Friedrich Max Müller (1860).A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature. Williams and Norgate. pp. 210–215.
  17. ^Eleanor Nesbitt (2016).Sikhism: a Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. pp. 122, 142.ISBN 978-0-19-874557-0.Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved16 April 2017.
  18. ^abMorton Klass (1978).From Field to Factory: Community Structure and Industrialization in West Bengal. University Press of America. pp. 166–167.ISBN 978-0-7618-0420-8.Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved16 April 2017.
  19. ^abRalph W. Nicholas (2003).Fruits of Worship: Practical Religion in Bengal. Orient Blackswan. pp. 13–23.ISBN 978-81-8028-006-1.Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved16 April 2017.
  20. ^D. C. Sircar (1965).Indian Epigraphy. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 241,272–273.ISBN 978-81-208-1166-9.Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved17 April 2017.
  21. ^Richard Salomon (1998).Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages. Oxford University Press. pp. 148,246–247, 346.ISBN 978-0-19-509984-3.Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved17 April 2017.
  22. ^abcEbenezer Burgess (1989). P Ganguly, P Sengupta (ed.).Sûrya-Siddhânta: A Text-book of Hindu Astronomy. Motilal Banarsidass (Reprint), Original: Yale University Press, American Oriental Society. pp. vii–xi.ISBN 978-81-208-0612-2.Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved16 April 2017.
  23. ^"Pahela Baishakh".Banglapedia. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. 2015.Archived from the original on 7 September 2019. Retrieved15 April 2017.
  24. ^"Google Doodle Celebrates Pohela Boishakh in Bangladesh".Time.Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved17 April 2017.
  25. ^abAmartya Sen (2005).The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 319–322.ISBN 978-0-374-10583-9.
  26. ^"Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh".
  27. ^Jonathan Porter Berkey (2003).The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600-1800. Cambridge University Press. p. 61.ISBN 978-0-521-58813-3.
  28. ^Syed Ashraf Ali,BangabdaArchived 5 January 2018 at theWayback Machine, National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh
  29. ^abcdeSyed Ashraf Ali (2012)."Bangabda". In Sirajul Islam; Ahmed A. Jamal (eds.).Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (2nd ed.).Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved7 July 2015.
  30. ^পঞ্জিকা ১১৩৬ বঙ্গাব্দ.usingha.com.Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved6 January 2022.
  31. ^পঞ্জিকা ১১৩৭ বঙ্গাব্দ.usingha.com.Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved6 January 2022.
  32. ^"UNESCO - Mangal Shobhajatra on Pahela Baishakh".ich.unesco.org. Retrieved8 March 2025.
  33. ^"When is Poila Baishakh 2024? Know exact date, significance and more about the Bengali New Year".www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved8 March 2025.
  34. ^abcdShamsuzzaman Khan (14 April 2014)."Emergence of Bengali New Year and Calendar".The Daily Star. Retrieved27 April 2017.

Bibliography

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