Bengali Calendar

Bangabda is the Bengali Era — the year system used by the Bengali solar calendar. The current year is Bangabda 1433, which opened on Boishakh 1 (April 14, 2026) with Naba Barsha. Bangabda began around 593 CE (the epoch is debated — some attribute it to the reign of Shashanka, others to a Mughal-era agricultural calendar reform). Vikram Samvat (currently 2083) is the North Indian lunar era that began 57 BCE, counting from the legendary king Vikramaditya. The two differ in epoch (Bangabda is roughly 593 years younger than the Common Era; Vikram Samvat is 57 years older), new-year date (Bangabda opens at Mesha sankranti ~April 14; Vikram Samvat opens on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, late March or early April), and structure (Bangabda is purely solar; Vikram Samvat is lunisolar). Despite the apparent number difference, they are entirely different systems — you cannot convert between them by simple addition.

Bengali panjikas (almanacs) fall into two schools of astronomical computation. Surya Siddhanta panjikas — including the Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika and the Gupta Press Panjika — derive their calculations from the classical Surya Siddhanta mathematical tables, a system codified centuries ago and refined through manuscript tradition. These produce results that were astronomically correct for their reference epoch but may differ from modern observed positions by minutes. Drik Siddhanta panjikas — including the Bisuddha Siddhanta Panjika and the modern reformed approach — use current observational (drik) calculations tied to precise orbital mechanics. This app uses Lahiri ayanamsa with drik computation, placing it closest to the Bisuddha Siddhanta tradition. For most festivals the two systems give the same date; differences arise mainly for sankranti times and near tithi-end transitions, where a festival that ends just before midnight in one system may fall the next day in the other. If your family panjika comes from a specific source, confirm the sankranti times match before using this app for ritual-precise timing.

Durga Puja runs across Ashshin Shukla Saptami through Vijaya Dashami — five main days of the festival (Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, Dashami) plus Mahalaya (the preceding Amavasya) which marks the beginning of Devi Paksha. Mahalaya is when the traditional dawn radio broadcast of Mahishasuramardini and the Chandipath recitation is heard across Bengali households. The Gregorian date varies: Durga Puja typically falls in late September or early October, depending on when the Ashshin Shukla Paksha tithis land. This page surfaces all five days — Mahalaya, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, Dashami — individually. Vijaya Dashami (Dussehra in north India) is the immersion day (Bisarjan), when the clay Durga murtis are carried in procession to the river or water body. Lakshmi Puja (Kojagari) falls immediately after on Ashshin Purnima, the same full moon night.

The most likely reason is that your home panjika uses the Surya Siddhanta computation system while this app uses Drik Siddhanta with Lahiri ayanamsa. Surya Siddhanta uses classical tabulated values derived from a manuscript tradition; Drik Siddhanta uses modern astronomical observation-based calculations. For most festival dates both systems agree exactly. Differences show up mainly in sankranti times (which determine the precise moment a new Bengali month begins) and tithi-end times near midnight transitions. If a tithi ends just after midnight in one system but just before midnight in the other, the associated festival may shift by one day. These differences are inherent to the two computation schools — neither is wrong, and family panjika tradition should be the tiebreaker for ritual timing in your household.

Naba Barsha (Bengali New Year) falls on Boishakh 1 — the first day of the Bengali solar month Boishakh, when the Sun enters Mesha (Aries). The Gregorian date is April 14 each year (occasionally April 15). For Bengali traders and businesspeople, the defining ritual is Halkhata: new account books are opened, a Lakshmi-Ganesh puja is performed in the shop or office, sweets are distributed to customers, and the year's first transaction is recorded with ceremony. In Bangladesh, Mangal Shobhajatra — the UNESCO-recognised procession in Dhaka organised by the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University — brings out elaborate papier-mâché masks and floats. Families wear new clothes, prepare special meals (traditional items include panta ilish — fermented rice with hilsa fish, and various pithas), visit each other, and often visit local fairs (mela).

They are the same astronomical day. Saraswati Puja in Bengali tradition falls on Magh Shukla Panchami — the fifth tithi of the bright half of the Bengali month Magh. This is exactly the same day that the rest of India calls Vasant Panchami, the fifth day of the bright half of the Hindu lunar month Magha. The astronomical moment is identical; only the naming and emphasis differ. Bengal celebrates the day with elaborate Saraswati murti installations — primarily in schools, colleges, and neighbourhood pandals. Students place their books and pens at the feet of the Saraswati murti for the puja day. The festival typically falls in late January or early February and is the peak student festival in West Bengal.