Bengali calendar

2026-05-03T10:54:03Z

69.249.66.106:

{{Short description|Calendar used in the Bengal region}}
{{About|the traditional calendar used in Bengal region|the civil calendar of Bangladesh which is a standardized version of this calendar|Bangladeshi national calendar}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Contains special characters|Bengali}}
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Today's date [{{Purge|refresh}}]
|-
! System !! Date
|-
| [[Gregorian calendar]] || {{#time:[[j F]]}}, [[Anno Domini|AD]] {{#time:[[Y]]}}
|-
| [[Bengali calendar]] || {{BENGALIDATE|d [[m]]}}, [[Bengali calendar|BS]] {{BENGALIYEAR}}
|}
{{Bengalis}}
The '''Bengali calendar''' or '''Bangla calendar''' ({{langx|bn|বঙ্গাব্দ|Bôṅgābdô}}, colloquially {{lang|bn|বাংলা সন}}, {{Lang|bn-Latn|Bāṅlā Sôn}} or {{lang|bn|বাংলা সাল}}, {{Lang|bn-Latn|Bāṅlā Sāl}}, "Bangla Year")<ref name="Sengupta2011"/> is a [[solar calendar]]<ref name="ChakrabartiChakrabarti2013">{{cite encyclopaedia |author1=Kunal Chakrabarti |author2=Shubhra Chakrabarti |title=Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis |year=2013 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-8024-5 |pages=114–5 |entry=Calendar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVOFAAAAQBAJ}}</ref> used in the [[Bengal region]] of the [[Indian subcontinent]]. In contrast to the traditional Indian Hindu calendar, which begins with the month [[Chaitra]], the Bengali calendar starts with [[Baishakh]]. [[Bangladeshi national calendar|A revised version]] of the calendar is officially used in [[Bangladesh]], while this traditional version continues to be followed in the Indian states of [[West Bengal]], [[Tripura]], and [[Assam]].

The Bengali calendar began in 590–600 CE to commemorate the ascension of [[Shashanka]], the first independent king in Bengal's unified polity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chakraborty |first=Yajnaseni |date=15 April 2022 |title=A few Bengali calendar basics as we begin 1429 |url=https://www.getbengal.com/details/a-few-bengali-calendar-basics-as-we-begin-1429}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Jayakumar |first=Anagha |date=15 April 2025 |title=Why Bangladesh celebrates Pohela Boishakh on April 14 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-culture/why-bangladesh-celebrates-pohela-boishakh-on-april-14-9944403/ |work=The Indian Express}}</ref> The first day of the Bengali year is known as [[Pohela Boishakh]] (1st of Boishakh) which is a public holiday in Bangladesh.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Raidah |first1=Nazifa |title=The mystery of Pahela Baishakh and the Bengali calendar |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/the-mystery-pahela-baishakh-and-the-bengali-calendar-3586941 |access-date=14 April 2024 |work=The Daily Star |date=14 April 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

The Bengali era is called ''Bengali Sambat'' (BS)<ref>{{cite book|author=Ratan Kumar Das|title=IASLIC Bulletin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mcDgAAAAMAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Indian Association of Special Libraries & Information Centres|page=76}}</ref> and has a zero year that starts in 593/594 CE. It is 594 less than the [[Anno Domini|AD]] or [[Common Era|CE]] year in the [[Gregorian calendar]] if it is before Pohela Boishakh, or 593 less if after Pohela Boishakh.

==History==
The [[Saka Era]] was widely used in [[Bengal]], prior to the arrival of Muslim rule in the region, according to various epigraphical evidence.<ref>{{cite book |author=Richard Salomon |title=Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t-4RDAAAQBAJ |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-509984-3 |pages=148, 246–247, 346}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=D. C. Sircar |title=Indian Epigraphy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hXMB3649biQC |year=1996 |orig-year=First published 1965 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-1166-9 |pages=241, 272–273}}</ref> The [[Bikrami calendar]] was in use by the Bengali people of the region. This calendar was named after king [[Vikramaditya]] with a zero date of 57 BCE.<ref>{{cite book |author=Eleanor Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: a Very Short Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XebnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |year=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-874557-0 |pages=122, 142}}</ref> In rural Bengali communities, 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 modern Bangladeshi and Bengali calendar starts from 593 CE suggesting that the starting refers the Bengali king [[Shashanka|Shashaka]]'s ascent to throne.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lal |first=Dr Avantika |title=Gauda Kingdom |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Gauda_Kingdom/ |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=World History Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref>

===Hindu influence===
Some historians attribute the Bengali calendar to the 7th century Bengali king [[Shashanka]], whose reign covered the Bengali era of 594 CE.<ref name= Chakrabarti114/><ref name=meghna/><ref name="Sengupta2011"/> The term ''Bangabda'' (Bangla year) is found too in two Shiva temples many centuries older than [[Akbar]] era, suggesting that a Bengali calendar existed long before Akbar's time.<ref name="Sengupta2011">{{cite book|author=Nitish K. Sengupta|title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib|date=2011|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-341678-4|pages=96–98}}</ref>

Hindus developed a calendar system in ancient times.{{Sfn|Kim Plofker|2009|pp=10, 35–36, 67}} ''Jyotisha'', one of the six ancient [[Vedanga]]s,<ref name=monierwilliamsnijyotisa>{{cite book|author=Monier Monier-Williams|title=A Sanskrit–English Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3NWAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA353|year=1923|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=353|access-date=16 April 2017|archive-date=7 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307164257/https://books.google.com/books?id=_3NWAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA353|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=jameslochtefeldsca326>James Lochtefeld (2002), "Jyotisha" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing, {{ISBN|0-8239-2287-1}}, pages 326–327</ref> was the Vedic era field of tracking and predicting the movements of astronomical bodies in order to keep time.<ref name=monierwilliamsnijyotisa/><ref name=jameslochtefeldsca326/><ref name="mullerhaslp210">{{cite book|author=Friedrich Max Müller|title=A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofancient00mlle|year=1860|publisher=Williams and Norgate|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofancient00mlle/page/210 210]–215}}</ref> The ancient Indian culture developed a sophisticated time keeping methodology and calendars for Vedic rituals.{{Sfn|Kim Plofker|2009|pp=10, 35–36, 67}}

The Hindu Vikrami calendar is named after king Vikramaditya and starts in 57 BCE.<ref>{{cite book |author=Eleanor Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: a Very Short Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XebnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |year=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-874557-0 |pages=122, 142 |access-date=16 April 2017 |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415073742/https://books.google.com/books?id=XebnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Klass1978p166">{{cite book |author=[[Morton Klass]] |title=From Field to Factory: Community Structure and Industrialization in West Bengal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XAZ2JBQ2vwsC&pg=PA166 |year=1978 |publisher=University Press of America |isbn=978-0-7618-0420-8 |pages=166–167 |access-date=16 April 2017 |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415073743/https://books.google.com/books?id=XAZ2JBQ2vwsC&pg=PA166 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Nicholas2003p13">{{cite book |author=Ralph W. Nicholas |title=Fruits of Worship: Practical Religion in Bengal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yLI7nyI2UVYC&pg=PA13 |year=2003 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-8028-006-1 |pages=13–23 |access-date=16 April 2017 |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415073750/https://books.google.com/books?id=yLI7nyI2UVYC&pg=PA13 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Various dynasties whose territories extended into Bengal, prior to the early 13th-century, used the [[Vikrami calendar]]. For example, Buddhist texts and inscriptions created in the [[Pala Empire]] era mention "Vikrama" and the months such as [[Ashvin]], a system found in Sanskrit texts elsewhere in ancient and medieval Indian subcontinent.<ref>{{cite book |author=D. C. Sircar |title=Indian Epigraphy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hXMB3649biQC |year=1965 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-1166-9 |pages=241, 272–273 |access-date=17 April 2017 |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415073744/https://books.google.com/books?id=hXMB3649biQC |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Richard Salomon |title=Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t-4RDAAAQBAJ |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-509984-3 |pages=148, 246–247, 346 |access-date=17 April 2017 |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415073744/https://books.google.com/books?id=t-4RDAAAQBAJ |url-status=live}}</ref>

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 in [[Sanskrit]], such as the 5th century ''Aryabhatiya'' by [[Aryabhata]], the 6th century ''Romaka'' by Latadeva and ''Panca Siddhantika'' by Varahamihira, the 7th century ''Khandakhadyaka'' by Brahmagupta and the 8th century ''Sisyadhivrddida'' by Lalla.<ref name="Burgess1989vii">{{cite book|author=Ebenezer Burgess|editor=P Ganguly, P Sengupta|title=Sûrya-Siddhânta: A Text-book of Hindu Astronomy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W0Uo_-_iizwC|year=1989|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass (Reprint), Original: Yale University Press, American Oriental Society|isbn=978-81-208-0612-2|pages=vii–xi|access-date=16 April 2017|archive-date=15 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415073744/https://books.google.com/books?id=W0Uo_-_iizwC|url-status=live}}</ref> These texts present Surya and various planets and estimate the characteristics of the respective planetary motion.<ref name="Burgess1989vii"/> Other texts such as ''Surya Siddhanta'' dated to have been complete sometime between the 5th century and 10th century.<ref name="Burgess1989vii"/>

The current Bengali calendar in use by Bengali people in the Indian states such as [[West Bengal]], [[Tripura]], [[Assam]], and [[Jharkhand]] is based on the Sanskrit text ''Surya Siddhanta'' and includes the modifications introduced during the reign of Shashanka, the first independent ruler of [[Gauda Kingdom|Gauda]]. The timeline Shashanka becoming the sovereign ruler of Bengal rising from a territorial ruler matches with the first year of [[Bangabda]]. It retains the historic Sanskrit names of the months, with the first month as Baishakh.<ref name= Chakrabarti114/> Their calendar remains tied to the Hindu calendar system and is used to set the various Bengali Hindu festivals.<ref name= Chakrabarti114/>

===Influence of Islamic calendar===
Another theory is that the calendar was first developed by [[Alauddin Husain Shah]] (reign 1494–1519), a [[Hussain Shahi dynasty|Hussain Shahi]] sultan of Bengal by combining the lunar [[Islamic calendar]] (Hijri) with the solar calendar, prevalent in Bengal.<ref name="Sengupta2011"/> 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.<ref name="Sengupta2011"/>

During the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] rule, land taxes were collected from Bengali people according to the Islamic Hijri calendar.{{fact|date=May 2026}} This calendar was a lunar calendar, and its new year did not coincide with the solar agricultural cycles. Akbar asked the royal astronomer [[Fathullah Shirazi]] to create a new calendar by combining the lunar [[Islamic calendar]] and solar [[Hindu calendar]] already in use, and this was known as ''Fasholi shan'' (harvest calendar). {{fact|date=May 2026}} According to some historians, this started the Bengali calendar.<ref name= Chakrabarti114>{{cite book |author1=Kunal Chakrabarti |author2=Shubhra Chakrabarti |title=Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVOFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA114 |year=2013 |publisher=Scarecrow |isbn=978-0-8108-8024-5 |pages=114–115 |access-date=15 April 2017 |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415073820/https://books.google.com/books?id=QVOFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA114 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2015 |title=Pahela Baishakh |encyclopedia=Banglapedia |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |location=Dhaka, Bangladesh |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Pahela_Baishakh |access-date=15 April 2017 |archive-date=7 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907065950/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Pahela_Baishakh |url-status=live}}</ref> According to Shamsuzzaman Khan, it could be Nawab [[Murshid Quli Khan]], a Mughal governor, who first used the tradition of ''Punyaho'' as "a day for ceremonial land tax collection", and used Akbar's fiscal policy to start the Bangla calendar.<ref name=meghna>{{Cite book |title=The Bangladesh Reader: History, Culture, Politics |last1=Guhathakurta |first1=Meghna |last2=Schendel |first2=Willem van |publisher=Duke University Press |year=2013 |isbn=9780822353188 |pages=17–18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://time.com/4739604/google-doodle-pohela-boishakh-bangladesh/ |title=Google Doodle Celebrates Pohela Boishakh in Bangladesh |magazine=Time |access-date=2017-04-17 |archive-date=16 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416221721/http://time.com/4739604/google-doodle-pohela-boishakh-bangladesh/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

According to [[Amartya Sen]], Akbar's official calendar "Tarikh-ilahi" with the zero year of 1556 was a blend of pre-existing Hindu and Islamic calendars.{{fact|date=May 2026}} It was not used much in India outside of Akbar's Mughal court, and after his death the calendar he launched was abandoned.{{fact|date=May 2026}} However, adds Sen, there are traces of the "Tarikh-ilahi" that survive in the Bengali calendar.<ref name="amartyasen"/> 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 Islamic [[Lunar Hijri calendar|Hijri]] calendar created administrative difficulties in setting the collection date.<ref name="Sengupta2011"/> The government and newspapers of Bangladesh widely use the term Bangla shal (B.S.). For example, the last paragraph in the [[preamble]] of the [[Constitution 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."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/pdf_part.php?id=367 |title=Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh}}</ref>
The zero year in the Bangladeshi calendar era is 593 CE.<ref name=amartyasen>{{cite book|author=Amartya Sen|title=The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bKvAAAAQBAJ|year=2005|publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux|isbn=978-0-374-10583-9|pages=319–322}}</ref><ref name="Klass1978p166"/><ref name="Nicholas2003p13"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Jonathan Porter Berkey|title=The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600-1800 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mLV6lo4mvj0C&pg=PA61 |year=2003|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-58813-3|page=61}}</ref>

[[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."<ref name=meghna/> In contrast, according to Sen, its traditional name is ''Bangabda''.<ref name="Sengupta2011"/><ref>Syed Ashraf Ali, [http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangabda Bangabda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105070149/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangabda |date=5 January 2018 }}, National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh</ref> In the era of the Akbar, the calendar was called as ''[[Bangladeshi calendar #Akbar's influence|Tarikh-e-Elahi]]'' ({{lang|bn|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 grandson [[Shah 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 existing [[Saka calendar]].<ref name=Banglapedia/> This calendar is the foundation of the calendar that has been in use by the people of [[Bangladesh]].<ref name="ChakrabartiChakrabarti2013"/><ref name=Banglapedia/><ref name="Sengupta2011"/>

==Calendar structure==
The Bengali calendar used in [[Bangladesh]] is a [[solar calendar]]<ref name="ChakrabartiChakrabarti2013"/><ref name=Banglapedia/> and the one used in India is a [[lunisolar calendar]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bengali Calendar
|url=https://www.kolkataonline.in/guide/the-Bengali-calendar |website=Kolkataonline.in}}</ref>

===Months===
The month names are derived from the names of the stars (nakshatras) and the seasons, and have been used for centuries.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Month name ([[Bengali language|Bengali]])
! [[Romanization of Bengali|Romanization]]
! style="background: #d5fdd5;" | Days ([[Bangladesh]], 1966/1987–2018)
! Days ([[Bangladesh]], 2019'''–''')
! Start date ([[Bangladesh]], 2019'''–''')
! style="background: #ffdb99;" | Days (India) (Exact Period in Days) {{Citation needed|date=November 2021|reason=Weirdly accurate with no ref. Looking for rāśi lengths (sauramāsa) may produce a ref.}}
! Traditional Season in [[Bengal]]
! style="background: #ccccff;" |Month name ([[Gregorian calendar]])
! style="background: #ffdb99;" | Month name ([[Vikram Samvat|Hindu Vikrami]] solar)
|-
|{{lang|bn|বৈশাখ}}
|''[[Boishakh]]''
| 31
| 31
| 14 April
| 30/31 (30.950)
| rowspan="2"| {{lang|bn|গ্রীষ্ম}} (''Grishshô'') [[Summer]]
| April–May
|[[Mesha (month)|Mesha]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|জ্যৈষ্ঠ}}
|''[[Joishtho|Jyoishţho]]''
| 31
| 31
| 15 May
| 31/32 (31.429)
| May–June
|[[Vṛṣabha|Vrshaba]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|আষাঢ়}}
|''[[Asharh|Ashaŗh]]''
| 31
| 31
| 15 June
| 31/32 (31.638)
| rowspan="2"| {{lang|bn|বর্ষা}} (''Bôrsha'') [[Wet season]]/[[Monsoon]]
| June–July
|[[Mithuna (month)|Mithuna]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|শ্রাবণ}}
|''[[Srabon|Shrabon]]''
| 31
| 31
| 16 July
| 31/32 (31.463)
| July–August
|[[Karkaṭa|Karkataka]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|ভাদ্র}}
|''[[Bhadro]]''
| 31
| 31
| 16 August
| 31/32 (31.012)
| rowspan="2"| {{lang|bn|শরৎ}} (''Shôrôd'') [[Autumn]]
| August–September
|[[Siṃha|Simha]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|আশ্বিন}}
|''[[Ashvin|Ashshin]]''
| 30
| '''31'''
| 16 September
| 30/31 (30.428)
| September–October
|[[Kanyā|Kanya]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|কার্তিক}}
|''[[Kartik (month)|Kartik]]''
| 30
| 30
| 17 October
| 29/30 (29.879)
| rowspan="2"| {{lang|bn|হেমন্ত}} (''Hemonto'') [[Dry season]]
| October–November
|[[Tulā|Tula]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|অগ্রহায়ণ}}
|''[[Ogrohayon|Ôgrohayon]]''
| 30
| 30
| 16 November
| 29/30<ref>{{cite web |script-title=bn:পঞ্জিকা ১১৩৬ বঙ্গাব্দ |url=http://www.usingha.com/sal/1136.html |work=usingha.com |access-date=6 January 2022 |archive-date=10 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610112327/http://www.usingha.com/sal/1136.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |script-title=bn:পঞ্জিকা ১১৩৭ বঙ্গাব্দ |url=http://www.usingha.com/sal/1137.html |work=usingha.com |access-date=6 January 2022 |archive-date=19 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419104458/http://www.usingha.com/sal/1137.html |url-status=live}}</ref> (29.475)
| November–December
|[[Vṛścika|Vrschika]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|পৌষ}}
|''[[Poush]]''
| 30
| 30
| 16 December
| 29/30 (29.310)
| rowspan="2"| {{lang|bn|শীত}} (''Sheet'') [[Winter]]
| December–January
|[[Dhanu (month)|Dhanu]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|মাঘ}}
|''[[Magh (Bengali calendar)|Magh]]''
| 30
| 30
| 15 January
| 29/30 (29.457)
| January–February
|[[Makara (month)|Makara]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|ফাল্গুন}}/ ফাগুন
|''[[Falgun]]/ Fagun''
| 30 / 31 (leap year)
|'''29 / 30 (leap year)'''
| 14 February
| 29/30 (29.841)
| rowspan="2"| {{lang|bn|বসন্ত}} (''Bôsôntô'') [[Spring (season)|Spring]]
| February–March
|[[Kumbha (month)|Kumbha]]
|-
|{{lang|bn|চৈত্র}}
|''[[Choitro]]''
| 30
| 30
| 15 March
| 30/31 (30.377)
| March–April
|[[Mīna|Meena]]
|}

===Days===
The Bengali calendar incorporates the seven-day [[week]] as used by many other calendars. The names of the days of the week in the Bengali calendar are based on the [[Navagraha]] ({{langx|bn|নবগ্রহ|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 grandson [[Shah Jahan]] changed this to a 7-day week as in the [[Gregorian calendar]], with the week also starting on a Sunday.<ref name=Banglapedia/>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Day name ([[Bengali language|Bengali]])
! [[Romanization of Bengali|Romanization]]
! Divine figure/celestial body
! Day name (English)
! Day name ([[Sylheti language|Sylheti]])
! Day name ([[Rohingya language|Rohingya]])
|-
|{{lang|bn|রবিবার}}/ রোববার
|''Rôbibar/ Robbar''
|[[Surya|Robi]]/[[Sun]]
|[[Sunday]]
|Roibbár
|Rooibar
|-
|{{lang|bn|সোমবার}}
|''Shombar''
|[[Soma (deity)|Som]]/[[Moon]]
|[[Monday]]
|Shombár
|Cómbar
|-
|{{lang|bn|মঙ্গলবার}}
|''Mônggôlbar''
|[[Mangala|Mongol]]/[[Mars]]
|[[Tuesday]]
|Mongolbár
|Mongolbar
|-
|{{lang|bn|বুধবার}}
|''Budhbar''
|[[Budha|Budh]]/[[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]
|[[Wednesday]]
|Budbár
|Buidbar
|-
|{{lang|bn|বৃহস্পতিবার}}
|''Brihôspôtibar''
|[[Brihaspati|Brihospoti]]/[[Jupiter]]
|[[Thursday]]
|Bishudbár
|Bicíbbar
|-
|{{lang|bn|শুক্রবার}}
|''Shukrôbar''
|[[Shukra|Shukro]]/[[Venus]]
|[[Friday]]
|Shukkurbár
|Cúkkurbar
|-
|{{lang|bn|শনিবার}}
|''Shônibar''
|[[Shani|Shoni]]/[[Saturn]]
|[[Saturday]]
|Shonibár
|Cónibar
|}

==Traditional and Bangladeshi versions==
[[File:Bengali month Ashar.jpg|thumb|Two versions of the Bengali calendar. Top: the "Traditional version" followed in [[West Bengal]] and rest of India; Below: the "Bangladeshi version" followed in [[Bangladesh]].]]

The current Bengali calendar in the Indian states is based on the Sanskrit text ''Surya Siddhanta''. It retains the historic Sanskrit names of the months, with the first month as Baishakh.<ref name= Chakrabarti114/> Their calendar remains tied to the [[Hindu calendar]] system and is used to set the various Bengali Hindu festivals.<ref name= Chakrabarti114/>

In Bangladesh, however, the Bangladeshi national calendar was introduced by drawing from the Bengali calendar in 1966 by a committee headed by [[Muhammad 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.<ref name= Chakrabarti114/> This was officially adopted by Bangladesh in 1987.<ref name= Chakrabarti114/><ref name=Banglapedia>{{cite book|author=Syed Ashraf Ali|chapter=Bangabda|chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangabda|title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh|editor=Sirajul Islam|editor2=Ahmed A. Jamal|publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]|year=2012|edition=2nd|access-date=7 July 2015|archive-date=5 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105070149/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangabda|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Festivals==
The following lists major festivals on the Bengali calendar.

===Poila Boishakh===
{{Main|Pohela Boishakh}}
The first day of the month of [[Boishakh]] ushers the Bengali New Year and is known as [[Pohela Boishakh | Poila Boishakh]]. The festival is similar to [[New Year's Day]], [[Nowruz]] and [[Songkran]].

The Bengali New Year's Day is a public holiday in the [[Indian states]] of [[West Bengal]] and [[Tripura]], observed on 15 April.

The Bangladeshi New Year, however, is celebrated on 14th April in Bangladesh. <ref>{{Cite web |title=When is Poila Baishakh 2024? Know exact date, significance and more about the Bengali New Year |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/lifestyle/news/when-is-poila-baishakh-2024-know-exact-date-significance-and-more-about-the-bengali-new-year-2024-04-12-925986 |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=www.indiatvnews.com |language=en}}</ref>In [[Dhaka]], where the Bangladeshi national calendar is followed, the cultural organization [[Chhayanaut]] hosts a notable concert in [[Ramna Park]], starting at dawn on 14 April. The [[Mangal Shobhajatra]] parades are brought out in many Bangladeshi cities during the festival and is regarded by [[UNESCO]] as an [[intangible cultural heritage]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNESCO - Mangal Shobhajatra on Pahela Baishakh |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/mangal-shobhajatra-on-pahela-baishakh-01091 |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=ich.unesco.org |language=en}}</ref>

====Haal Khata====
{{Main|Haal Khata}}
Traders start a new [[Haal Khata]] book on Poila Boishakh to keep financial records and settle debts.<ref name="ds14Apr2014">{{cite news |author=Shamsuzzaman Khan |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/emergence-of-bengali-new-year-and-calendar-20078 |title=Emergence of Bengali New Year and Calendar |work=The Daily Star |date=14 April 2014 |access-date=2017-04-27}}</ref>

===Spring festival===
{{Main|Pohela Falgun|Basanta Utsab}}
[[Pohela Falgun]] and [[Basanta Utsab]] is the first day of spring in the Bengali calendar celebrated in Bangladesh and India, respectively.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

===Boli Khela===
{{Main|Boli khela}}
In the [[Chittagong]] region of Bangladesh, the [[Boli khela]] wrestling matches are organized during the month of Boishakh.<ref name="ds14Apr2014"/>

===Cattle racing===
Cattle races are a popular activity in [[Manikganj]] and [[Munshiganj]] districts of Bangladesh during Boishakh.<ref name="ds14Apr2014"/>

==See also==
* [[Hindu calendar]]
* [[Islamic calendar]]
* [[Mallabda|Malla calendar]]
* [[Indian national calendar]]
* [[Roman calendar]]
* [[Japanese calendar]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book|author=Kim Plofker|author-link=Kim Plofker|title=Mathematics in India |title-link=Mathematics in India (book) |year=2009 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-12067-6 }}

{{Bengali calendar}}
{{calendars}}
{{Culture of West Bengal}}
{{Symbols of Bangladesh}}
{{Bangladesh topics}}
{{West Bengal topics}}

[[Category:Solar calendars]]
[[Category:Calendar eras]]
[[Category:Bengali calendar| ]]
[[Category:Culture of Bengal|Calendar]]
[[Category:Time in India]]
[[Category:Time in Bangladesh]]

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