Kerala, Mahé, Tulu Nadu
Malayalam Calendar മലയാളം കലണ്ടർ
A sidereal solar calendar dated from 825 CE (the Kollam Era) — months follow the Sun's movement through the zodiac, giving it a fixed, predictable structure much closer to the Tamil calendar than to North Indian lunisolar systems.
Solar (Kollam Era)
Vishu (harvest/solar new year) — Chingam 1 is used as the calendar's civil year-start
Vishu: mid-April (Medam 1). Chingam 1 (the calendar's own year-start): mid-August
Kerala, Mahé, Tulu Nadu
The 12 months
| Month | Approx. Gregorian |
| Chingam | Aug–Sep |
| Kanni | Sep–Oct |
| Thulam | Oct–Nov |
| Vrischikam | Nov–Dec |
| Dhanu | Dec–Jan |
| Makaram | Jan–Feb |
| Kumbham | Feb–Mar |
| Meenam | Mar–Apr |
| Medam | Apr–May |
| Edavam | May–Jun |
| Midhunam | Jun–Jul |
| Karkidakam | Jul–Aug |
Key festivals
Vishu
Solar new year, mid-April
Onam
Aug/Sep, Kerala's harvest festival, Chingam month
Thiruvathira
Dec/Jan
Vishukkani
Vishu eve ritual
Worth knowing
Unusually, the Malayalam calendar year is usually cited as starting with Chingam (the Onam month) rather than with Vishu — even though Vishu is the more widely celebrated 'new year' festival.
This is one of several living regional calendar traditions across India, all ultimately related to the same Panchang principles. See the Hindu Calendar overview for how they connect, or The Sanskrit Calendar for the pan-Indian Panchang system this site covers in depth.
Malayalam Calendar by year
New year date, months and every festival date, year by year.
Explore other regional calendars
Tamil Calendar · Telugu Calendar · Kannada Calendar · Bengali Calendar · Marathi Calendar · Gujarati Calendar · Odia Calendar · Punjabi Calendar · Assamese Calendar