Calendar System
Shaka Samvat
The era used in India's official National Calendar (Rashtriya Panchang), running about 78 years behind the Gregorian year. Today we are in .
Where the era comes from
Shaka Samvat's epoch corresponds to 78 CE, traditionally linked to the reign of the Shaka king Chashtana or the accession of Kanishka I, depending on the historical account followed.
India's official calendar
The Calendar Reform Committee, appointed by the Government of India in 1952, adopted a formalised version of Shaka Samvat as the Indian National Calendar in 1957. It's used alongside the Gregorian calendar in the Gazette of India, in All India Radio broadcasts, and in official government communications.
How the year-count works
Shaka Samvat runs 78 years behind the Gregorian year from January to the calendar's Chaitra new year (falling around March 22, or March 21 in leap years), and 79 years behind for the remainder of the year.
Shaka Samvat vs. Vikram Samvat
Both are lunisolar Hindu calendar eras beginning near Chaitra, but Shaka Samvat is the one formalised for national/government use, while Vikram Samvat remains more common in religious and regional civil contexts, and is the official calendar of Nepal.
Related reading
See the Indian Calendar overview, our direct Vikram vs Shaka comparison, or Samvatsara, the 60-year Jupiter cycle used alongside both era systems.