Nanakshahi calendar ਨਾਨਕਸ਼ਾਹੀ ਕੈਲੰਡਰ

Month start dates, Samvat 558

Two versions of the calendar

The calendar was prepared by Pal Singh Purewal and adopted by the SGPC in 2003. In its original form, it used fixed solar months tied to the tropical year, like the Gregorian calendar. Months began on the same English date every year, and most Gurpurabs had permanent dates. Guru Nanak Dev Ji's Prakash Purab, Bandi Chhor Divas and Hola Mohalla were left on their traditional lunar dates.

From 2010 onward, the SGPC amended the calendar. Months now follow Sangrand (the sidereal solar months of the Bikrami system), and many Gurpurabs returned to lunar dates, so they move each year. This amended calendar is the one the SGPC and Sri Akal Takht Sahib publish and most gurdwaras in India follow. The original version is followed by some gurdwaras and Sikh organisations, particularly outside India.

The question remains debated within the Panth. This site does not take a side. Our daily dates follow the SGPC calendar because that is what most readers in Punjab use, and we show the original fixed dates below for reference.

Original (2003) fixed month starts

The first five months have 31 days and the rest 30, with Phagun gaining a day in leap years.

The Bikrami calendar

Before 2003, Sikh dates followed the Bikrami (Vikram Samvat) calendar, which combines solar months with lunar months and adds a leap month (adhik) about every three years to keep them aligned. In 2026 the Bikrami year is 2083. Masya, Puranmashi and the lunar Gurpurabs still follow it. See Masya and Puranmashi dates.