Bangla Calendar

Also: Bengali Calendar, Bongabdo (বঙ্গাব্দ), Bangla Shon (বাংলা সন) 

Bangla Calendar is a solar calender and used by Bangali Peoples of Bangladesh and eastern Indian States: West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. Pahela Boishakh is the starting day of bangla era.

The Bangla calendar is derived from the Hindu solar calendar during time of King Shoshangko (590 AC - 625 AC) who ruled Bangali territories Bangla (Bangladesh and West Bengal), Bihar, Orissa and Assam.

During Muslim rule in India agricultural and land taxes were collected according to the Islamic Hijri Calendar. As the Hijri Calendar, the agricultural year did not always coincide with the fiscal year. Therefore, farmers were hard-pressed to pay taxes out of season. In order to streamline tax collection, Mughal Emperor Akbar (1556 AC – 1605 AC) ordered to reform of the calendar. Amir Fatehullah Shirazi, one of councilors formulated a new calendar based on the lunar Hijri and Hindu Calender. In keeping with the harvesting season, the calendar known as the Harvest Calendar.

The Bengali calendar revised by Bangla Academy Bangladesh (East Pakisthan) in 1966. The year in the Bangla calendar is counted as 365 days. However, the actual time taken by the earth in its revolution around the sun is 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 47 seconds. To make up this discrepancy, the Gregorian calendar adds an extra day to make a Leap Year to the month of February every fourth year (the years divisible by 400). According to the recommendation by the Bangla Academy, the new Bangla calendar also adds an extra day to the month of Falgun should be count 31 days (instead of 30 days) every four years. The revised calendar was officially adopted in Bangladesh in 1987.

Twelve months of the Banlga calendar:

1.             বৈশাখ Boishakh

2.             জ্যৈষ্ঠ Joishţho

3.             আষাঢ় (Ashaŗh)

4.             শ্রাবণ (Srabon)

5.             ভাদ্র (Bhadro)

6.             আশ্বিন (Ashshin)

7.              কার্তিক (Kartik)

8.             অগ্রহায়ণ (Ogrohaeon)

9.              পৌষ (Poush)

10.          মাঘ (Magh)

11.          ফাল্গুন (Falgun)

12.          চৈত্র (Choitro)

Six Seasons in Bangla calendar:

1.      Grishsho (গ্রীষ্ম) or Summer;

2.      Bôrsha (বর্ষা) or Rainy season/ Monsoon

3.      Shôrot (শরৎ) or Autumn

4.      Hemonto (হেমন্ত) or Dry season

5.      Šit (শীত) or Winter; and

6.      Bôshonto (বসন্ত) or Spring.

Seven days of the week:

1.             শুক্রবার (Shukrobar) - Friday

2.              শনিবার (Shonibar) - Saturday

3.              রবিবার (Robibar)  -Sunday

4.             সোমবার (Shombar) - Monday

5.              মঙ্গলবার (Monggolbar) - Tuesday

6.             বুধবার (Budhbar) - Wednesday

7.             বৃহস্পতিবার (Brihoshpotibar) - Thursday

Bangla Calendar at a glance:

মাস (Mash) Month	w`b / Days		কাল (Kal)/ঋতু (Ritu) Season
	Traditional Hindu sidereal solar calendar	Revised version as used in Bangladesh
বৈশাখ (Boishakh) April–May	30 / 31	31	গ্রীষ্ম (Grishsho) Summer
জ্যৈষ্ঠ (Joistho)  May–June	31 / 32	31
আষাঢ় (Asharh)  June–July	31 / 32	31	বর্ষা (Borsha) Rainy (Monsoon)
শ্রাবণ (Srabon)  July–August	31 / 32	31
ভাদ্র (Bhadro)  August–September	31 / 32	31	শরৎ (Shorot) Autumn
আশ্বিন (Ashshin)  September–October	31 / 30	30
কার্তিক (Kartik)  October–November	29 / 30	30	হেমন্ত (Hemonto) Dry
অগ্রহায়ণ (Ogrohaeon)  November–December	29 / 30	30
পৌষ (Poush)  December–January	29 / 30	30	শীত (Shit) Winter
মাঘ (Magh)  January–February	29 / 30	30
ফাল্গুন (Falgun)  February–March	29 / 30	30 (31 days in leap year)	বসন্ত (Boshonto) Spring
চৈত্র (Choitra)  March–April	30 / 31	30