India does not have one new year. It has many, and the regional new year festivals observed across the country fall at several different points in the Gregorian calendar depending on which calendar tradition a region follows. Some cluster around the spring equinox in March and April, others fall in autumn, and the civil new year on 1 January runs alongside all of them. This article maps out the main ones and explains why they land where they do.
The variation is not arbitrary. It reflects genuinely different calendar systems, some lunisolar and some solar, each with its own rule for when a year begins. For the mechanics behind that, see our Indian festival calendar explainer.
Why Regional New Year Festivals Fall at Different Times
The starting point of a year is a convention, and different regions adopted different ones over a long period.
Solar Versus Lunisolar Starting Points
Solar calendars, used in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Punjab among others, begin the year when the Sun enters a particular zodiac sign. Because this is a solar event, these new years stay close to the same Gregorian date each year, generally around the middle of April. Lunisolar calendars, used across much of western and central India, begin the year on a specified tithi, so their dates shift within a window of several weeks.
Harvest and Season
Many of these observances double as harvest or seasonal markers, which is why so many cluster around spring. Others, notably the Gujarati new year following Diwali, are tied to a commercial and accounting cycle as much as an agricultural one.
Spring New Year Observances
The largest cluster falls between March and mid-April, spanning both calendar types.
| Observance | Region | Calendar basis | Usually falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gudi Padwa | Maharashtra, Goa | Lunisolar, first tithi of Chaitra | March or April |
| Ugadi | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana | Lunisolar, first tithi of Chaitra | March or April |
| Cheti Chand | Sindhi community | Lunisolar, Chaitra | March or April |
| Navreh | Kashmiri Pandit community | Lunisolar, Chaitra | March or April |
| Puthandu | Tamil Nadu | Solar, Sun enters Mesha | Mid-April |
| Vishu | Kerala | Solar, Sun enters Mesha | Mid-April |
| Pohela Boishakh | West Bengal, Bangladesh | Solar, month of Boishakh | Mid-April |
| Bohag Bihu | Assam | Solar | Mid-April |
| Baisakhi | Punjab | Solar | Mid-April |
| Maha Vishuba Sankranti | Odisha | Solar | Mid-April |
The Lunisolar Group
Gudi Padwa and Ugadi mark the first day of Chaitra in the Shalivahana Shaka reckoning. Because the date is a tithi rather than a solar position, it moves across late March and April. Customs differ: a decorated gudi is raised outside homes in Maharashtra, while in the Telugu and Kannada speaking states a preparation combining six tastes is associated with the day, understood as representing the mixed character of the year ahead.
The Solar Group
Puthandu, Vishu, Pohela Boishakh, Bohag Bihu and Baisakhi all cluster around the Sun entering Mesha, the first sign, in mid-April. Because this is a solar event these dates are stable, varying by at most a day. Vishu is associated with the vishukkani, an arrangement of auspicious items viewed first thing on waking. Baisakhi is both a harvest festival in Punjab and a date of particular significance in Sikh history.
Autumn and Other New Year Observances
Gujarati New Year
Bestu Varas falls on the day after Diwali Amavasya, in the month of Kartik, which usually places it in October or November. It has a strong commercial character, with businesses opening new account books in the Chopda Pujan ritual. Our article on why the Diwali date changes explains how that anchor point moves.
Other Observances
- Losar – the Tibetan Buddhist new year, observed in Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, generally falling between January and March.
- Cheiraoba – the Meitei new year in Manipur, usually in April.
- Nawroz – marked by Parsi and some other communities, with different groups observing it around the spring equinox or in August.
- Sajibu Nongma Panba – observed in Manipur, tied to the lunar calendar.
- Chaitra Sukhladi – marking the start of the Vikram Samvat year in parts of north India.
How Regional Calendars Number the Year
Regions do not only differ on when the year starts; they differ on which year it is.
Different Eras in Use
Vikram Samvat runs roughly 57 years ahead of the Common Era. The Shalivahana Shaka era runs about 78 years behind it. The Bengali San and the Malayalam Kollam era each use their own epoch. So a single Gregorian year can correspond to several different year numbers depending on which regional system is being used, all of them equally correct within their own tradition.
Checking a Date for Your Region
For the lunisolar observances, the date moves each year and should be confirmed against a Panchang calculated for your own location. For the solar ones, the date is stable but can still vary by a day between published lists. Our Panchang basics guide explains how to read those entries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do so many Indian new years fall in April?
Because solar calendars across several regions begin the year when the Sun enters Mesha, which occurs in mid-April. Spring is also when the harvest cycle in many regions makes a natural starting point.
Which one is the real Indian new year?
There is no single one. Each is the new year within its own regional calendar tradition, and all are equally valid. The Indian National Calendar used for official civil purposes begins its year at Chaitra, while the administrative and financial calendars follow their own conventions.
Do these dates change every year?
The lunisolar ones such as Gudi Padwa, Ugadi and Bestu Varas move within a window of a few weeks. The solar ones such as Puthandu, Vishu and Baisakhi stay close to a fixed Gregorian date, shifting by at most a day.