Hindu Months (Maas)
The Hindu year runs on twelve lunar months. Each lasts one cycle of the moon, which is why its Gregorian dates shift every year. Below is where each month falls this year, and the full detail for each.
Right now
It is currently Shravana in both the Purnimanta and Amanta systems. See Shravana 2026 dates →
The months and when they fall in 2026
Windows shown for the North Indian (Purnimanta) calendar.
- Magha4 Jan – 1 Feb
The month of the Magha snan and Kalpavas — Makar Sankranti, Mauni Amavasya and Vasant Panchami.
Magha 2026 dates → - Chaitra4 Mar – 2 Apr
The first month of the Hindu new year — Chaitra Navratri, Gudi Padwa/Ugadi and Ram Navami.
Chaitra 2026 dates → - Vaishakh3 Apr – 1 May
The month of Akshaya Tritiya and Buddha Purnima — of holy bathing and endless merit.
Vaishakh 2026 dates → - Ashadha30 Jun – 29 Jul
The month Chaturmas begins — Jagannath Rath Yatra, Guru Purnima and Devshayani Ekadashi.
Ashadha 2026 dates → - Sawancurrent30 Jul – 28 Aug
The holiest month for Shiva — the month of the Sawan Somwar vrat, kanwar yatra and Rudrabhishek.
Complete guide → - Bhadrapada29 Aug – 26 Sept
The festival-dense month of Ganesh Chaturthi, Janmashtami, Hartalika Teej and Pitru Paksha.
Bhadrapada 2026 dates → - Kartik27 Oct – 24 Nov
The most sacred month for Vishnu — Kartik snan, Damodar deep-daan, Diwali, Chhath and Tulsi Vivah.
Kartik 2026 dates →
The remaining months — Jyeshtha, Ashvin, Margashirsha, Pausha, Phalguna — are part of the calendar; their detailed pages are not written yet. Their dates appear in the tithi calendar.
Purnimanta and Amanta
Two systems run side by side in India. In Purnimanta a month ends on the full moon — the North Indian convention. In Amanta it ends on the new moon, the practice in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The names are the same, but the same month begins about fifteen days later in Amanta regions. Festivals fall on the same civil day in both, because they are fixed by tithi — it is only the month boundary that differs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many months are there in the Hindu calendar?
Twelve lunar months — Chaitra, Vaishakha, Jyeshtha, Ashadha, Shravana, Bhadrapada, Ashvin, Kartika, Margashirsha, Pausha, Magha, Phalguna. A year with an adhika maas has thirteen, because one month is repeated to keep the lunar year in step with the solar one.
What is the difference between Purnimanta and Amanta months?
Only where the month boundary is drawn. In Purnimanta (North India) a month ends on the full moon; in Amanta (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu) it ends on the new moon. The same month therefore begins about fifteen days earlier in the North. Festivals still fall on the same civil day in both, because they are fixed by tithi.
Why do Hindu month dates change every year?
Because they follow the moon, not the sun-based Gregorian calendar. A lunar year runs about eleven days shorter than a solar one, so each month arrives roughly eleven days earlier — except in a year with an adhika maas, when it shifts about nineteen days later instead.