Shaka era

Also called: Saka era, Shalivahana Shaka, Shaka Samvat, Indian National Calendar · Topic: Studying Indian History: Sources, Dating and Historiography · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 6 "The Age of Reorganisation"

Meaning

The Shaka era (also written Śaka era) is a way of counting years that begins in 78 CE. It is the most widely used of all Indian eras. [2] India's official Indian National Calendar is based on it. [2]

It matters for two reasons. Historians need it to read old Indian inscriptions that give dates in Shaka years. And since 1957 it has been part of India's official time-keeping, used next to the Gregorian calendar. [2][5]

Explanation

Background: why eras exist

• An era is a system for counting years from one chosen starting event, such as the birth of a religious founder or the start of a king's reign.
• An era is a human choice, not a fact of nature. So the same year can carry different numbers in different eras.
• The Shaka era starts its count in 78 CE. [2]
• Who started it is debated:
• Many historians link year 1 to the accession (coming to the throne) of the Kushana king Kanishka.
• Others link it to a Shaka ruler. The Shakas were Central Asian rulers in north-western and western India.
• The name Shalivahana Shaka comes from a later legend that ties the era to a king called Shalivahana.
• No single answer is accepted by all scholars. Say "traditionally linked with" in an exam answer.

How it spread and survived

• Kings and scribes used the Shaka era to date inscriptions, coins and texts across India.
• Indian astronomers also used it in their calculations. This helped it last for many centuries.
• Over time it became the most widely used Indian era. [2]
• It is still used in the pañchānga (a book of day-tables with astronomical data). The pañchānga predicts eclipses, sunrise and sunset times and festival dates.

The Indian National Calendar (1957)

• After Independence, the Government of India set up a Calendar Reform Committee to make one standard calendar for the country. The scientist Meghnad Saha headed it.
• On its recommendation the government adopted the Indian National Calendar from 1957. It is used alongside the Gregorian calendar for official purposes. [2][5]
• Main features:
• Years are counted in the Shaka era (78 CE). [2]
• The first month is Chaitra. It has 30 days in a normal year and 31 in a leap year. [2]
• The next five months have 31 days each, and the remaining six months have 30 days. [2]
• The year begins on the day after the vernal (spring) equinox. [2] In a normal year this is 22 March, and in a leap year it is 21 March.

• It uses the same leap years as the Gregorian calendar. So its dates always match fixed Gregorian dates.

• The 12 months are Chaitra, Vaishakha, Jyaishtha, Ashadha, Shravana, Bhadra, Ashvina, Kartika, Agrahayana, Pausha, Magha and Phalguna.

How to convert years

• Shaka year = CE year − 78 (from Chaitra 1 to 31 December).
• Shaka year = CE year − 79 (from 1 January until the next Chaitra 1).
• Example: 22 March 2024 to 31 December 2024 falls in Shaka 1946.
• Compare this with the Vikrama Samvat (58 BCE), which runs about 135 years ahead of the Shaka era.

Time, place and evidence

• Starting point: 78 CE. [2] This is the age of the Kushanas in the north-west and the Shakas in western India.
• Key people: the Kushana king Kanishka or a Shaka ruler, according to different views. The founder is not certain.
• Region: it began in north-western and western India and later spread across the whole subcontinent.
• How we know:
• Inscriptions with Shaka-era dates. These are a main source for the history of early India.
• The pañchānga tradition, which still uses Indian eras today.
• Official records: the Government of India adopted the calendar in 1957. [2][5]
• A PIB press release reported a two-day conference and exhibition on the Indian National Calendar held in Ujjain, under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. [5]
• Britannica describes the Shaka era as the most widely used Indian era. [2]

Don't confuse with

• Vikrama Samvat: it begins in 58 BCE, while the Shaka era begins in 78 CE. The national calendar uses the Shaka era, not Vikrama.
• Gregorian calendar: Pope Gregory XIII introduced it in 1582, and it counts years from the conventional birth year of Jesus. [3][4] India uses it alongside the Shaka-based national calendar and has not replaced it.
• Pañchānga: this is a book of tables that predicts eclipses, sunrise and sunset times and festival dates. The Shaka era is a year-count, not a book.
• Gupta era: it begins in about 319–320 CE, started by the Gupta rulers. It is a different era from the Shaka era, which is older.

Prelims Hooks

• The Shaka era begins in 78 CE. It is the most widely used Indian era. [2]
• The Indian National Calendar was adopted in 1957 on the recommendation of the Calendar Reform Committee. It is based on the Shaka era. [2][5]
• The first month is Chaitra: 30 days in a normal year, 31 in a leap year. The next five months have 31 days and the rest have 30. [2]
• The national year begins on the day after the vernal equinox: 22 March normally, 21 March in a leap year. [2]
• Order of eras by start date: Vikrama Samvat (58 BCE) → Christian era (1 CE) → Shaka era (78 CE).
• Trap: the Shaka era is traditionally linked with Kanishka, but this is not certain. Treat "founded for certain by Kanishka" as a risky claim.

Mains Points

• A calendar as a symbol of the nation.
• In 1957 India chose an Indian era, the Shaka era, as the basis of its official calendar. [2][5]
• This was a statement of national identity as well as a scientific reform.

• It also kept the Gregorian calendar for daily and international use, so the reform joined heritage with practical needs.

• Eras and source criticism.

• An inscription dated "year 12" means nothing until we know which era it uses.
• Shaka (78 CE) and Vikrama (58 BCE) give the same event two different year numbers.

• So historians must first identify the era before using an Indian inscription as evidence (Class 12 Part 1, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns").

• Continuity of a scientific tradition.

• The Shaka era has been used for nearly 2,000 years, in inscriptions, in astronomy, in the pañchānga and now in official records.
• Fixing the start of the year to the vernal equinox shows that Indian calendars were matched to the sky. [2]
• This is useful evidence in GS-I answers on Indian culture and science.

Related concepts

• BCE and CE
• Timeline
• Vikram Samvat
• Gupta era
• Kali Yuga era
• Panchanga

Read more

• Measuring historical time