Bikram Sambat (BS) is Nepal's official solar calendar and runs about 56 years and 8 months ahead of AD. Nepal Sambat (NS) is the lunar calendar of the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley and started in 879 AD. AD (Anno Domini) is the international Gregorian calendar. All three are used in Nepal at the same time: government letters carry a BS date, flight tickets and emails use AD, and Newars celebrate the Nepal Sambat new year in autumn.
The three calendars count from different starting years and begin their new year in different months, so the same day has three different dates. This page compares them on five points: origin, starting year, new year date, solar or lunar reckoning, and where each is used today. It also explains how to convert a date from one calendar to another.
What are the three calendars used in Nepal?
Three calendars are in use in Nepal:
- Bikram Sambat (BS): the official solar calendar, roughly 57 years ahead of AD.
- Nepal Sambat (NS): the lunar calendar of the Newar people, which began in 879 AD.
- Gregorian (AD): the international calendar used for travel, trade and foreign communication.
Bikram Sambat is the date printed on a Nepali passport, school certificate, citizenship card and newspaper front page. Nepal Sambat is the traditional calendar of the Kathmandu Valley. It was recognised as Nepal's national calendar in 2008, and since late 2023 its date is printed next to the BS date on government documents. BS is still the calendar used for all administrative work. AD is used for anything that involves other countries, such as trade, travel and email with foreign offices.
For the structure of the national calendar itself (months, days per month, how the year is set), read what the Bikram Sambat calendar is before the comparison below.
How do Bikram Sambat, Nepal Sambat, and AD compare?
The table below lists the differences side by side. The three calendars differ in who started them, which year counts as year 1, when the year changes, whether they follow the sun or the moon, and how official they are in Nepal today.
| Feature | Bikram Sambat (BS) | Nepal Sambat (NS) | Gregorian (AD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | Attributed to King Vikramaditya of ancient India | Founded in the Kathmandu Valley, traditionally linked to Shankhadhar Sakhwa | Reform of the Julian calendar by Pope Gregory XIII (1582) |
| Era start (year 1) | Around 57 BC | 879 AD | Year 1 AD (traditional birth of Christ) |
| Offset from AD today | About +56.7 years (2026 AD ≈ 2082-2083 BS) | About -879 to -880 years (2026 AD ≈ 1146-1147 NS) | Baseline |
| Calendar type | Solar (sidereal), months begin at each sankranti | Lunar (luni-solar) | Solar |
| New year falls in | Baisakh 1, mid-April | Kartik Shukla Pratipada, October-November (Mha Puja season) | 1 January |
| Official use | Official calendar of Nepal for all government work | National calendar (2008), shown beside BS on official documents since 2023, central to Newar culture | International standard |
Two points from the table are easy to miss. First, Bikram Sambat is the older era: it starts around 57 BC, more than nine centuries before Nepal Sambat. Second, Nepal Sambat is the only one of the three that started inside Nepal.
Why does each calendar start its year in a different month?
Each calendar starts its year at a different point. Bikram Sambat starts on Baisakh 1 in mid-April, when the sun enters Mesh (Aries). Nepal Sambat starts in Kartik, around October or November, on a set lunar day. AD starts on 1 January, a fixed date with no link to the sun's position or the moon's phase.
Bikram Sambat: solar new year in April
BS follows the sun's apparent path through the zodiac. Its new year, Baisakh 1, falls on the day the sun enters the sidereal sign of Mesh. Because that moment moves slightly from year to year, Baisakh 1 falls between about April 13 and April 15 in AD. This is Navavarsha, the new year celebrated across Nepal with a public holiday. The timing is explained in why Nepali New Year falls in April.
Nepal Sambat: lunar new year in October or November
NS is a luni-solar calendar. Its months follow the moon, so its new year is tied to a lunar day instead of a fixed date. The Nepal Sambat new year falls on Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the bright fortnight after the Tihar new moon (Laxmi Puja). Newars mark the day with Mha Puja, a puja of one's own body and self. Because the date is lunar, it falls on a different AD date each year, usually in late October or November.
Which calendar is official in Nepal?
Bikram Sambat is the calendar the government of Nepal works in. The fiscal year, the public holiday list, citizenship records, court dates and office deadlines are all counted in BS. Nepal Sambat was declared a national calendar in 2008 in recognition of the country's own heritage. In November 2023 the government decided to print the NS date next to the BS date on official documents. NS is not used to count fiscal years or deadlines.
The Gregorian AD calendar is used next to both for international purposes: visas, flight tickets, banking with foreign partners and academic deadlines abroad. Most Nepalis use all three without trouble: a birthday in BS, a Newar festival in NS, and a meeting with a foreign office in AD.
Because official dates are in BS, it helps to know the order of its months. The guide to the 12 Nepali calendar months from Baisakh to Chaitra lists each one in order.
How do you convert between the three calendars?
There is no single fixed sum for converting, because BS and NS months do not line up with AD months. For a rough answer:
- AD to BS: add about 56 years and 8.5 months to the AD date.
- AD to NS: subtract 879 from the AD year if the Nepal Sambat new year (Kartik Shukla Pratipada) has already passed that year, or 880 if it has not.
A BS year overlaps two Gregorian years, and Poush itself crosses the December–January boundary. For example, 1 January 2026 corresponds to Poush 17, 2082 in Katigate’s conversion data. Subtracting 57 for all of Poush would give the wrong Gregorian year. Use the BS–AD converter for the complete date; it does not convert Nepal Sambat dates.
On Katigate, the today page shows the current date in BS and AD together with the day's panchang, and the date converter converts any date between BS and AD.
More tools on Katigate
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nepal Sambat older than Bikram Sambat?
No. Bikram Sambat counts from around 57 BC and Nepal Sambat from 879 AD, so Bikram Sambat is the older era by more than nine centuries. Nepal Sambat is the one that started in Nepal itself; Bikram Sambat came from ancient India.
Why is Bikram Sambat about 57 years ahead of AD?
Bikram Sambat counts from roughly 57 BC, the era traditionally linked to King Vikramaditya. Because it started counting about 57 years before AD, each BS year is 56 to 57 years ahead of the matching AD year. The exact gap depends on the time of year: from mid-April to 31 December the difference is 57 years, and from 1 January to mid-April it is 56 years, because the BS new year falls in April.
When is Nepal Sambat new year celebrated?
Nepal Sambat new year falls on Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the bright fortnight after the Tihar new moon, usually in October or November. The Newar community celebrates it with Mha Puja, a puja of one's own self. Because Nepal Sambat is a lunar calendar, the AD date changes every year.
Which calendar should I use for official work in Nepal?
Use Bikram Sambat for anything official inside Nepal: government forms, contracts, fiscal records and certificates. Use the Gregorian AD calendar for international matters such as visas and flights. Nepal Sambat now appears next to BS on official documents, but it is used mainly for Newar festivals and culture and is not used for counting deadlines.