Vikram Samvat 2024: Know Auspicious Date, Time And Muhurats


When you hear the Gujaratis saying ‘Nutan Varshabhinandan’ or ‘Saal Mubarak’ in their language, you know that they are busy celebrating their new year. Some of you may see young children bursting crackers on the road or a couple visiting a temple to seek blessings from God.

The Vikram Samvat calendar indicates starting the Gujarati new year from Shukla Paksha’s Pratipada of Kartik month. This day is celebrated with lots of enthusiasm and happiness to mark the beginning of the new year.

Gujarati New Year is celebrated on the next day of Diwali, where many people perform Annakut Puja, also known as Govardhan Puja. The beauty of India is there are various religions and religious beliefs. For instance, the Hindu new year falls in Chaitra month, Gujarati new year falls in Kartik month, and the Tamil new year falls in Chithirai month.

So, In 2024 on which day you are going to celebrate the Gujarati New Year? Read along with us to know the dates and muhurat timings.


How Gujaratis Say Happy New Year?

In Gujarati, the new year is called ‘Bestu Varas’, ‘Padwa’, or many of them call it ‘Varsha Pratipada’. It is well-known as Gujarati Nav Varsh. People of Gujarat greet each other by saying ‘Nutan Varshabhinandan’ on this day, which means they wish a Happy New Year. Some of them also visit the home of their relatives to seek elders blessings.


Important Dates and Timings Of Gujarati New Year 2024

This Gujrati New Year will initiate the Vikram Samvat 2081.

  • Gujarati New Year on Saturday, November 2, 2024
  • Pratipada Tithi Begins – 06:16 PM on Nov 01, 2024
  • Pratipada Tithi Ends – 08:21 PM on Nov 02, 2024

The Legend Of The Auspicious Day

Gujarati New Year coincidently falls on the day of Govardhan Puja. And there is an interesting tale behind performing the Annakoot Puja. The Hindu myths say Lord Krishna once asked the people of Gokul to avoid any offerings to Lord Indra. Lord Krishna said that being a farmer, they should utilize these things in farming or protecting the cattle. The people agreed with him and started worshipping hills and cows instead of worshipping Lord Indra.

When Lord Indra learned about the scenario, he became angry with the people of Gokul and flooded Gokul with heavy rain, which continued for seven days and nights. During this time, Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Hill on his little finger to provide shelter to the Gokul people, crops, animals, and cattle.

Thereafter, Lord Indra realized his mistake and made an apology to Lord Krishna. Since then, it became a tradition to worship Govardhan Hill by performing Ankoot Puja.


How People Celebrate Bestu Varas?

On the day of Bestu Varas, many business owners and traders start their new account books by closing the old ones. They organize Chopda Puja to worship Goddess Lakshmi in order to earn desired profit and success in their business in the new year.

In the evening, women indulge in cooking various sweet dishes. Later, all the family members dress up to meet their relatives and together celebrate the new year with them. Children also take part in bursting crackers outside their homes. Some of them join their friends and family in a dinner party. At night, we can see the colourful night with the splendid firecrackers. On the other hand, we can see a beautifully decorated home along with colourful diyas. This type of happiness on the people face gives the perfect vibes of positivity and a festive evening.


The Rituals And The Proceedings

  • Wake up early in the morning and take a bath before sunrise.
  • Then perform Govardhan puja by worshipping Lord Krishna. Also, offer flowers and sweets to the deity.
  • In Gujarat, people decorate their homes with colourful lights and flowers.
  • You should worship the Goddess Laxmi and Saraswati to bring prosperity, wealth, and happiness to your life.
  • Women of the houses should prepare sweets on this day and later, distribute them to other members.
  • If possible distribute sweets, clothes, and money to the poor and needy people.

This day is the soul of Gujaratis and the celebration of the New Year reflects their love and purity. Love, unity, and togetherness are the real assets of these celebrations. Devotees also perform Virtual Lakshmi Puja at their house to get the blessings.


The Ancient Legend

When King Vikramaditya represented the Vikram Samvat in Ujjain, people believed that it relates to the King’s victory over Saka. Later, we came to know about the Southern (Purnimanta) and Northern (Amanta) calendar system. Both systems denote that most of the festival occurs on the Shukla Paksha of the month. Since it was unveiled by King Vikramaditya, it came to be known as Vikram Samvat.

The ancient legend takes us back to the time when a nun named Saraswati got kidnapped. She was the sister of Kala Acharya, a well-known Jain monk. To fight Gardabhilla, the helpless monk sought the help of the Saka ruler in Sakasthana. Later, King Saka defeated Gardabhilla and enslaved a nun. When Gardabhilla was released, he returned back to the jungle. Vikramaditya, his son who raised in the forest, later invaded Ujjain and drove the Sakas out. Thus, he named a new period Vikram Samvat to celebrate the occasion.


Saka Samvat And Vikram Samvat

Saka Samvat and Vikram Samvat are two well-known Indian calendars. Saka Samvat is based on the measurement of time and following the position of the Moon. The lunisolar Vikram Samvat calendar is 56.7 years ahead of the solar Gregorian calendar. Saka Samvat came into existence in 78 AD, while Vikram Samvata was already there since 57 BC.

People who celebrate Holi on the first day of the month have the end of the month fall on the full moon day (Pournami) rather than the new moon day (Amavasya). Hence, there is a 15-day delay between New Years. The months of Saka and Vikram Samvats have the same names, and both Samvats have Shukla and Krishna Paksha.

In the Vikram Samvat, the new month begins with the Krishna Paksha, which occurs after the full moon, while in the Saka Samvat, the new month begins with the Shukla Paksha.
Therefore, the dates may vary at the beginning of the month. Pratipada (First day) of the Shukla Paksha during the Chaitra month is considered the first day in Saka Calendar, while Vikram Samvat considers it as the sixteenth day of the month.


Hindu New Year

The beginning of a New Year in the Hindu Calendar signifies the end of the winter season. Almost all Hindu New Year celebrations occur in the early spring months when nature turns abundant and blesses the world with greenery. Spring brings beautiful flowers, early-bird songs, fresh harvests. All of these things mark the starting of the new year. The Hindu New Year is celebrated in various ways across the globe. It brings hopes, apprehensions, hope, and joy to our life. On this day, people decorate their homes with lighting and flower decorations in various colours, such as pink, blue, yellow, red, and purple, for this occasion.

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12 Months Of Hindu Calendar

As per Vikram Samvat, Each Hindu month consist of 15 days, based on the waning and waxing phase of the moon. No Moon day (Amavasya) falls on the 15th day of Krishna paksha, while New Moon (Poornima) arrives on the last day of Shukla paksha. Below is the list of 12 months of the Hindu Calendar.

Chaitra

Chaitra month is the first of the month of the Hindu calendar, which arrives between March or April, as per Gregorian calendar. It is associated with the beginning of Spring and festivals such as Holi, Ram Navami, and Hanuman Jayanti. The first day of Chaitra month is Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Chaitra Vishu in Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh. Ram Navami, Lord Ram’s birth anniversary, falls on the 9th day of Chaitra. Whereas Hanuman Jayanti falls on the last day (Purnima) of Chaitra month.

Vaisakha

The Vaishakha month arrives between the month of April and May, as per the Gregorian calendar. We celebrate Baisakhi, Vaisakha Purnima, and Buddha Purnima during this month.

Jyeshta

During this month, Vat Purnima is observed in the western parts of India. It is celebrated on the full moon day (the 15th) of the Hindu calendar month of Jyeshtha. Snana Yatra is a bathing festival that takes place during the Hindu month of Jyeshtha’s Purnima. We also witness Jagannath Ratha Yatra.

Asadha

Asadha month usually arrives between the month of June or July. During this Hindu month, we celebrate Guru Purnima, and Shayani Ekadashi are celebrated. Many people keep fast and worship the Lord. It’s the 4th lunar month in Vikram Samvat.

Sravana

Most of the Hindu festivals occur in the month of Sravana, which arrives in July or August. We celebrate major festivals like Krishna Janmashtami, Raksha Bandhan, Nag Panchami, and Shravani Mela Kanwar Yatra. People keep fast on every Monday of Sravana month.

Bhadrapada

Bhadrapada month falls during August or September, as per the Georgian calendar. We celebrate Anant Chaturdashi during this time.

Asvina

The 7th month of the Hindu calendar is Asvina, which arrives between the month of September or October. It is an important Hindu month as the people of India celebrate the festival of Durga Puja, Dussehra, and Diwali.

Kartika

Kartik month is believed to be an auspicious month as we celebrate the Deepavali and Chooti Deepavali during this month. Besides, we also celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti and the nirvana of the Jain Tirthankara Mahavira.

Margasirsa

Margasirsa is the ninth Hindu month, and it arrives in the month of November or December. Hindus also call it Agrahayana. During this month, we celebrate Vaikuṇṭha Ekadasi by observing a one-day fast or organizing puja rituals.

Pausa

Pausa month takes place between the month of December or January. As per the Georgian calendar. It marks the beginning of the Pongal or Makar Sankranti festival. People celebrate this day by flying colourful kites in the sky.

Magha

Saraswati Puja’s and Vasant Panchami are the two auspicious days celebrated during the month of Magha. Besides, we also observe Ratha Saptami (Rathasapthami) on the seventh day of this Hindu month.

Phalguna

Phalguna month is the Hindu month that arrives between the month of February or March. During this month, we play Holi with our close one and this month also marks the end of the winter season. People of Goa and Konkan celebrate the festival of Shigmo.

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