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HISTORY Vikramaditya is the name of a legendary king of Ujjain(central India), famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity. The title Vikramaditya has also been assumed by many kings in Indian history, notably the Gupta King Chandragupta_II . In the Hindu tradition in India and Nepal, the widely used ancient calendar is Vikrama Samvat or Vikrama's era (nepali Calendar). This is said to have been started by the legendary king following his victory over the Sakas (or Scythians ) in 56 BC. CULTURE This calendar starts with Baisakh as the first day of the month which usually falls on the 13th or 14th of April in the Gregorian calendar. The Nepali New Year is one of the many festivals of Nepal, marked by parties, family gatherings, the exchange of good wishes and participation in rituals to ensure good fortune in the coming year. In addition to Nepal, elements of the Bikram Sambat calendar are also recognized in north India and West Bengal state. Structurally, it is similar to the Bangla Calendar used in Bangladesh , with the month names being the same and starting at the same time. In Bangladesh , the new year is celebrated as Pôhela Boishakh , a national holiday. The Bangali Hindu communities in India, where the holiday is called Baisakhi, also celebrate the beginning of Spring and the end of the harvest seasion on Pahela Baishakh. The Sikh communities celbrate Vaisakhi because it is the birth of the Sikh order of the Khasla. Vaisakhi is also called Rongali Bihu in Assam, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Pooram Vishu in Kerala. In Buddhist communities, the month of Baishakh is associated with Vesak, known as Visakah Puja or Buddha Purnima in India and Bangladesh, Visakha Bucha in Thailand, Waisak in Indonesia and Wesak in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. It commemorates the birth, Enlightenment and passing of Gautama Buddha on the one historical day, the first full moon day in May, except in a leap year when the festival is held in June. Although this festival is not held on the same day as Pahela Baishakh, the holidays typically fall in the same month (Baishakh) of the Bengali, Hindu, and Theravada Buddhist calendars, and are related historically through the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism in South Asia. However, under the Mughals, agricultural taxes were collected according to the Hijri calendar. However, as the Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar, the agricultural year did not coincide with the fiscal year. Therefore, farmers were hard-pressed to pay taxes out of season. In order to streamline tax collection, the Mughal Emperor Akbar ordered a reform of the calendar. Accordingly, Fatehullah Shirazi, a renowned scholar and astronomer, formulated the Bangla year on the basis of the lunar Hijri and Bangla solar calendars. The new Fasli San (agricultural year) was introduced on 10/11 March 1584, but was dated from Akbar's accession to the throne in 1556. The new year subsequently became known as Bônggabdo, or Bengali year. MONTHS |
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