New to the Gujarati Calendar? Start Here

GujjuCal is built around the Gujarati lunisolar calendar, and some words in the app may be new if you did not grow up with them. Here is a friendly guide.

Panchang means "five limbs". It is the traditional almanac that describes each day through five elements: tithi (the lunar day), vaar (the weekday), nakshatra (the star group the Moon sits in), yoga (a combination of the Sun and Moon positions) and karana (half a tithi). Priests use these to pick good times for ceremonies.

Vikram Samvat is the era used for counting years. It runs about 56-57 years ahead of the common era, so 2026 CE falls in Vikram Samvat 2082-2083. The Jain community also counts Veer Samvat, which begins from the nirvana of Bhagwan Mahavir.

Sud and Vad split every month into two halves. Sud is the bright half, when the Moon grows from new to full. Vad is the dark half, when it shrinks back. So "Kartak Sud 5" means the fifth lunar day of the bright half of Kartak month.

The twelve months, in order, are Kartak, Magshar, Posh, Maha, Fagan, Chaitra, Vaishakh, Jeth, Ashadh, Shravan, Bhadarvo and Aso. The year begins with Kartak Sud 1, Bestu Varas, right after Diwali.

Choghadiya divides daytime and nighttime into eight parts each. Every part carries a quality: Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal are considered good for starting work, while Udveg, Kaal and Rog are avoided. Many Gujarati families still glance at the choghadiya before travel or a big purchase.

Muhurat simply means a chosen auspicious time. The app also shows windows people avoid, like Rahu Kaal, a daily period considered unfavourable for new beginnings.

Punyatithi is the yearly remembrance day of a loved one who has passed away. It is observed on the same lunar date each year rather than the same English date, so the app tracks it for you.

Agiyaras (Ekadashi) is the eleventh lunar day of each half month. Many people observe a full or partial fast on this day.

Adhik Maas is a leap month added roughly every three years to keep the lunar year aligned with the seasons. It is considered a month for extra devotion.

And the greetings: Jay Shree Krishna is the everyday greeting in Hindu Gujarati homes, and Jai Jinendra is its Jain counterpart. Both are warm ways of saying hello.