Jain Calendar 2020
A month-by-month list of the significant Jain festivals and fasting (upvas) days - Paryushan and Samvatsari, Mahavir Jayanti, the twelve Rohini Vrats, the Ashtahnika and Navpad Oli parvas, the Chaumasi Chaudas, Varshi Tap and Mahavir Nirvana - with the date and tithi of each.
The Jain Calendar lists 46 dates in 2020, from Rohini Vrat on 8 January through Rohini Vrat on 28 December. November holds the most with 10 dates. The year runs through Vikram Samvat 2076 – 2077. 2020 carries an Adhik Maas (Ashwina (Adhik)), the extra lunar month that pushes several dates later than usual. Mahavir Jayanti fell on 6 April, Paryushan began on 15 August, Samvatsari fell on 22 August and Mahavir Nirvana fell on 14 November.
Jain Festivals & Fasting Days
January 2020 Pausha – Magha
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 4:15 AM – 4:00 AM, Jan 9
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
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Parshvanath Janma Kalyanak
Tithi 4:00 AM – 2:42 AM, Jan 20
The birth anniversary (Janma Kalyanak) of Bhagwan Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, on Pausha Krishna Dashami - kept with the Uvasaggaharam Stotra jaap and fasting.
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Meru Trayodashi
Tithi 1:44 AM – 1:41 AM, Jan 23
The nirvana (moksha) day of the first Tirthankara, Bhagwan Rishabhadeva (Adinatha), venerated with worship of the sacred Mount Meru.
February 2020 Magha – Phalguna
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 9:23 PM, Feb 3 – 9:58 PM
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
March 2020 Phalguna – Chaitra
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Phalguna Ashtahnika Begins Vrat
Tithi 11:26 AM, Mar 1 – 12:54 PM
The eight-day Ashtahnika Parva preceding the Chaumasi, when the Jains venerate the eternal (shashvata) Jina images with collective worship.
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 1:04 PM, Mar 2 – 1:52 PM
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
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Phalguna Chaumasi Chaudas Vrat
Tithi 6:31 AM – 3:17 AM, Mar 9
The Chaturmasic Chaudas closing one of the three four-month periods, marked by Pratikraman, fasting and penance.
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Phalguna Ashtahnika Ends Vrat
Tithi 3:04 AM – 11:22 PM
The eight-day Ashtahnika Parva preceding the Chaumasi, when the Jains venerate the eternal (shashvata) Jina images with collective worship.
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Varshitapa Arambha Vrat
Tithi 3:19 AM – 2:42 AM, Mar 17
The beginning of Varshi Tap - a year-long penance of alternate-day fasting commemorating Bhagwan Rishabhadeva's long fast before his first alms.
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 2:02 AM – 3:27 AM, Mar 31
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
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Chaitra Navapada Oli Begins Vrat
Tithi 3:15 AM – 4:06 AM, Apr 1
The nine-day Ayambil (Navpad) Oli - a semi-fast venerating the nine supreme entities (Navpad), observed twice a year in Chaitra and Ashwin.
April 2020 Chaitra – Vaishakha
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Mahavir Swami Jayanti
Tithi 7:28 PM, Apr 5 – 3:54 PM
The birth anniversary of Bhagwan Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara, on Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi - celebrated with processions, abhishek and charity.
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Chaitra Navapada Oli Ends Vrat
Tithi 12:01 PM, Apr 7 – 8:05 AM
The nine-day Ayambil (Navpad) Oli - a semi-fast venerating the nine supreme entities (Navpad), observed twice a year in Chaitra and Ashwin.
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Varshitapa Parana
Tithi 11:57 AM, Apr 25 – 1:24 PM
The breaking (parana) of the year-long Varshi Tap with sugarcane juice on Akshaya Tritiya, as Bhagwan Rishabhadeva broke his fast.
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 11:57 AM, Apr 25 – 1:24 PM
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
May 2020 Vaishakha – Jyeshtha
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Mahavira Swami Kevalagyan
Tithi 11:47 AM, May 2 – 9:10 AM
The day Bhagwan Mahavira attained Kevala Jnana - infinite knowledge and omniscience.
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 11:09 PM, May 22 – 12:24 AM, May 24
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
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Shruta Panchami
Tithi 1:09 AM – 12:41 AM, May 28
The Digambara festival venerating the Jain scriptures (Shruta) on Jyeshtha Shukla Panchami - commemorating the day the Shatkhandagama was first written down.
June 2020 Jyeshtha – Ashadha
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 11:10 AM, Jun 19 – 11:53 AM
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
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Ashadha Ashtahnika Begins Vrat
Tithi 5:04 AM – 2:58 AM, Jun 28
The eight-day Ashtahnika Parva preceding the Chaumasi, when the Jains venerate the eternal (shashvata) Jina images with collective worship.
July 2020 Ashadha – Shravana
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Ashadha Chaumasi Chaudas Vrat
Tithi 1:11 PM, Jul 3 – 11:33 AM
The Chaturmasic Chaudas closing one of the three four-month periods, marked by Pratikraman, fasting and penance.
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Ashadha Ashtahnika Ends Vrat
Tithi 11:26 AM, Jul 4 – 10:13 AM
The eight-day Ashtahnika Parva preceding the Chaumasi, when the Jains venerate the eternal (shashvata) Jina images with collective worship.
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 11:46 PM, Jul 16 – 12:45 AM, Jul 18
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
August 2020 Shravana – Bhadrapada
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 11:25 AM, Aug 12 – 1:00 PM
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
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Paryushana Parvarambha
Tithi 2:12 PM, Aug 14 – 2:23 PM
The start of Paryushan - the holiest eight-day festival of the Jains - of fasting, scriptural study, penance and forgiveness.
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Samvatsari Parva
Tithi 11:02 PM, Aug 21 – 7:55 PM
The final and holiest day of Paryushan - of Pratikraman and Michhami Dukkadam, seeking forgiveness from every living being.
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Das Lakshana Parva Begins
Tithi 7:55 PM, Aug 22 – 5:02 PM
The ten-day Digambara festival of the ten supreme virtues (dharma), from Bhadrapada Shukla Panchami to Chaturdashi - the Digambara counterpart of Paryushan.
September 2020 Bhadrapada – Ashwina – Ashwina (Adhik)
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Anant Chaturdashi Vrat
Tithi 8:40 AM, Aug 31 – 9:39 AM
The closing day of Das Lakshana, when the fourteen-knot thread of Ananta is worshipped and the Ananta Vrat is observed on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturdashi.
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Kshamavani Parva
Tithi 9:31 AM, Sep 1 – 10:51 AM
The Digambara day of universal forgiveness, the day after Das Lakshana - Jains seek and grant pardon with the words Uttam Kshama and Michhami Dukkadam.
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 2:06 AM – 3:49 AM, Sep 11
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
October 2020 Ashwina (Adhik) – Ashwina – Kartika
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 12:36 PM, Oct 6 – 2:48 PM
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
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Ashwina Navapada Oli Begins Vrat
Tithi 7:18 AM, Oct 22 – 6:57 AM
The nine-day Ayambil (Navpad) Oli - a semi-fast venerating the nine supreme entities (Navpad), observed twice a year in Chaitra and Ashwin.
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Ashwina Navapada Oli Ends Vrat
Tithi 5:45 PM, Oct 30 – 8:19 PM
The nine-day Ayambil (Navpad) Oli - a semi-fast venerating the nine supreme entities (Navpad), observed twice a year in Chaitra and Ashwin.
November 2020 Kartika – Margashirsha
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 1:14 AM – 3:30 AM, Nov 4
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
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Mahavir Nirvana (Diwali)
Tithi 6:00 PM, Nov 13 – 2:18 PM
Diwali marks the nirvana (final liberation) of Bhagwan Mahavira at Pavapuri; Jains keep it with fasting, the Nirvana Laddu and recitation of his last sermon.
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Jain New Year (Vira Nirvana Samvat)
Tithi 2:16 PM, Nov 14 – 10:37 AM
The first day of the Jain Vira Nirvana Samvat year - the morning after Mahavira's nirvana, also the day Gautam Swami attained Kevala Jnana.
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Bhai Dooj (Bhratri Dwitiya)
Tithi 10:28 AM, Nov 15 – 7:06 AM
Sisters honour their brothers on Kartika Shukla Dwitiya, the day Gautam Swami is said to have visited his sister, closing the Diwali observances.
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Jnan Panchami (Labh Panchami)
Tithi 11:14 PM, Nov 18 – 9:49 PM
Knowledge (Jnan) Panchami - Jain scriptures and the gift of knowledge are venerated; in Gujarat it is also kept as Labh Panchami.
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Kartika Ashtahnika Begins Vrat
Tithi 9:26 PM, Nov 20 – 9:39 PM
The eight-day Ashtahnika Parva preceding the Chaumasi, when the Jains venerate the eternal (shashvata) Jina images with collective worship.
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Kartika Chaumasi Chaudas Vrat
Tithi 10:25 AM, Nov 28 – 12:48 PM
The Chaturmasic Chaudas closing one of the three four-month periods, marked by Pratikraman, fasting and penance.
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Kartika Ratha Yatra
Tithi 12:52 PM, Nov 29 – 3:00 PM
The Kartik Purnima chariot procession (Ratha Yatra) and the great pilgrimage to Shatrunjaya (Palitana), reopened after the Chaturmas.
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Kartika Ashtahnika Ends Vrat
Tithi 12:52 PM, Nov 29 – 3:00 PM
The eight-day Ashtahnika Parva preceding the Chaumasi, when the Jains venerate the eternal (shashvata) Jina images with collective worship.
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 12:52 PM, Nov 29 – 3:00 PM
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
December 2020 Margashirsha – Pausha
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 3:03 PM, Nov 30 – 4:53 PM
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
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Maun Ekadashi Vrat
Tithi 11:17 PM, Dec 24 – 1:56 AM, Dec 26
The great silent (Maun) fast of Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi, on which 150 Kalyanaks of the Tirthankaras are commemorated - kept with silence, fasting and Posaha.
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Rohini Vrat Vrat
Tithi 6:20 AM – 8:08 AM, Dec 29
A fasting day observed when the Rohini nakshatra prevails - kept mainly by Jain women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. There are twelve Rohini fasting days in a year.
Tithi start and end times are shown in your local time. Festival dates follow the standard Indian (sunrise) calendar and may vary by a day in other regions, and may differ slightly from regional almanacs (especially around an Adhik Maas).
What happened in the sky in 2020
Beyond the dates the Jain Calendar lists, 2020 brought 6 eclipses - 2 solar and 4 lunar - of which 4 were above the horizon somewhere in India. The year also carried an Adhik Maas, the extra lunar month of Ashwina, running from 18 September 2020 to 16 October 2020. Jain New Year (Vira Nirvana Samvat) fell on 15 November, 19 days later in the year than in 2019 - a lunar year runs about eleven days short of a solar one.
Eclipses of 2020
| Date (IST) | Eclipse | Hindu date | Seen from India |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jan 12:40 AM | Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Pausha Krishna Pratipada | Penumbral only |
| 6 Jun 12:54 AM | Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Jyeshtha Krishna Pratipada | Penumbral only |
| 21 Jun 12:10 PM | Annular solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) | Ashadha Amavasya | Yes - Sutak observed |
| 5 Jul 9:59 AM | Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) | Ashadha Purnima | Not visible |
| 30 Nov 3:12 PM | Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) on Kartika Ratha Yatra | Margashirsha Purnima | Penumbral only |
| 14 Dec 9:43 PM | Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) | Margashirsha Amavasya | Not visible |
Sutak Kaal was observed for 1 of these. A penumbral (Upachhaya) eclipse is not counted as a grahan.
Guru and Shani in 2020
| Date | Graha | Sign change |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jan 10:00 AM | Shani (Saturn) | Dhanu → Makara |
| 30 Mar 4:00 AM | Guru (Jupiter) | Dhanu → Makara |
| 30 Jun 5:30 AM | Guru (Jupiter) | Makara → Dhanu re-entry while retrograde |
| 20 Nov 1:30 PM | Guru (Jupiter) | Dhanu → Makara |
Jupiter takes about a year to cross a sign, Saturn about two and a half. Rahu entered Vrishabha on 23 September 2020, carrying the eclipse axis with it.
Related Calculators
Frequently asked questions about the Jain Calendar 2020
How many festivals and vrats does the Jain Calendar list in 2020?
The Jain Calendar lists 46 dates in 2020, of which 31 are vrats. The first is Rohini Vrat on Wednesday, 8 January 2020, and the last is Rohini Vrat on Monday, 28 December 2020.
When was Paryushan in 2020?
Paryushan began on Saturday, 15 August 2020 and closed on Samvatsari, Saturday, 22 August 2020.
The Digambara Das Lakshana Parva began on Sunday, 23 August 2020.
When was Mahavir Jayanti in 2020?
Mahavir Swami Jayanti fell on Monday, 6 April 2020 (Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi), the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Mahavira.
When was Mahavir Nirvana in 2020?
Mahavir Nirvana was observed on Saturday, 14 November 2020, the same day as Diwali.
The Jain New Year (Vira Nirvana Samvat) began the next morning, Sunday, 15 November 2020.
What are the main festival dates in the Jain Calendar for 2020?
The main observances in 2020 are:
- Mahavir Jayanti - Monday, 6 April 2020
- Paryushan - Saturday, 15 August 2020
- Samvatsari - Saturday, 22 August 2020
- Mahavir Nirvana - Saturday, 14 November 2020
Which month of 2020 has the most observances in the Jain Calendar?
November 2020 is the fullest month with 10 dates, including Rohini Vrat, Mahavir Nirvana (Diwali), Jain New Year (Vira Nirvana Samvat), Bhai Dooj (Bhratri Dwitiya), Jnan Panchami (Labh Panchami), Kartika Ashtahnika Begins, Kartika Chaumasi Chaudas, Kartika Ashtahnika Ends.
Which traditional year does 2020 correspond to in the Jain Calendar?
The Gregorian year 2020 spans Vikram Samvat 2076 – 2077. The traditional year does not begin on 1 January, so one Gregorian year usually covers the end of one era year and the start of the next.
Did 2020 have an Adhik Maas?
Yes. 2020 carried an Adhik Maas (Ashwina (Adhik)), the extra lunar month inserted roughly every third year to keep the lunar calendar in step with the solar one. Festivals falling after it shift later in the Gregorian year, which is why 2020 dates can look out of place beside a neighbouring year.
Were there any eclipses in 2020?
2020 had 6 eclipses:
- 11 January 2020 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), penumbral only, so no Sutak was observed
- 6 June 2020 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), penumbral only, so no Sutak was observed
- 21 June 2020 - Annular solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
- 5 July 2020 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), not visible from India
- 30 November 2020 - Penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), penumbral only, so no Sutak was observed
- 14 December 2020 - Total solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
Sutak Kaal is observed only for an eclipse actually visible where you are, so 1 of these was kept in India.
Did Guru or Shani change sign in 2020?
Yes - 4 sign changes among the slow grahas in 2020:
- Shani (Saturn) entered Makara on 24 January 2020
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Makara on 30 March 2020
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Dhanu on 30 June 2020, moving retrograde
- Guru (Jupiter) entered Makara on 20 November 2020
Jupiter takes about a year to cross one sign and Saturn about two and a half, so these transits colour the whole year rather than a single week.
Are these 2020 dates the same everywhere?
The dates follow the standard Indian sunrise-based calendar. Because a tithi begins and ends at a fixed moment rather than at midnight, an observance can fall a day earlier or later where sunrise differs - most noticeably outside India. Set your city in the box at the top to see the start and end times in your own local time, and check the daily Panchang for the exact window on the day.
About the Jain Calendar
A month-by-month list of the significant Jain festivals and fasting (upvas) days - Paryushan and Samvatsari, Mahavir Jayanti, the twelve Rohini Vrats, the Ashtahnika and Navpad Oli parvas, the Chaumasi Chaudas, Varshi Tap and Mahavir Nirvana - with the date and tithi of each.
Each entry lists the festival or vrat with its date, the prevailing tithi, and a short note on the observance. Use the year links to plan ahead into the coming years or to look up a date from the archive.
This list is the festival dates, not the daily five limbs. For sunrise, Rahu Kalam and the day's yoga, open the Panchang. Other calendars are on the Calendars index. The story of a fast is under Vrat Katha.
