Nepali Calendar

Nepali Calendar - Bikram Sambat 2011

The Nepali festival calendar (Bikram Sambat). Nepali festivals and vrats month by month, with the date and tithi timing of each observance.

August 2011

Bikram Sambat 2068 (Krodhi)

Shrawan – Bhadra

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Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat

Timings shown for New Delhi (IST) at sunrise - use the city box at the top to change it. Solar months begin by each tradition's own Sankranti rule (same-day, next-day, sunset or aparahna). Era years and lunar month names follow standard Vedic calculations and may differ slightly from regional almanacs around an Adhik Maas.

Nepali Calendar 2011 - festivals and vrats through the year

The Nepali Calendar lists 25 dates in 2011, opening with Maghe Sankranti on 15 January and closing with Yomari Punhi on 10 December. Of these, 3 are vrats (fasting observances). The year runs through Bikram Sambat 2067 – 2068.

January 2011 Poush – Magh

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
15 Jan Sat Maghe Sankranti

The Sun's entry into Makara, the great winter festival of Nepal.

Shukla Dashami

February 2011 Magh – Falgun

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
8 Feb Tue Basanta Panchami (Saraswati Puja)

The worship of Goddess Saraswati on Magha Shukla Panchami.

Shukla Panchami

March 2011 Falgun – Chaitra

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
2 Mar Wed Maha Shivaratri

The great night of Lord Shiva, with the grand mela at Pashupatinath.

Krishna Trayodashi
19 Mar Sat Fagu Purnima (Holi)

The festival of colours on the full moon of Phalguna.

Shukla Purnima

April 2011 Chaitra – Baishakh

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
3 Apr Sun Ghode Jatra

Kathmandu's horse-racing festival on the dark new moon of Chaitra, said to keep the demon Tundi at bay.

Krishna Amavasya
12 Apr Tue Chaite Dashain

The lesser Dashain on Chaitra Shukla Navami, coinciding with Ram Navami.

Shukla Navami
14 Apr Thu Bisket Jatra

Bhaktapur's chariot and pole festival welcoming the Nepali solar new year (Baishakh).

Shukla Ekadashi

May 2011 Baishakh – Jestha

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
3 May Tue Mata Tirtha Aunsi (Mother's Day)

The Baishakh new-moon day honouring mothers, living and departed.

Krishna Amavasya
6 May Fri Akshaya Tritiya

An auspicious day for new beginnings on Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya.

Shukla Tritiya

June 2011 Jestha – Ashadh

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
11 Jun Sat Ganga Dussehra

The descent of the Ganga, on Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami.

Shukla Dashami

July 2011 Ashadh – Shrawan

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
15 Jul Fri Guru Purnima

The full moon of Ashadha honouring teachers and sage Veda Vyasa.

Shukla Purnima

August 2011 Shrawan – Bhadra

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
4 Aug Thu Naag Panchami

Serpent deities are worshipped on Shravana Shukla Panchami.

Shukla Panchami
13 Aug Sat Janai Purnima

Hindus change the sacred thread (janai) and tie the raksha protection cord on Shravana Purnima.

Shukla Purnima
22 Aug Mon Krishna Janmashtami

The midnight birth of Lord Krishna.

Krishna Ashtami
31 Aug Wed Teej (Haritalika Teej) Vrat Shukla Tritiya

September 2011 Bhadra – Ashwin

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
2 Sep Fri Rishi Panchami Vrat Shukla Panchami
11 Sep Sun Indra Jatra

Kathmandu's great festival of Indra and the living goddess Kumari, from Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturdashi.

Shukla Chaturdashi
13 Sep Tue Sorah Shraddha (Pitru Paksha)

The sixteen days of offerings to the ancestors.

Krishna Pratipada
28 Sep Wed Ghatasthapana (Dashain Begins)

The first day of Bada Dashain, when the jamara is sown.

Shukla Pratipada

October 2011 Ashwin – Kartik

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
5 Oct Wed Maha Ashtami / Maha Navami

The climactic eighth and ninth days of Dashain.

Shukla Navami
6 Oct Thu Vijaya Dashami

The tenth day of Dashain, when elders give tika and jamara.

Shukla Dashami
26 Oct Wed Tihar (Laxmi Puja)

The festival of lights (Yamapanchak) and the worship of Goddess Lakshmi.

Krishna Amavasya

November 2011 Kartik – Mangsir

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
6 Nov Sun Haribodhini Ekadashi Vrat Shukla Ekadashi
29 Nov Tue Vivah Panchami

The wedding of Rama and Sita on Margashirsha Shukla Panchami.

Shukla Panchami

December 2011 Mangsir – Poush

Date Day Festival / Vrat Tithi
10 Dec Sat Yomari Punhi

The Newar harvest full moon of Margashirsha, celebrated with sweet yomari dumplings.

Shukla Purnima

Months of the Nepali Calendar in 2011

The Nepali Calendar does not begin its year on 1 January, so each of its months straddles two Gregorian ones. These are the months that ran through 2011, covering Bikram Sambat 2067 – 2068. A month marked part is one the Gregorian year cuts short at its own start or end.

Month Begins Ends Days
Poush part 1 Jan 2011 14 Jan 2011 14
Magh 15 Jan 2011 13 Feb 2011 30
Falgun 14 Feb 2011 14 Mar 2011 29
Chaitra 15 Mar 2011 14 Apr 2011 31
Baishakh 15 Apr 2011 15 May 2011 31
Jestha 16 May 2011 15 Jun 2011 31
Ashadh 16 Jun 2011 16 Jul 2011 31
Shrawan 17 Jul 2011 17 Aug 2011 32
Bhadra 18 Aug 2011 17 Sep 2011 31
Ashwin 18 Sep 2011 17 Oct 2011 30
Kartik 18 Oct 2011 16 Nov 2011 30
Mangsir 17 Nov 2011 16 Dec 2011 30
Poush part 17 Dec 2011 31 Dec 2011 15

What happened in the sky in 2011

Beyond the dates the Nepali Calendar lists, 2011 brought 6 eclipses - 4 solar and 2 lunar - of which 3 were above the horizon somewhere in India. Maghe Sankranti fell on 15 January, 1 day later in the year than in 2010 - a lunar year runs about eleven days short of a solar one.

Eclipses of 2011

Date (IST) Eclipse Nepali date Seen from India
4 Jan 2:20 PM Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) Poush Amavasya Yes - Sutak observed
2 Jun 2:46 AM Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) Jestha Shukla Pratipada Not visible
16 Jun 1:42 AM Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) Ashadh Krishna Pratipada Yes - Sutak observed
1 Jul 2:08 PM Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) Ashadh Amavasya Not visible
25 Nov 11:50 AM Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan) Mangsir Amavasya Not visible
10 Dec 8:01 PM Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) on Yomari Punhi Mangsir Purnima Yes - Sutak observed

Sutak Kaal was observed for 3 of these.

Guru and Shani in 2011

Date Graha Sign change
8 May 2:20 PM Guru (Jupiter) Meena → Mesha
15 Nov 10:20 AM Shani (Saturn) Kanya → Tula

Jupiter takes about a year to cross a sign, Saturn about two and a half. Rahu entered Vrishchika on 6 June 2011, carrying the eclipse axis with it.

Frequently asked questions about the Nepali Calendar 2011

How many festivals and vrats does the Nepali Calendar list in 2011?

The Nepali Calendar lists 25 dates in 2011, of which 3 are vrats. The first is Maghe Sankranti on Saturday, 15 January 2011, and the last is Yomari Punhi on Saturday, 10 December 2011.

What are the main festival dates in the Nepali Calendar for 2011?

The first major observances of 2011 are:

  • Maghe Sankranti - Saturday, 15 January 2011
  • Basanta Panchami (Saraswati Puja) - Tuesday, 8 February 2011
  • Maha Shivaratri - Wednesday, 2 March 2011
  • Fagu Purnima (Holi) - Saturday, 19 March 2011
  • Ghode Jatra - Sunday, 3 April 2011
  • Chaite Dashain - Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Which traditional year does 2011 correspond to in the Nepali Calendar?

The Gregorian year 2011 spans Bikram Sambat 2067 – 2068. 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 2011 have an Adhik Maas?

No. 2011 had twelve lunar months with no Adhik Maas, so its festival dates fall in their usual Gregorian window rather than being pushed later by an intercalary month.

Were there any eclipses in 2011?

2011 had 6 eclipses:

  • 4 January 2011 - Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
  • 2 June 2011 - Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
  • 16 June 2011 - Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed
  • 1 July 2011 - Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
  • 25 November 2011 - Partial solar eclipse (Surya Grahan), not visible from India
  • 10 December 2011 - Total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan), visible in India, so Sutak Kaal was observed

Sutak Kaal is observed only for an eclipse actually visible where you are, so 3 of these were kept in India.

Did Guru or Shani change sign in 2011?

Yes - 2 sign changes among the slow grahas in 2011:

  • Guru (Jupiter) entered Mesha on 8 May 2011
  • Shani (Saturn) entered Tula on 15 November 2011

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.

How do I see the tithi and nakshatra for a specific date in 2011?

Use the month grid above: pick a month from the selector, then tap any day to open its full panchang - tithi with start and end times, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise and sunset, and the inauspicious periods (Rahu Kalam, Yamaganda, Gulika Kalam). Set your city in the box at the top first, because these timings are sunrise-based and shift with location. The Nepali Calendar - Bikram Sambat opens on the current month.

About the Nepali Calendar - Bikram Sambat

The Nepali festival calendar (Bikram Sambat). Nepali festivals and vrats month by month, with the date and tithi timing of each observance.

Each day lists its tithi and paksha, the nakshatra, the weekday (vaar) and any festivals or vrats. Tap any day to see the full panchang for that date - tithi start and end times, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise and sunset, and the inauspicious periods (Rahu Kalam, Yamaganda, Gulika Kalam). Use the month and year selectors to browse any year in the archive or plan ahead into the coming years.

This calendar names the tithi and festivals for each day. For sunrise, Rahu Kalam and muhurat windows on a chosen date, open the Panchang. Other regional calendars are on the Calendars index. Fast stories live under Vrat Katha.

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