The eras
Vikram Samvat is named after King Vikramaditya of Ujjain, said to have founded it after a victory over the Shakas; it is the era of North India and Nepal, and its year number is about 57 more than the Common Era year. Shaka Samvat, said to have been founded by King Shalivahana, begins 78 years after the Common Era; a reformed form of it is India's official national calendar. Other eras include the Kali Yuga era, counted from 3102 BCE, the Bengali San and the Kollam era of Kerala.
When the year begins
In North India, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra the year begins on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada: Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Cheti Chand and the first day of Chaitra Navratri. Brahma is said to have created the world on this day. In Gujarat and among Gujarati and Marwari traders the Vikram year begins on Kartika Shukla Pratipada, the day after Diwali, with new account books. In Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Punjab the solar year begins with Mesha Sankranti in mid-April.
Each lunar year also has a name from a cycle of sixty, such as Prabhava, Vibhava or Krodhi; the name is announced on the new year day and, by tradition, colours its character.