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Is Bikrami a Hindu Calendar ? What is actually Bikrami Calendar? A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. A date is the designation of a single, specific day within such a system. Periods in a calendar (such as years and months) are synchronized with the cycle of the sun or the moon. Bikrami Calendar starts with installation of King Vikramaditya as Emperor of India 2072 years ago. When he became Emperor, the royal stamp and coins started in his name carried the year of his becoming King. As he is considered a just and pious ruler, the calendar continued even after death of King Vikram and ending of reign of his dynasty from India. It is mostly followed in Northern India. While in Hindi Belt it is called Vikram Samvat, in Punjab ( which includes East Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Kashmir, West Punjab and upto borders of Iran) it is called Bikrami Sammat. Now, important point to be understood. Bikrami is the name of Calendar started in honour of Vikramaditya, it was an administrative system, but this Calendar itself (Dating system) was prevalent even before King Vikram. It is only his ascension to the thrown of Ujjain which took place 2072 years ago, but the Calendar itself was being used all over this region thousands of years before him for Social, religious and commercial purposes. What was and is this system which was present before Vikram and is present till today ? This Calendar, or dating system, is called LUNISOLAR CALENDAR. There are Lunar Calendars and Solar Calendars in use on our Planet. Solar Calendar counts Days and dates as per Earth's revolution around the Sun, while the Lunar Calendar is based on Moon's movement around Earth. Solar Calendar is approx 365 days long while Lunar year is 354-355 days long. This Lunisolar Calendar is based on movements of BOTH the Moon and Sun. While Full Moon Day is End of Month and New Moon Day is beginning of Month in Lunar aspect of Calendar, Movement of Sun in correspondence to Constellations of Our Galaxy determines the beginning and End of Month. This subject is related to astronomy, geography and mathematics. Worship of Sun and Moon is different subject and topic, but studying their Movement and carrying out calculations to create Calendar is not worship of Planets and Stars. Afterall, it is not a Brahmin or a Hindu who holds and revolves Earth around Sun, or who revolves Moon around Earth. All the movement of Stars, revolution and rotation of Planets and Moons is happening with Hukam of Akaal Purkh Waheguru. Calling Bikrami Calendar a ''Hindu Calendar'' is part of divisive propaganda and mischievious lies being spread by these people. They know how to fool gullible Sikhs and emotionally blackmail them. Those who know about India and Hinduism, they know that every region of India has a different aspect of Lunisolar in use. Maharashtra has its own Calendar, South India, Bengal, Assam, Orissa and other regions have their own very different calendars. Some Hindus celebrate New Year on Diwali, some on Makar Sakranti, some on Vaisakhi and some in Chaitra. Calling the Lunisolar Calendar a Hindu Calendar is absurd and foolishness in itself. Lunisolar calculation system bases itself on movement of Sun, Moon and Earth, which happens in will of Akal Purkh. Any one, a Sikh, a Hindu, a Muslim or Jew or Buddhist can study these movements and positions and use them for their Social and Religious and Political Calendars. Many of you who might not know this. This Lunisolar Calendar was used in ancient times by Greeks, Mayans, Babylonians and Egyptians. In present times, this Lunisolar calendar is used by - Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims (Muslims go a step further and use only LUNAR aspect of this Calendar to determine their festivals) Christians, Chinese, Japanese, Parsis and many more nations, communities and tribes around the world. This very system was being used in Ancient Punjabaswell. Our Guru Sahibans also used this prevalent Calendar in their day-to-day lives. Please read Gurbaani of Baba Farid Ji, a Sufi Muslim Saint, who belonged to Punjab and walked on these lands a thousand years ago- ਕਤਿਕ ਕੂੰਜਾਂ ਚੇਤਿ ਡਉ ਸਾਵਣਿ ਬਿਜੁਲੀਆਂ || ਸੀਆਲੇ ਸੋਹੰਦੀਆਂ ਪਿਰ ਗਲਿ ਬਾਹੜੀਆਂ ||੬|| As the swallows appear in the month of Katik, forest fires in the month of Chayt, and lightning in Saawan, and as the bride's arms adorn her husband's neck in winter;||6|| (Ang 488) He used not Islamic Calendar but the prevalent Punjabi Calendar in his Baani. Thousand years have not changed anything. Swallows still come in Kattak to visit open lands which are getting cooler (as winter nears), and clouds and lightning still decorate the Sky in month of Saawan. To be continued -- - Kamaljeet Singh Source : FB

I'm having trouble knowing what this question has to do with the topic of Nihangs in 1984, so I just created a new topic for it. First of all, Bikrami is not much in use anymore, it's just either the Nanakshahi calendar published by the SGPC, or the so-called "original Nanakshahi" calendar favored by Ragi Darshan Singh. Anyways, regarding the 4 major events commemorated by Sikhs, Google reveals: 1) Guru Nanak ji's prakash. Celebrated by AKJ on Kattak Puranmashi, in accordance with Nanakshahi calendar. 2) Guru Gobind Singh ji's prakash. According to the Nanakshahi calendar, falls on Poh Sudi Saptmi. Celebrated on that day by AKJ: 3) Holla Mohalla. If you've ever attended Holla at Anandpur Sahib, you know that everbody (jathas, sants, Sukhmani Sahib Seva Societies, missionaries) celebrates on the day after Holi in accordance with Nanankshahi calendar. 4) Baisakhi. Celebrated by the entire panth on the same day. Additionally, this link states Dushera is celebrated annually in Delhi by the AKJ as a major smagam. Obviously that would be on whatever day the Hindus celebrate Dushera.

Who is behind Pal Singh Purewal’s Nanakshahi Calendar Amritsar, Punjab: IHRO Team comprising Prof Anurag Singh, Advocates Khuswinder Singh Grewal and Anmol Singh Grewal, along with DS Gill, after hectic effects, research and documentation, today, completed IHRO Report, with an Observation: “How the Ecclesiastical Court of Akal Takhat was managed is not difficult to comprehend. Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti and Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh are possessed souls under the influence of Purewal, and are still in his favour even after worldwide exposer of Purewal’s game-plan. In legal lexicon, it is called- ‘Quid pro Quo’ (something for something, in Latin)- DS Gill Chair IHRO Forces Behind PurewalPurewal’s JANTRI 500 YEARS was published during the tenure of Chief Minister Beant Singh by Punjab School Education Board in November 1994 against norms of the Board. The revised version of it is still to be published even after a lapse of 20 years. Four months later ( March 28-30,1995), Purewal is shown present by proxy in Punjab History Conference Proceedings (27th Session),held at Punjabi University Patiala during the tenure of Dr Joginder Singh Puar. It is patent from the Resume of the proceedings (pp.317-319) that Purewal did not attend the proceedings and his name is not mentioned in the Resume. But in spite of his absence from the proceedings, his following four papers were published against all established procedure of the university: Problem of Date Conversion in Sikh History (pp.261-269); The Date of Founding of Akal Takhat Sahib (pp.283-284); The Changing Vaisakhi Date in Common Era and Proposed New Calendar for Khalsa Samvat (pp.285-289); Birth Date of Guru Nanak Dev Ji (pp.306-311). Never in the 45 years history of Punjab History Conferences one scholar is allowed to read/present four papers in one Section. This privilege was granted to Purewal for the first and last time. It was also for the first and last time that four papers of a unknown writer were included without his attending the Conference. Again this special privilege was granted to Purewal. Now it is upon the university authority to reveal that (i) who invited a unknown writer Purewal in the conference and what were theconsiderations for such privileges? If he was invited and attended the proceedings, then whorecommended his name. If he attended the proceedings, then as per norms what were the comments of eminent historians, Dr J.S. Grewal, Dr S.S. Bal, Dr Kirpal Singh and other historians on these papers and Purewal’s replies. After this introduction of Purewal to the literary world in a unique manner, Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh took over the charge of the game plan of Purewal, duly patronized by the Government to create confusion among the Sikhs on their Gurpurbs, the only source of unity among the Sikhs, in which they succeeded. The SGPC never passed any Resolution to authorize Purewal to prepare the so-called Nanakshahi Calendar; it was given to the SGPC through Dr Kharak Singh Ji. Before this misadventure, Institute of Sikh Studies (IOSS) also had favored the Kala Afghana lobby, Bhasauria lobby by giving rejection slips to Dasam Granth, Bhagat Bani, Bhatt Bani in their books and Journal. To promote Purewal’s dangerous game-plan, the writers associated with the Institute (Dr Kirpal Singh, Dr Balwant Singh Dhillon, Surjit Singh Gandhi, Dr Darshan Singh, Dr Dalbir Singh Dhillon …), started the propaganda in favour of this so-called Nanakshahi Calendar with all the resources at their disposal with perfidious lies wilfully and which were duly rebutted in writing by Prof Anurag Singh, Col Surjit Singh Nishan, Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Amritsar through Principal Santokh Singh, S. Maluk Singh, Damdami Taksal and host of other Sampardayas and organisations. Despite the fact that the Jathedars of two Takhats (Patna Sahib and Hazur Sahib) did not give their consent to the so-called Nanakshahi Calendar, the Institute of Sikh Studies, even before the release of this distorted and plagiarized Calendar, published the news in their Journal that the Calendar has been passed by the Clergy with minor changes (See the attached photo). As already established that this distorted Calendar is a carbon copy of Indian National Saka Calendar, it is also an infringement of Copy Right Act, and punishable with imprisonment and fine. It is surprising that this Hindu Calendar, issued in the sacred name of Guru Nanak as a emotional black-mailing tactics, was released on Baisakhi of 2003 by Prof Kirpal Singh Badungar, president SGPC, and Fakhar-i-Quam Parkash Singh Badal, now crowned as Padam Vibushan by President of India. Source: http://sikhsangat.org/2015/who-is-behind-pal-singh-purewals-nanakshahi-calendar/