Bhaskarabda, an era counted from the date of the ascension of a 7th-century local ruler, will be added to the Saka and Gregorian in the official calendar of the Assam government.
This was decided in a meeting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held with the officials of the General Administration Department on October 18.
Bhaskarabda began when Bhaskaravarman was crowned ruler of the Kamrupa kingdom. He was a contemporary and political ally of northern Indian ruler Harshavardhana.
“We have decided that in addition to Saka and Gregorian, Bhaskarabda will be used in the official calendar by the Assam government. We have also decided to have a theme-based calendar every year,” Mr. Sarma said.
The themes, he said, could be wildlife, plants, culture, cuisine and other aspects of Assam.
Unlike the Gregorian, where a day starts at midnight, the Assamese calendar begins and ends at sunrise over 24 hours. While the Gregorian goes by the solar cycle, the Saka and Bhaskarabda use a lunisolar system based on both the phases of the moon and the solar year.
The gap between Bhaskarabda and Gregorian is 593 years.
