Calendar 2026: A Complete Guide to Indian Festivals and Holidays
India is a land where multiple religions, cultures, and traditions coexist in harmony. Each faith has its own festivals, vrats, and religious celebrations. If you want a single source for all festivals, government holidays, and important tithi dates in 2026, this Calendar 2026 on {site_name} is the most useful resource for you. We have designed this Indian calendar so you can find every important date for 2026 in one place.
What Is the Indian Calendar (Saka Samvat)?
The official Indian national calendar is known as the Saka Samvat. It was adopted by the Government of India as the national calendar in 1957. The Saka calendar is used alongside the Gregorian calendar in the official Gazette of India, All India Radio broadcasts, and government notifications. Historically, the Saka Samvat has also been used in parts of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. This shows how India preserves its ancient traditions while aligning with modern systems.
Structure of the Indian Calendar 2026
The Indian calendar follows a luni-solar system with regional variations, but it always has 12 months and 365 days, with an extra month added periodically to match the solar year. The month names differ from the Gregorian calendar. The first month of the Saka calendar is Chaitra and the last month is Phalguna.
The 12 months as per the Indian lunisolar calendar are:
- Chaitra
- Vaisakha
- Jyeshtha
- Ashadha
- Shravan
- Bhadrapada (Bhadra)
- Ashwin
- Kartik
- Agrahayana (Margashirsha)
- Paush
- Magha
- Phalguna
How Festival Dates Are Decided: Panchang and Moon Calculations
The Indian festival calendar 2026 includes fixed national dates like Independence Day and Republic Day. However, most religious festivals are based on the movement of the Sun and Moon. Vedic astrology, Panchang calculations, tithi, nakshatra, and the position of planets are used to fix the exact muhurat and date of each festival. For example, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha depend entirely on the sighting of the moon.
This calendar on {site_name} lists all major Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, and Buddhist festivals falling in 2026. We also include the complete list of central and state government holidays so you can plan leaves, travel, and puja dates more effectively.