The ''Vira Nirvana Samvat'' (era) is a

calendar era A calendar era is the period of time elapsed since one '' epoch'' of a calendar and, if it exists, before the next one. For example, it is the year as per the Gregorian calendar, which numbers its years in the Western Christian era (the Copti ...

beginning on 7 October 527 BCE. It commemorates the

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

of Lord Mahaviraswami, the 24th

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a ' ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the '' dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable pass ...

. This is the oldest system of chronological reckoning which is still used in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

History

The earliest text to mention 527 BCE as the year of Lord Vardhaman Mahavira's

is Yati-Vrishabha's '' Tiloya-Pannatti'' (6th century CE). Subsequent works such as

Jinasena Jinasena (c. 9th century CE) was a monk and scholar in the ''Digambara'' tradition of Jainism. He was patronized by the Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha I. He was the author of ''Adipurana'' and '' Mahapurana''.Harivamśa'' (783 CE) mention the Vira Nirvana era, and give the difference between it and the

Shaka era The Shaka era ( IAST: Śaka, Śāka) is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78. The era has been widely used in different regions of India as well as in SE Asia. His ...

(beginning in 78 CE) as 603 years, 5 months & 10 days. On 21st October 1974, the 2500th Nirvana Mahotsava was celebrated (according to the Indian National calendar) by the

Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

throughout India and overseas.

Usage

The Jain year Vira Nirvana Samvat is obtained by adding 470 years to the Kartikadi Vikram samvat. For example, The Vira Nirvana Samvat 2544 started right after Diwali of 20 October 2017 on Vikram 2074, Kartika Krishna Amavasya (Chaitradi and Purnimanta). The new Chaitradiadi Vikram samvat (common in North India) starts seven months earlier in Chaitra, thus during Chaitra-Kartika Krishna, the difference between Vikram and Vir Nivana samvat is 469 years. The Jain business people traditionally started their accounting year from Dipawali. The relationship between the Vir and Shaka era is given in Titthogali Painnaya and Dhavalaa by Acharya Virasena:Jain Sahitya aur Itihas par Vrihad Prakash, Jugalkishor Mukhtar, July 1956 p. 28 Thus the Nirvana occurred 603 years, 5 months and 11 days before the Saka era. From Vikram samvat, Vira Nirvana Samvat is obtained by adding 470, except during April to November, when 469 should be added. That is because the North Indian (Chaitradi Purnimanta) Vikram Samvat increments with Chaitra Krishna to Chaitra Shukla transition, where as Vira Nirvana Samvat increments with Kartika Krishna to Kartika Shukla transition. From the Julian year, VNS is obtained by adding 526 from January to November and 527 during November to December.

Jain Calendar

The Jain calendar ( Panchāng) is a

lunisolar calendar A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, combining lunar calendars and solar calendars. The date of Lunisolar calendars therefore indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year, that is the position of the Sun in the ...

, just like the traditional Vikram or Saka calendars . The months based on the position of the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

with respect to the Earth and it is adjusted by adding an extra month (adhika masa) once every three years, to coincide with the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

to bring month in phase with the season. Its day or date which is known as Tithi, indicates the moon phase and the month indicates the approximate season of the

solar year A tropical year or solar year (or tropical period) is the time that the Sun takes to return to the same position in the sky of a celestial body of the Solar System such as the Earth, completing a full cycle of seasons; for example, the time f ...

. The

has the following arrangement: A regular or normal year has 12 months; a leap year has 13 months. A regular or normal year has 353, 354, or 355 days; a leap year has 383, 384, or 385 days. The months in a Jain calendar are - Kartak, Maagsar, Posh, Maha, Faagan, Chaitra, Vaishakh, Jeth, Ashadh, Shravan, Bhadarvo, Aaso. The average number of days in a month is 30 but the average number of days in a Lunisolar year is 354 and not 360 (12 months in a year) because it takes the Moon about 29.5 days (not 30 days) to complete the circle around the Earth. Hence one Tithi is eliminated in about duration of two months. The Hebrew, Hindu lunar, Buddhist, and Tibetan calendars are all lunisolar, and so were the Japanese calendars until 1873 and the Chinese calendars until 1912. The Islamic calendar is a pure Lunar Calendar because its date (Tithi) indicates the moon phase but its months are not in phase with the time of the solar year or the season. It does not adjust its calendar to coincide with the sun or the season. Hence no extra month is added every three years. The Gregorian calendar (English CE) is a pure Solar Calendar and its date indicates the time of the solar season but not the moon phase.

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