What is Vikram Samvat?
{{no sources|date=June 2024}} The '''Vikram era''', or '''Vikram samvat''' is a calendar system (mostly followed in [[Hinduism]] and [[Sikhism]] from people of [[Indian subcontinent|Indian Subcontinent]], while people from [[Nepal]] follows it as their main calendar) starting in [[57 BC]]. The Vikram Samvat calendar starts half a century before the Gregorian calendar and works on an Indian calendar cycle. The calendar starts in the month of Vaishak, which usually falls in the [[Gregorian Calendar|Gregorian]] month of February/[[March/April|March]] and ends in Chaitra which falls in March and April. The date marks the day when the King [[Vikramāditya]] beat the [[Sakas]], who had invaded [[Ujjain]]. A new calendar was started to honor this achievement. [[Image:Westindischer Maler um 1400 001.jpg|thumb|300px|Kalakacharya and the Saka King]] == The story == The story of this event is told by a sadhu (Jain monk) called '''Mahesara Suri'''. The powerful king of Ujjain, called Gardabhilla, kidnapped a sadhvi (Jain nun), who was the sister of the sadhu. The sadhu went to the Saka King to get help, and in the end, the Saka King beat Gardabhilla and captured him and made him a prisoner. But in the end, Gardabhilla was forgiven and run away to a forest, where he was killed by a tiger. Later on Vikramaditya invaded Ujjain and drove away the Sakas. To commemorate this event he started a new era called the '''Vikrama era'''. {{history-stub}} [[Category:History of India]] [[Category:50s BC establishments]] [[Category:Calendars]]