The calculator opens on today's date in Pakistan and shows the desi (Punjabi) month and day. Change the date to find the desi date of any day, or switch to "Desi date to English" to go the other way.
A desi month starts on the sangrand, the day the Sun moves into the next sign of the zodiac. That falls between the 12th and 17th of each English month, so every English month holds the end of one desi month and the start of the next. Months are 29 to 32 days long.
Desi months this year
Start date and length of each desi month by the traditional sangrand, with the fixed calendar dates beside them.
| Month | Starts (sangrand) | Days | Fixed calendar start | Days | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magh ماگھ | Wednesday 14 January 2026 | 29 | 13 Jan | 30 | Winter |
| Phagun پھگن | Thursday 12 February 2026 | 30 | 12 Feb | 30 | Late winter |
| Chet چیت | Saturday 14 March 2026 | 31 | 14 Mar | 31 | Spring |
| Vaisakh وساکھ | Tuesday 14 April 2026 | 31 | 14 Apr | 31 | Spring harvest |
| Jeth جیٹھ | Friday 15 May 2026 | 31 | 15 May | 31 | Hot season |
| Harh ہاڑ | Monday 15 June 2026 | 31 | 15 Jun | 31 | Hot season |
| Sawan ساون | Thursday 16 July 2026 | 32 | 16 Jul | 31 | Monsoon |
| Bhadon بھادوں | Monday 17 August 2026 | 31 | 16 Aug | 30 | Monsoon |
| Assu اسو | Thursday 17 September 2026 | 30 | 15 Sep | 30 | Early autumn |
| Katak کتک | Saturday 17 October 2026 | 30 | 15 Oct | 30 | Autumn |
| Maghar مگھر | Monday 16 November 2026 | 30 | 14 Nov | 30 | Early winter |
| Poh پوہ | Wednesday 16 December 2026 | 29 | 14 Dec | 30 | Winter |
Magh, Phagun and Chet 2026 fall in Bikrami year 2082; Vaisakh to Poh in 2083. Chet 2026 opens Nanakshahi year 558.
Month lengths change from year to year. Summer months (Jeth, Harh, Sawan) run 31 or 32 days, because the Sun moves more slowly through the zodiac then; winter months (Maghar, Poh, Magh) run 29 or 30.
The 12 desi months
| Desi month | Urdu | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Chet | چیت | mid March to mid April |
| Vaisakh | وساکھ | mid April to mid May |
| Jeth | جیٹھ | mid May to mid June |
| Harh | ہاڑ | mid June to mid July |
| Sawan | ساون | mid July to mid August |
| Bhadon | بھادوں | mid August to mid September |
| Assu | اسو | mid September to mid October |
| Katak | کتک | mid October to mid November |
| Maghar | مگھر | mid November to mid December |
| Poh | پوہ | mid December to mid January |
| Magh | ماگھ | mid January to mid February |
| Phagun | پھگن | mid February to mid March |
In Pakistani Punjab this calendar is still used in villages to plan sowing and harvest. The wheat harvest comes in Vaisakh, the monsoon in Sawan and Bhadon, and the coldest days in Poh and Magh.
How the desi date is worked out
The traditional Punjabi calendar is a solar calendar based on the stars, not the seasons. The Sun passes through 12 signs in a year, and each desi month begins when it enters a new sign.
Two rules turn that moment into a date:
- A day runs from sunrise to sunrise. If the Sun enters the new sign before sunrise, the new month is counted from the previous day.
- The month starts on the day of the change. Day 1 of the month is the day that contains the moment, and this day is the sangrand.
We compute the moment from the position of the Sun and count sunrise at Lahore. We checked the result against 72 published sangrand dates for 2020 and 2022 to 2026, and all 72 matched.
Why desi calendars in Pakistan differ by a day or two
Pakistani websites and printed calendars use two different methods, so on the same day one may show 14 Assu and another 16 Assu.
- Traditional (sangrand): months start on the sangrand, which moves by a day between years. In 2026 Assu started on 17 September, so 30 September 2026 was 14 Assu.
- Fixed dates (Nanakshahi): a calendar introduced in 2003 fixes each month to the same English date every year, such as Assu on 15 September. On that calendar 30 September 2026 was 16 Assu.
The fixed calendar also follows the seasons rather than the stars, so over the centuries the two will drift apart. Choose the method in the calculator; it always shows the other one too. The traditional sangrand is the older of the two systems.
The desi year
Desi years are counted in the Bikrami (Vikrami) era, 56 or 57 years ahead of the English year. The Punjabi solar new year is 1 Vaisakh (13 or 14 April), so from 14 April 2026 the year is 2083 Bikrami until the day before 1 Vaisakh 2027. The lunar Bikrami year, used for festivals, begins earlier, in Chet, so some calendars show the new number from Chet.
For Islamic dates, see the Hijri date converter.
Desi calendar questions
What is the desi date today?
The calculator at the top of this page shows it. It reads today's date in Pakistan and gives the desi month and day, the day the month began and the day the next month starts. If your calendar shows a date one or two days different, it probably uses the fixed Nanakshahi dates.
How many days are in a desi month?
Between 29 and 32. The traditional months follow the Sun, which moves faster in winter and slower in summer. Jeth, Harh and Sawan are usually 31 or 32 days, while Maghar, Poh and Magh are usually 29 or 30.
When does Sawan start?
Sawan starts on the sangrand in mid July, usually on 16 July and in some years on 17 July. In 2026 it started on Thursday 16 July. On the fixed calendar it always starts on 16 July.
Which is the first month of the desi year?
The Punjabi solar year starts on 1 Vaisakh, in mid April. Many printed calendars list Chet first, because the lunar Bikrami year and the fixed Nanakshahi year both begin in Chet, in mid March.
Why do different websites show a different desi date?
Some follow the traditional sangrand, which changes by a day between years, and some use fixed dates from the Nanakshahi calendar of 2003. The two can differ by up to two days. This page shows both.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026. Results are estimates; official notices always take precedence.