Buddhist Calendrical Systems: Buddhist Era and Cula Sakaraj

This article explains the calendrical systems used in Buddhist countries, focusing on the Buddhist Era (BE), the Cula Sakaraj (CS) and the Rattanakosin Era (RE). It discusses the origin of the Cula Sakaraj in India in 638 CE, its use in Thailand and Myanmar and the creation of the Rattanakosin Era in 1782 CE (2325 BE) under King Rama I. The reform of 1912 CE (2455 BE) under King Rama VI abolished both CS and RE, establishing the Buddhist Era as the sole national calendar. The article also compares how Buddhist countries Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Tibet, China, Mongolia and others use distinct reckoning systems, reflecting diverse historical, religious and cultural contexts.