The Bengali Calendar: How Akbar's Tax Reform Created Pohela Boishakh

The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History · Jul 10, 2026 · 5m · transcript

The Bengali New Year, Pohela Boishakh, is celebrated with processions, traditional food, and new clothes. But its origins lie not in ancient Hindu tradition but in a fiscal reform of the Mughal emperor Akbar. In 1556, Akbar introduced the Fasli or harvest calendar to align tax collection with the solar cycle, replacing the lunar Hijri calendar that had confused revenue officials. The new calendar, called the Tarikh-e-Elahi, was adapted by the Bangla year as the Bangabda, starting from the year of Akbar's accession. Over time, the calendar was further refined by the astronomer Fatehullah…