section_path: Months/Lunar months/List
section_name: List
paragraph_text: List
  
  The names of the Hindu months vary by region. Those Hindu calendars which are based on lunar cycle are generally phonetic variants of each other, while the solar cycle are generally variants of each other too, suggesting that the timekeeping knowledge travelled widely across the Indian subcontinent in ancient times.
  
  During each lunar month, the Sun transits into a sign of the zodiac (sankranti). The lunar month in which the Sun transits into Mesha is named Chaitra and designated as the first month of the lunar year.
  
  A few major calendars are summarized below: