With roots in the ancient calendars of the region,[1][2][3] it is based on Tarikh-e-Elahi (Divine Era),[4] introduced by the Mughal Emperor Akbar on 10/11 March 1584.
[5][6][7][8] The calendar is important for Bangladeshi agriculture, as well as festivals and traditional record keeping for revenue and taxation.
"[10] The Saka Era was the widely used in Bengal, prior to the arrival of Muslim rule in the region, according to various epigraphical evidence.
In 1584, Emperor Akbar commissioned a new calendar as part of tax collection reforms.
Khan promoted celebrations of the Punyaha, a ceremonial collection of land taxes.
[19] In 1966, a committee headed by Muhammad Shahidullah was appointed in Bangladesh to reform the traditional Bengali calendar.
[14] Bengali weekdays are named after deities of celestial bodies in the Surya Siddhanta, an ancient treatise on Indian astronomy.