Buddhist Calendar Converter

Convert Dates Between Gregorian and Buddhist Calendars

If you've ever tried to match up a Thai Buddhist holiday with a Western calendar—or sort out dates for family, research, or travel—you know it can get confusing fast. This tool is designed to make that much simpler. With just a couple of clicks, it converts years between the Gregorian calendar and three major Buddhist calendar systems: Thai/Lao/Cambodian, Myanmar/Sri Lankan, and the historical Chula Sakarat.

What This Calculator Can Do

This converter takes a Gregorian date or year and calculates its equivalent in a Buddhist calendar system, or the other way around. Whether you're looking up official Thai dates (which run 543 years ahead of the Gregorian), working with Burmese documents (544-year offset), or handling older historical systems like Chula Sakarat, it’s all handled here. You can even select a specific time zone to see how the date appears locally.

Who Might Find This Useful?

This is a helpful resource for anyone dealing with dates across Southeast Asia—students, travelers, archivists, Buddhist practitioners, and international researchers, to name a few. It's also a lifesaver for those translating calendars, aligning festival schedules, or reviewing documents written in a Buddhist-era format.

Step-by-Step: How to Use the Converter

1. Pick Your Date or Year

Start by choosing a date using the calendar picker. You’ll also see a field labeled "Year to convert"—you can type a year directly if you just want to convert a single year. Whichever you change, the other syncs up automatically.

2. Select the Time Zone

The converter adjusts to your chosen time zone. This doesn’t affect the year conversion itself, but it changes how the full date (day, month, year) is displayed. Helpful if you want to see what that date looks like in Bangkok vs. Berlin.

3. Choose Your Calendar System

You’ve got three Buddhist calendar systems to pick from:

• Thai/Lao/Cambodian BE (+543): Most commonly used, especially in official Thai documents.
• Myanmar/Sri Lankan BE (+544): Slightly different offset—starts counting from Year 1 instead of Year 0.
• Chula Sakarat (+1182): A historical system, mostly used in older Burmese and Thai records.

4. Pick a Conversion Direction

Use the dropdown to switch between converting from Gregorian to Buddhist or Buddhist to Gregorian. The placeholder text and input label change automatically to guide you depending on which way you're converting.

5. Hit Convert

Click the “Convert Buddhist Calendar” button, and you’ll see your result immediately. The main converted year is highlighted, along with extra info like:

• The calendar system used
• The year difference (offset)
• The full date formatted in both systems

Built-In Extras You Might Miss

Live Time Display

There’s a live clock in the bottom right of the converter, keeping track of the current time in your selected format. You can toggle between 12-hour and 24-hour formats using the button nearby.

Smart Syncing

If you update the date, the year adjusts to match. If you type a year, it builds a full date using today’s month and day. Everything is designed to stay consistent and avoid surprise mismatches.

Visual Feedback

After conversion, the result section subtly lights up and zooms in, helping you focus on the answer without needing to scroll or search.

Reference Section with Examples

Scroll down below the converter and you’ll find a helpful breakdown of each calendar system, how its offsets work, and examples for both directions (Gregorian to Buddhist and back). This gives you more confidence in understanding how the math is done.

Watch Out for These Common Hiccups

• Entering a Buddhist year but forgetting to change the conversion direction will give an unexpected result. Always check that dropdown.
• The calendar system selected affects the offset. A 2500 BE in Thai calculation is not the same as 2500 BE in the Myanmar system.
• If you only enter a year without a date, the system still gives you a result, but full date formatting won’t be as detailed.

Keep Your Dates Straight Without Guesswork

This converter keeps things simple, especially when you're working across cultures and calendar systems. Whether you're planning a trip around Songkran, translating documents, or just satisfying your curiosity, this tool helps you keep timelines clear and accurate—no spreadsheet formulas or guesswork required.