Chaitra 1 Correspondence in Gregorian Calendar — UPSC Prelims PYQ 2014

Chaitra 1 of the national calendar based on the Saka Era corresponds to which one of the following dates of the Gregorian calendar in a normal year of 365 days?

Saka Samvat: This calendar form was initiated by King Shalivahan in 78 AD. It was also known as the Saka era, as it is to this tribe that Shalivahan belonged. Historians do have a confusion of whether Shalivahan was Saka himself or conquered Sakas.
Like Vikram Samvat, the Saka Calendar is also both solar and lunar with lunar months and solar year and has the same number of months as the Vikram era has. The Saka Calendar begins on 22nd March every year except in Gregorian leap years when it starts on 21st March.
The Saka calendar starts with Chaitra, followed by Vaisakha, Jyeshtha, Ashadha, Shravana, Bhadrapada, Ashwina, Kartika, Margashirsha, Pausha, Magha and Phalguna. The number of days in a saka year is 365.
The calendar was adopted as the National Calendar in the year 1957 by the Calendar Reforms Committee set up by the Government of India. It came into use from 22 March 1957 according to the Gregorian calendar, which was actually Chaitra 1, 1879 according to the Saka Samvat.