Skip to main content
lab.golamrabbani.org

Buddhist Calendar Converter

Convert between Gregorian and Buddhist Era dates (Thai/Lao/Cambodian convention).

Written by Golam Rabbani, Founder & Lead Engineer

Uses the Thai / Lao / Cambodian convention: BE = CE + 543. Months and days match the Gregorian calendar; only the year number differs. The Burmese and Sri Lankan eras start a year earlier and are not used here. No timezone shift is applied.

Direction

How to use this buddhist calendar converter

  1. Pick the direction: Gregorian → Buddhist, or Buddhist → Gregorian.
  2. Enter the Gregorian date, or enter the BE year, month, and day.
  3. Press "Convert".
  4. Read the converted date with the month name and numeric breakdown.
  5. Use Copy to share or Reset to start over.

About this buddhist calendar converter

The Buddhist calendar in everyday civil use across Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia is a solar calendar identical to the Gregorian one except for the year number: it counts forward from the Buddha’s passing (parinibbana) in 543 BCE, so <strong>BE = CE + 543</strong>. Months and days stay the same; only the year shifts. This is the convention this tool uses, and it is the convention you will see on Thai government forms, Lao newspapers, and Cambodian official documents.

Burma and Sri Lanka use a slightly different reckoning that places the Buddha’s passing one year later (BE = CE + 544 in some usages); that variant is not used here, and the UI states the convention explicitly so the result is unambiguous. Because the months and days match Gregorian exactly, conversion is a single addition — but the tool still validates the input date so you cannot ask for 30 February.

Worked example: convert 2026-05-28 (Gregorian) to BE. The tool reports 28 May 2569 BE. Convert 1 January 2570 BE back and it gives 1 January 2027 CE. Because the day-of-month is preserved, you can use any Gregorian date you can read and get a valid BE date.

Useful for international documents, hotel bookings in Southeast Asia, history dating, and reading dates printed on currency or monuments.

FAQ

Why is BE = CE + 543 and not + 544?
The Thai/Lao/Cambodian convention places the Buddha’s parinibbana in 543 BCE. The Burmese and Sri Lankan calendars use a different reference, giving + 544 in some cases. The UI states which convention this tool uses.
Are the months really the same as Gregorian?
Yes, for civil/official use in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. There is a separate <em>traditional</em> lunisolar Thai Buddhist calendar used for religious dates; this tool does not implement that.
What year is "now" in BE?
On 28 May 2026 CE, it is 28 May 2569 BE. Add 543 to any Gregorian year to convert.
Can I enter BE dates before BE 544?
No. The tool accepts BE years 544–10542, which corresponds to CE 1–9999. BCE dates are not supported.