In 1957, the Saka calendar was officially designated as India's national, civil calendar. Grounded in the Saka era, commencing from 78 C.E., this choice was made due to its historical significance and cultural resonance with India. The Saka calendar had already been in use in certain regions of the country, particularly in historical inscriptions and manuscripts. Nevertheless, the adoption of the Saka calendar was not without its challenges. Intense debates and discussions transpired among scholars, politicians, and religious leaders regarding the selection of a calendar system. While some advocated for embracing the Vikram Samvat, another traditional Indian calendar, others lent their support to the Saka calendar.

The earliest forms of calendar art in India can be found in the religious scrolls and manuscripts that depicted mythological stories and religious events. These intricate paintings often adorned temples and palaces, serving both aesthetic and educational purposes. With the advent of print technology in the nineteenth century, the art form underwent a significant transformation.

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw the emergence of calendar art as a mass-produced visual medium. European printing techniques were amalgamated with Indian artistic sensibilities, resulting in a unique style that catered to the tastes of a diverse and largely unlettered population. The calendar art industry flourished, producing images that ranged from depictions of deities to scenes from Indian epics and everyday life.

Moreover, calendar art also constructed sacred symbols for popular devotion, such as the cow. Baisali Mohanty writes, ‘Aside from characters from Mahabharata and Ramayana, calendar art portrayed the cow as an immensely potent and sacred sign of Hinduism. The figure did not just function as a visual substitution but constituted a “gigantic simulacra” where the image of the cow had greater exchange value for its elevated representation than a prototype of God or nation would have. It was again calendar art that propelled the cow as a national symbol and informed the formal organisation as well the ideological basis of the cow protection movement in the late 19th century. B. C. Sharma was one of the first artists to produce a calendar image of the cow. His Milching a Cow, made in the 1880s, visually appropriated the ideology of the cow protection movement. It showed all the Hindu gods encompassed in a cow, while a woman milked the animal in the presence of small figures that can be identified as Hindus from their attire.’

Since the 1990s, scholars in the academy have increasingly turned their attention to the aesthetic, political and economic aspects of popular art, including calendar art. Kajri Jain wrote a book titled Gods in the Bazaar: The Economies of Indian Calendar Art, which examines the power that calendar art holds in Indian mass culture. Jain argues that the meanings of calendar art derive as much from the social and economic contexts of its production and circulation as from its aesthetic content. Jain draws on interviews with artists, printers, publishers, and consumers, as well as analyses of the prints themselves, to trace the economies of art, commerce, religion, and desire within which calendar images and ideas about them are formulated.

In contemporary times, calendar art in India continues to evolve, embracing a fusion of traditional and modern influences. Many Indian modernists, who worked on several commercial assignments throughout their lives, designed calendars and popular posters. Muni Singh (1936—1996), who sought to integrate miniature techniques in his art, designed several such calendars throughout his life. Although we know names of a few calendar and popular artists, such as Sobha Singh who made When the Goal was in Sight, most of these artists are unidentified, with some works possibly having been made by multiple artists. Artist signatures on calendar art is rare.

Examples of iconic calendar art images include those of Hindu deities like Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Ganesha, depicted in vibrant colours and intricate details. Scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, showcasing the heroic exploits of Rama and Krishna, are also common. Additionally, images depicting rural life, festivals, and scenes from Indian mythology remain prevalent, reflecting the enduring appeal and adaptability of calendar art in India.