The Thai solar calendar, Suriyakhati was adopted by King Chulalongkorn  (Rama V) in AD 1888 as the Siamese version of the Gregorian calendar. It is the legal calendar in Thailand, though Thai lunar calendar dates continue in use. Years are now counted in the Buddhist Era (BE: , pútthasàkkàrât) which began 543 years before the Christian Era (, krítsàkkàrât). As a convenience, calendars typically include the year AD in both Arabic and Thai numerals.