Hindu Calendar (Panchanga)
Everything about this culture is unique and one of which is the Hindu calendar which is considered to be one of the most scientific calendars. What makes it so special, scientific, and how is stand different among all.
When does our year start?
It varies from one region to the other based on their cultural and harvest seasons but, In most regions, the year starts on the New Moon before the Sun enters the zodiac sign of Aries (Meṣa). This happens on or around the day of the March equinox, which marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This is when the harvest of the grains occurs.
Seasons in the Calendar:
Differing from the lunar calendars, ours divide the whole year into Six Ritus(Seasons) each of two months. The six Ritus are: Vasant Ritu or Spring, Grishma Ritu or Summer, Varsha Ritu or Monsoon, Sharad Ritu or Autumn, Hemant Ritu or Pre-winter and Shishir / Shita Ritu or Winter. Then, comes the months which are named as follows:
Chaitra (30 / 31* Days)
Vaisakha (31 Days)
Jyaistha (31 Days)
Asadha (31 Days)
Shravana (31 Days)
Bhadra (31 Days)
Ankita (30 Days)
Kartika (30 Days)
Agrahayana (30 Days)
Pausa (30 Days)
Magha (30 Days)
Phalguna (30 Days)
* Leap years
The seasons, the beginning, all is different, but, where does this all root out from?
Difference between Western and our calendar:
With the man beginning to live rather than survive, there was an increase in the farming which needed us to know the balance between the sun and the moon and to know the cyclic pattern in the seasonal changes. Of all, the "Indus Valley civilization" was the most developed and they had professional astronomers, called "Nakshatra Darshaks" or "Star Gazers", who meticulously observed and recorded the phases of the moon in reference to fixed constellations of stars. This method of calculation and its precision sharply distinguishes Indian astronomy from the astronomy of all other countries.
The Western Calendar is based on the sun and the time the Earth takes to revolve around the sun is the time span of its one year.
Well, the Gregorian calendar is really interesting. It is based on both the sun and the moon. It uses the solar year by dividing it into 12 lunar months. A lunar month is a time required for the moon to orbit once around the earth and pass through its complete cycle of phases. Then how's this related to the sun? The months are formulated in accordance with the entrance of the sun into the 12 zodiac signs. Which are based on the 12 constellations making the path of the sun.
Each month is further divided into two parts or "Pakshas".
The Shukla Paksha or the waxing moon, where the moon waxes from a new moon to a full moon.
The Krishna Paksha or The waning moon, where the moon wanes from the full moon to the no moon. So, each Paksha consists of (30/2) 15 days, which are called "Tithis". The first day of Shukla Paksha starts with Amavasya ('no moon') and reaches Purnima (full moon) on the 15th Tithi, thereafter starts the first day of Krishna Paksha, which ends in the new moon on 15th Tithi of Krishna Paksha.
Then what about 7 days in a week?
The Hindu calendar or the Vedas have no mention about the 7 days of the week, this has been adopted by the Greek system. Hindus have two measures of the day, based on the sun's and the moon's movements respectively. The rise of the sun is considered to be the beginning of the day and the setting sun the beginning of the night.
Let's put light on 2 most famous Hindu festivals and the Tithis they fall upon
Holi: celebrated on the Phalguna month's Purnima and
Diwali: celebrated on the Amavasya of the Kartika month.
Hinduism is so rich, diverse and scientific in any and every aspect you put light upon which makes one celebrate being a part of it!
By - Adwiti Bishwanath
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