Hindu calendar Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
There are many variations of Hindu calendars (also called Indian calendars). Some regions use a solar calendar based on what are the signs of the Zodiac in English. Other regions use a luni-solar calendar with months based on the lunar cycle and years of either 12 or 13 months. The Gregorian calendar is also widely used in India for civil purposes.Many Hindus use both a lunar and a solar calendar simultaneously, as part of a panchangam. The word means "five limbs". The five parts of a panchangam depend on: 1. the lunar day, 2. the lunar month, 3. the half-day, 4. the angle of the sun and moon, and 5. the solar day.
Some lunar calendars start each month with a new moon, while others start each month with a full moon, and Hindu calendars don't all agree on when a year starts, either. All years are elapsed, expired, or complete years, not the current years that most other calendars use. Thus the epochal year is considered to be year zero, because for any date within it, a complete year had not yet elapsed.
In an attempt to get everyone in India to use the same calendar, the government introduced an Indian National calendar in 1957. It is a solar calendar with either 365 or 366 days in a year, leap year rules identical to those in the Gregorian calendar, but with years starting near the vernal equinox (March 22 in regular years, March 21 in leap years) and traditional Indian names for the months. Years are counted from 78 CE, year zero of the Saka era.
The months of the solar calendar are shown in the following table.
| (Rashi) Saur Maas (solar months) | Ruthu (season) | Gregorian months | Zodiac |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maysha | Vasanta (spring) | April/May | Aries |
| Vrushabha | May/June | Taurus | |
| Mithuna | Grishma (summer) | June/July | Gemini |
| Karka | July/Aug. | Cancer | |
| Simha | Varsha (monsoon) | Aug./Sept. | Leo |
| Kanya | Sept./Oct. | Virgo | |
| Tula | Sara (autumn) | Oct./Nov. | Libra |
| Vrushchika | Nov./Dec. | Scorpio | |
| Dhanu | Hemantha (winter) | Dec./Jan. | Sagittarius |
| Makar | Jan./Feb. | Capricorn | |
| Kumbha | Sisir (dewy) | Feb./Mar. | Aquarius |
| Meena | Mar./Apr. | Pisces |
The year is also divided into 6 seasons of two months each.
The ecliptic, the apparent path of the sun through the sky, is dividied into 12 rashi, which are the same as the signs of the zodiac in English. The solar months are based on the rashi.
The ecliptic is also divided into 27 lunar mansions, the nakshatra, which means stars in English. However, paradoxically, the nakshatras sometimes also refer to zodical constellations. There are approximately 3 nakshatras in each rashi. Each nakshatra has four divisions knowns as paadams. Some nakshatras spill over two rashis based on which paadam they come under.
The following are the 27 nakshatras
- Ashwini
- Bharani
- Krittika/ Karthigai
- Rohini
- Mrigashirsha
- Ardra
- Punarvasu
- Pushya
- Ashlesha
- Magha
- Purva Phalguni
- Uttara Phalguni
- Hasta
- Chitra
- Swati
- Vishakha
- Anuradha
- Jyeshta
- Moola
- Purvashadha
- Uttarashadha
- Shravana
- Dhanistha/ Avittam
- Shatabhishak/ Chadayam
- Purva Bhadrapada/ Poorattaadhi
- Uttara Bhadrapada/ Uttrattadhi
- Revati
| The Lunar months (Maas) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chaitra |
| 2 | Vaisakha |
| 3 | Jyeshta |
| 4 | Aashaadha |
| 5 | Shraavana |
| 6 | Bhadrapadha |
| 7 | Aswayuja |
| 8 | Kaartika |
| 9 | Margasira |
| 10 | Pushya |
| 11 | Maagha |
| 12 | Phalguna |
| -- | (Purushottam) |
Months are divided into two halves called paksha.
- the shukla paksha - the light half, beginning with the new moon
- the krshna paksha - the dark half, beginning with the full moon
- amanta or mukhya mana system - a month begins with a new moon
- purnimanta or gauna mana system - a month begins with a full moon.
See also
This is an Article on Hindu calendar. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Hindu calendar External links