Hindu Calendar and Panchanga

Hindu Calendar, Panchangam

Time Measurement by Bharathiya People

Any Calendar is to measure time, to track seasons and to conduct festivals and celebrate important dates in a day to day life like birthday, marriage day etc.

Indian Calendar is based on lunar & solar movement. This calendar is used in Indian subcontinent, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos and in many other places around the world

Year or Samvat

Every calendar got a reference year to measure time, Present year is 2020 according to Christian or Pope Gregory of Catholic Church Calendar. This 2020 refers that these many years have passed after Jesus Christ. In Islamic Calendar the first year started with Prophet Mohammad (622 AD) and present year is 1442 for them. Similarly we got 3 reference points to measure number of years passed from a great event for us.

1. Saka Samvat

• This reference is from the date of Shalivana or Saka Kingdom started ruling Bharath. This started from the year 78 AD of Christian Calender reference. The Present Year is 1942.

2. Vikram Samvat

• This year is with reference to Ujjain King Vikramaditya ruling of Bharath. This is 57 BC. So present Year is 2077.

3. Kaliyugabda.

• This year is reference to Lord SriKrishna going to Vaikuntam leaving earth and starting of Kaliyuga. This year today is 5122.

Zodiac signs, stars, universe

If we look at the infinite universe from the earth, we see the planets and stars. We can draw the universe as a 360 degree circle around us by making our earth as center. If we make 12 slices of this circle, we get 12 signs, one zodiac is 30 degrees and 27 Nakshatra as 13.33 degrees pie.

The first 30 degrees are Aries, 60 is called Taurus, 150 is a Lion and 270 degrees are named Sagittarius.Similarly the first 13.33 degrees as Ashwini, 26.66, Bharani at 133.3, Makha at 266.6, Poorva-Ashada.

Look at these signs and stars in the picture below. Observe their degrees carefully. The earth is in the centre of the nucleus, and we are on it. Our calendar is built on this.

Year Name

We have 60 year names in the Hindu calendar. The current year is the year of Shri Sarwari. Jupiter takes 12 years to complete a circle around the Earth, and Saturn takes 30 years. If these two planets start traveling at zero degrees, then they meet again at the same point after 60 (LCM of 30 & 12) years. Each year is named after one name.

Month

Hindu month consists of 2 fortnights called Pakshas based on Moon movement.  Moon takes 29.5 days to complete one month. Same period Sun moves 30 degrees on ecliptic or one Rashi ( 360/12 = 30). One Paksha is a bright waxing moon, where moon size grows and become full moon, this is called Shukla Paksha. Other Paksha is waning moon towards darkness and is called as Krishna Paksha. The month is named after the star in which the moon is on the full moon day. This month is the month of Karthika i.e. Kritika Star.

Sl.No.	Lunar Month	Solar Month	Greogorian Month
1	Chaitra	Mina	March
2	Vaisakha	Mesha	April
3	Jyesta	Vrishba	May
4	Ashada	Mithuna	June
5	Shravana	Karka	July
6	Bhadra	Singha	August
7	Ashwina	Kanya	September
8	Karthika	Tula	October
9	Margashira/Agrahayana	Vrishchika	November
10	Pushya	Dhanus	December
11	Magha	Makara	January
12	Phalguna	Kumbha	February

Correction of Lunar & Solar Months and Adhika Masa

Sun takes 365 days to complete one year or one circle where as moon takes (29.5 * 12 months) 354 days to complete one year. So there is a difference of 11 days in year between Sun and Moon. To correct this difference between lunar and solar movements, after every 32.5 months one extra month or Adhikamasa is inserted into calendar to synchronise the 2 planets so that seasons are aligned with month names. Ex: Winter always comes on Karthika Masa. This Adhikamasa gets its name from the regular month in which it falls.This year 2020 we got Adhika Ashwina Masa.

Day or Panchanga

The measurement of day is based on lunar movement mainly but with respect sun that’s why the calendar is called as luni-solar calendar.

Day is divided into 5 Angas or 5 Parts. Pancha-Angas or Panchanga

1. Tithi

• We got 30 Tithis, divided as 15 for Krishna Paksha and 15 for Shukla Paksha. Tithi on technical terms is the angular difference of 12 degrees between Sun and Moon. Zero degrees Amavasya, 12 degrees Padyami, 60 degrees Panchami, 90 Ashtami, 180 degrees Poornima, 270 Krishna Paksha Ashtami, 360 or again zero amavasya.

2. Vasara or Vara

• Vasara or vara refers to weekdays. There are 9 planets or Navagrahas. In that 9 rahu and kethu or Chaya Grahas or shadow planets so they didn’t get a day and there by ending with 7 days for a week. We got week names on Sun, Moon, Mangala, Buddha, Guru, Sukhra, Shani planets.

3. Nakshatra
• Moon takes 27.33 days to complete one revolution around earth, these 27 days are divided as 27 nakshatras. Moon spends exactly one day in one nakshatra. Scientifically, a star is exactly 13.33 degrees. 360/27=13.33 if the 360 degree circle is completed in 27 days. Stars are divided into Padas to link the stars and the zodiac signs. Total 108 Padas (LCM 12,27 = 108). A star Pada = 3.33 degrees, one sign = 9 Star Padas or 2.25 Stars.
4. Yoga
• Yogas are divided into 27 parts and we got 27 yogas. Yoga calculated by adding the longitude of the Moon to the longitude of the Sun and divide it by 13 degrees 20 minutes to get the Nithya Yoga or Present Day Yoga.
5. Karana
• This is exactly half of the Tithi, means angular distance 6 degrees between Sun & Moon. Since we got 30 Tithis so we get a total of 60 Karanas. These 60 are achieved with 4 fixed Karanas and 7 rotating Karanas 8 times giving us 7*8 = 56 + 4 = 60 Karanas. 
• Fixed Karanas falls on Amavasya and one before and other after covering 4 parts.




There are more technical things to talk on Panchanga but closing here with these basics. The calendar is built purely based on astronomical events in the ecliptic around us and totally a scientific one and based on the planetary speed and positions. Astrology is another subject built on top of the Astronomy and Hindu calendar.




The End

Time is Relative. It depends on the rotation of planet. Our time is based on earth rotation speed