|
Since
many people from the current generation find it difficult to
comprehend the “Punchang” (which is essentially nothing but the
Hindi Calender), a need
is felt for a Calender in a format which is understandable to the
current generation, and at the same time provides information
without compromising on the traditional values
A
Panchang is the Indian version of the almanac.
An almanac, as you all know is a calendar which also details
the positions of the sun, moon, tides, planets etc.
The
Indians largely follow two patterns in the calendar system.
One is the solar calendar, based on the Sun and another, the
Lunar Calendar, which is based on the moon.
The
lunar calender is the one whose new month starts on the New moon
day, and whose new year starts on the day after Diwali day
The
solar calender is the one whose new month starts on the day after
the full moon day and whose new year starts on Gudi Padva day in
April.
Rajasthani’s normally follow the second pattern
The
normal month in the Rajasthani system is of an average of 29 days.
Usually spit up into 14 days of the waning moon, one day of
the full moon and another 14 days of the rising moon. Each day in
the Hindu calender is called a “Tithi”.
Since
all the thihi’s are not always of 24 hours each, and also
sometimes some tithi’s are skipped, and sometimes repeated, the
Hindu year eventually covers a period much less than an English
year.
Just
as the English year is actually 365 & ¼ days, of which the ¼
day is carried forward every year for three years and becomes
an additional day in the leap year, similarly, in the Hindu calender,
such extra hours out of each tithi’s, and the extra days of the
tithi’s skipped, add
up to an additional
month every four years. Such an additional month is called
“Adhik Maas”. (Adhik means extra and Maas means month)
But,
unlike the English calendar, the dates in the Hindu months do not
run serially from 1 to 29. In
the solar calendar followed by the Rajasthani’s, the first day of
the waning moon is given the date one.
Thereafter the dates continue upto 14 during the entire
duration of the moon from full moon stage upto the no-moon day.
The no-moon day is dated 15 in the calendar and is called the
Amavasya. Thereafter
for the rising period of the moon, the dates again start from One
and goes on upto 14. After this, comes the full moon day which is
called. Purnima. This day
on the calendar is dated 30.
The
next day i.e.the first day after the full moon is called “Ekam”
or date one and the cycle continues.
Calling
them “vadi” and “Sudi”
respectively differentiates the two periods of the waning and the
rising moon. Hence, the
date One after the full moon, indicating the beginning of the month,
is called Ekam Vadi, and so on upto
Choudas Vadi. Then comes the no-moon (Amavasya) and then Ekam Sudi upto
Choudas Sudi, followed by Purnima, indicating the end of the month.
|
