|

The
Hindus follow the Panchang which is a spiritual and scientific
calendar .It provides a listing of festivals, weather predictions,
events, epidemics and personal fortune. Panch means five and ang is
saspect. This takes into account five aspects namely:
·
Din or the solar day ·
· Tithi or the lunar day ·
· Nakshatra or the constellation ·
· Yoga ·
· Karan ·
In
the Hindu method of calculations, although the 365 ¼ days of
the revolutions of the earth round the sun are recognised, the
calculations are done according to the revolution of the moon round
the earth, which falls short by approximately 7 days during one
year, when compared to calculations done according to the solar
calendar.
The panchang,
based on the lunar calendar, which also has 12 months in a
year comes level with the "Ayanas" or sun
calculation by adding a month ( known as Loonth or Purshottam
Maas) after every three years.
The
time between two consecutive risings of the sun is the day, the Solar
day or Din.( according to the Gregorian calendar the day begins
at 12.00 P.M.) , according to the Indian calendar the time between
two consecutive risings of the moon is taken as LunarDay or Tithi.
The panchang measures time in lunar months whose names reveal the
secret path of stars and constellations. The face of the new moon is
called Amavasya and it ushers in the new month. The first fortnight
of the full moon is known as Shuklapaksha "the bright
half" as the moon waxes; while the dark half fortnight of the
month is called Krishnapaksha during which the moon wanes.
Poornima
marks the end of
Shuklapaksha.
The
movement of the constellation that is seen rising on the eastern
horizon in the evening is called Chandranakshatra , the lunar
constellation; this changes approximately everyday. There are 27
constellations and 30 days, so the change occurs at a
difference of a little more than a day. The constellation that is
seen rising on the eastern horizon in the morning is called
Saurnakshatra or the solar constellation. The sun remains in each
constellation for nearly 14 days.
Months
in the lunar year :
The
Hindu calendar usually has 12 months each given the name of the
solar month in which it begins.
However
there may even be 13 months as each month begins with the new moon.
When
two moons occur in the same solar month, the two lunar months will
both be known by the same name, but will have adhika placed before
the name of the first month.
Occasionally
a solar month may occur with no moon., when this happens, the solar
month is known as a ksaya month.
The
twelve months of the lunar year correspond to the following calendar
months :-
Days
in the Lunar year :
The
Panchang lists four weeks of seven days, identified with planets and
gods.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ganapati,
Gauri (Parvati)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For
Hindus, Panchang is much more than the meaning of time; it is the
essence of religion and living, which predicts the spiritual path of
people on a journey towards God.
|