________________
404
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
Hindu Chronology. 3. The difficulties which beset the verifying of Hindu dates are of two kinds : one, caused by the strictly astronomical basis of the calendar, will be as far as possible removed by the present tables. The other is due to the intricacy of the calendar system, which is further enhanced by the variety of usages adopted in different parts of India as regards some of the elements. It may therefore be convenient to preface these tables by a short description of the principles of Hindu chronology.
The Solar and Lunar Calendars. 6. The solar year is the same all over India. It commences with the instant of the sun's entrance (Sankranti) into the Hindu sign of Mesha-Aries, which is, at the same time, the beginning of the solar month Vaisakha. The beginnings of the other solar months are similarly determined by the entrance of the sun into the different zodiacal signs (see Table III). The moment of the entrance (Sankranti) however is not the same if calculated according to different authorities, but this calculation is reduced to a very easy process by the tables. The solar years are recorded in the era of the Kaliyuga. the years of which are converted into those of the Christian era by subtracting 3101 from the number of complete years elapsed since the beginning of the Kaliyuga; and, vice versd, the corresponding complete, or expired, year of the Kaliyugs is found by adding 3101 to the Christian year.!
7. The items of the solar calendar most frequently recorded in documents are the Samkrantis, which, as stated above, are identical with the true commencements of the several solar months; and of which the Makara-Samkranti is also called Uttaravana-Samkranti, because with it the sun enters upon his northern course, and the Karkata-8 amkranti is called the Dakshiņayana-Samkranti, because with it the sun enters upon his southern course. Otherwise the solar calendar is seldom used by itself ; a knowledge of it bowever cannot be dispensed with, as the solar year is the scale by which the lunar calendar is regulated.
8. A lunar month corresponds to one lupation. It is reckoned either from new. moon to new-moon, or from full-moon to full-moon. The first scheme is called the amánta, darsánta, or southern scheme; the latter the purnimánta or northern scheme.
9. Each month consists of two pakshas, usually translated by 'fortnight'. The bright fortnight (Sukla, buddha or sita paksha, or tudi, sudi, futi) is the period of the waxing moon; the dark fortnight (krishna, bahula or asita paksha, or badi, vadi, vati) that of the waning moon. As indicated above, the bright fortnight in the amanta or southern scheme is the first paksha of the month; in the purnimanta or northern scheme, it is the last. But in either case it denotes the same space of time. It is different with the dark fortnight; for the dark fortnight of an amanta month corresponds to that of the following month in the purnimánta scheme, e.g. the dark fort
It should however be kept in mind that the Christian year does not quite correspond to the year of the Kaliyuga. For, roughly speaking, the three first months of the corresponding Christian year belong to the preceding year Kaliyuga; and the same months of the following Christian year form the end of the given year of the Kaliyuga.
Compare however $ 89, on the tropical Sankrantis.
Though tte pirnimanta or northern scheme ie decidedly the older of the two, yet for practical reasons the lunar tables are primarily intended for the amanta scheme.
