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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
14. In connexion with civil reckoning it may be remarked here that the Hindus have adopted the planetary week current in Europe since about the 2nd century A.D. The Indian week-days are named in the same order as ours, Ravivára, Somavára, Mangala or Bhaumavdra, Budhavára, Guruvára, Sukratára, Sanivdra, being our Sunday, Monday, &o. In documents, the week-day is frequently noted together with the lunar date, which enables us to verify the latter. The mean civil day is divided into 60 ghatikás, of 60 palas each. The ghatiká is therefore = 24 minutes, and the pala = 24 seconds.
16. Astronomers begin the lunar year with the new-moon in Chaitra ; and this reckoning also prevails in Northern India. It will be remarked that the beginning of the lunar year thus falls in the middle of the lunar month of Ohaitra according to the púrpimánta scheme, the first or dark fortnight of Chaitra belonging to the preceding year. In the amanta scheme, however, the beginning of the lunar year coincides with that of the month. In Southern India the lunar year usually begins seven months later, i.e. with new-moon in solar Karttika. The part of the year from Karttika to Phålguna is the same in the north and south of India; but the months Chaitra to Åsvina of the southern year stand one year in advance of the northern account.
16. The most common eras in which the lunar years are reckoned are the Saka" and Vikrama eras. By adding 3044 to the Vikrama year and 3179 to the Saka year, the concurrent year of the Kaliyuga is found. The northern lunar year coincides with the concurrent solar year (K.Y.), except in the first part (of varying length) of the lunar month Chaitra, which always falls in the preceding solar year; but of the southern lunar year only the first part, viz. Kårttika to Phalguna, coincides with the concurrent solar year, the lunar months Chaitra to Åsvina falling in the following year.
17. Usually the year given in a date means the expired year, e.g. Saka 785 means in full phrase "after 735 years of the Saka era had elapsed," and the year denoted is actually the 736th year current. In conformity with this, the tables always give expired years. The Hindus however occasionally use the current year, the number of which is, of course, in advance by one of the expired years.
18. In interpreting a date, we must keep in mind all possible cases. The year may be either the expired or the current year; it may be either the northern or the southern lunar year; and the date may be recorded either in the northern (púrnimanta) scheme, or in the southern (amanta) scheme. Therefore, if the first calculation of a date yield an unsatisfactory result, we must try the other possible cases before deciding upon it.18
10 The sideroal day which is shorter than the civil day by about 10 vinddis or palas (correctly 3 minutes 58.565 seconds) is divided into 60 nadie, each of 60 vinddle, anch of 6 arus. The difference between civil and sidereal time may be neglected, whenever the time is anfficiently small, any less than 3 ghatikde. This will always be the case in this paper. Correctly speaking, the Hindes employ trae civil time, so that the ghafieds are not of invariable length. This difference, however, may safely bo neglected in the operations with which we are concerned.
" It may perhaps be worth while to note that in Saka 0, the mean solar year began with full-moon.
1 I subjoin in a tabular form the various ways in which, as Professor Kielhorn has shown (Ind. Ant. vol. XIX, page 22), a date may be interpreted I. Dutes in the five months from Karttika to Phal. II. Dates in the seven months from Chaitra to Alvin
(a) dates in bright fortnights; three possible cases: (a) dates in bright fortnigbta; two possible cases:
(1) northern year current, (1) espired sear,
(2) northern year expired = southern year (2) current year;
current, (6) dates in dark fortnighta; four possible cases :
(8) southera year expired; expired year and current year according to both (b) daten in dark fortnights; six possible cases: the the purnimanta and amanta schemes.
same three years according to both the purni manta and amanta schetnes.
