Astronomy Behind

Indian Calendar
(Panchang, पञ्चाङ्ग)
Alok Mandavgane, alokm.com
Developer, Astronomy Outreach
Aryabhat Foundation aryabhat.org
Calendars
● Gregorian : Solar

● Islamic Calendar: Lunar

● Hindu Calendar : Luni-Solar

Tamil and Bengali Calendars

Indian National Calendar (Saka Samvat) : Solar

Units of Time and Astronomical Significance
● 1 Day = 1 Rotation of Earth (wrt stars or sun?)

● 1 Month = 1 Cycle of Moon (wrt stars or phase?)

● 1 Year = 1 Revolution of Earth around sun (wrt stars or seasons?)

○ with respect to stars = Sidereal

○ with respect to seasons = Tropical

○ with respect to phase = Synodic

Panchang पञ्चाङ्ग
Panch + Ang = having five limbs

● Tithi
● Nakshatra
● Yoga
● Karana
● Vaar
Rashtriya Panchang, Positional Astronomy Center
Saturday, 24 Pausha, (ni) 1 Magha, 14 January, 21 Jumadu’s Sani

Kali Ahargana: 1871493 Julian Day: 2459958.5

Sunrise: h. 6-44 Sunset: h. 17-34 Moonset: h. 11-14 Moonrise: h. 23-54

Tithi: (Pausha Krishna) Saptami h. 19-23 Nakshatra: Hasta h. 18-14 Yoga: Atiganda h. 12-33 Karana: Vishti h. 6-55 then

Bava h. 19-23 Moon: in Kanya Age of Moon: 21.6 Declination of Sun: S 21° 23' Sidereal Time (noon): h. 19-42-45s

Equation of time: -8m 51s

Lagna Makara Begins: Chennai h. 6-41 Delhi h. 7-22 Kolkata h. 6-25 Mumbai h. 7-21

Midday Central Station h.12-08-51s Chennai: h.12-17-52s Delhi: h.12-29-59s Kolkata: h.11-45-20s Mumbai: h.12-47-31s

Sun enters Nirayana Makara Rasi h. 20-46

Hindu Day
● Hindu Day starts at Sunrise and ends at next sunrise

● Sunrise is considered with center of the sun

● Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga, Karan can end at any time

● Value at time of sunrise is for the day

Panchang for every place is
different
Ujjain as the standard Meridian
Different Coordinate Systems
● Local Coordinate System: Altitude, Azimuth

● Equatorial Coordinate System: RA, Dec

● Galactic Coordinate System

● for Panchang Ecliptic Coordinate System is used

Ecliptic, Rashi Chakra
Division into Rashis (Zodiacs)
12 rashis because 12 lunations in a year

360 degrees / 12 = 30 degrees each

Sankranti
Sayan and Nirayan
Tropical and Sidereal
Precession of Equinox
Sankranti Comparison

Sayan Nirayan
Ayanamsha
Different reference points

Lahiri/ Chitrapaksha most used

ली लू ले लो ….??!!
Pada, Charan
108 Padas or Charan

1 Nakshatra=4 Padas
Ascendant, Lagna Rashi
Intersection of Ecliptic and Eastern horizon
Kundali is the Star Chart
1 - Tithi
tithi = (moon ~ sun)/15

Tithi changes after every 12 degrees

Farther away moon is from the sun,

bigger its phase

Aadha hai chandrama Raat Aadhi
The photographer
kept 16 cameras and
waited for 62 days to
get this click !!!!!1!
Paksha
Shukla Paksha

Waxing Phase

Krishna Paksha

Waning Phase
2 - Nakshatra
One Sidereal Month = 27 Days

Also called Lunar Mansion or Lunar Station

Group of stars (Asterisms) near the Ecliptic

3 - Yoga
Yoga means Sum 1. Viṣkambha
2. Prīti
3. Āyuśmān
4. Saubhāgya
5. Śobhana
6. Atigaṇḍa
7. Sukarma
yoga = (sun longitude + moon longitude ) / 27 8. Dhrti
9. Śūla
10. Gaṇḍa
11. Vṛddhi
12. Dhruva
For tithi and phase the difference in longitudes is taken, 13. Vyāghatā
14. Harṣaṇa
but in yoga, they are added. There is no 15. Vajra
physical/Astronomical correspondence of yoga 16. Siddhi
17. Vyatipāta
18. Variyas
19. Parigha
20. Śiva
21. Siddha
22. Sādhya
23. Śubha
24. Śukla
25. Brahma
26. Māhendra
27. Vaidhṛti
4 - Karana
Karana is half tithi The 4 "fixed" karaṇas are:

30 tithi gives 30x2 = 60 karana 1. Śakuni (शकु न)

2. Catuṣpāda (चतुष्पाद)
Karana = 3. Nāga (नाग)
(sun longitude ~ moon longitude) / 60 4. Kiṃstughna ( कं स्तुघ्न)

The 7 "repeating" karaṇas are

1. Vava or Bava (बव)
2. Valava or Bālava (बालव)
3. Kaulava (कौलव)
4. Taitila or Taitula (तै तल)
5. Gara or Garaja (गरज)
6. Vaṇija (व णज)
7. Viṣṭi (Bhadra) (भद्रा)
Grah - anything that moves wrt stars
Rahu and Ketu
5 - Vaar: Day of the Week
● 7 Days of the week named after the 7 visible “grahas”
● Sun and Moon are considered as Graha
○ Somvaar = Moon
○ Mangalvaar= Mars
○ Budhvaar = Mercury
○ Guruvaar = Jupiter
○ Shukravaar = Venus
○ Shanivaar = Saturn
○ Ravivaar = Sun
● Include Rahu and Ketu, you get the nav grahas
Types of Months
Purnimant -

Month ends with Purnima, Full Moon

Amavasyant -

Month ends with Amavasya, New Moon

Vedic Months
मधुश्च माधवश्च वासि तकावृतू |
शुक्रश्च शु चश्च ग्रैष्मावृतू |
नभश्च नभस्यश्च वा षर्जकावृतू |
● Solar Calendar
● New year one month before the Vernal Equinox
● With the onset Vasant (Spring), Madhu month
marks the beginning of year

इषश्चोजर्जश्च शारदावृतू |

सहश्च सहस्यश्च है मि तकावृतू |

तपश्च तपस्यश्च शै शरावृतू ||

(यजुवर्वेद तैत रय सं हता ४.४.११)

Ayan and Ritu
Indian National Calendar
Solar Months..

Saur Chaitra = Madhav

Saur Vaishakh = Shukra

The Hindu New Year
Gudi Padwa or Ugadi

Linked to Vernal Equinox

First New Moon

one month before the Vernal Equinox

Calculating New Year
Nirayana Solar New Year ( Mesh Sankranti )

~ same as Tamil and Bengali New Year

One month before that is the month of Nirayana Madhu

Calculate the first moon after that

Once in a blue moon!
Adhik Maas and Kshaya Maas
12 lunar months less than 365 days

Like Leap year in Gregorian, Additional Months added

Adhik - Start of two lunations in one sun zodiac

Kshay - Two sankrantis in one lunation

It is this correction which makes panchang
Luni-Solar
Keeps the festivals in sync with the Seasons
Sayan vs Nirayan
Panchang!!
● Only Sun and Moon involved

● No other planet involved (till now!)

● Only two coordinates, sun and moon’s ecliptic longitude are sufficient
Jupiter Saturn Cycle
● Cycling through a list of 60 names
● Every twenty years Saturn and Jupiter will have a conjunction,
● Every 60 years that conjunction will return to the same sign
 Thank You

Alok Mandavgane
alokm.com
alokmandavgane@gmail.com