Indians have been following very scientific method of time calculation since the time immemorial. With the passage of time different calendars emerged in different regions, they are more scientific than the modern calendar developed in the West
Prof Ramesh C Bharadwaj
In Bharat, nearly 30 different eras are used, which can be classified as follows:
1. Eras of purely Bharatiya origin, e.g. Shaka, Vikrama, Saptarshi etc. These Bharatiya calendars or Panchangs are used not only for fixing up the dates and moments of religious observances, but also for the purpose of dating of documents and for certain civil purposes. There is great divergence in practice in different parts of the country in this respect.
2. Eras of foreign origin, e.g., the Christian era, the Hejira era, and the Tarikh Ilahi of Akbar.
Important eras of Bharat are as follows:
The Kaliyuga Era: The Kaliyuga era purports to date from 3102 B.C. It was first mentioned by Aryabhata, the great astronomer of ancient Bharat, who says that 3,600 years of the Kaliyuga have passed when he was 23 years old, which is Shaka years 421 (499 AD). The first mention of this era is found in an inscription in the year 634-35 AD, the inscription being that of king Pulakesin II of the Chalukya Dynasty of Badami, or somewhat earlier in a Jain treatise.
Saptarsi Era: The Saptarsi era commonly known as Lokakala or Laukika Kala is measured by centuries and has 27 such centuries in the total period of the cycle. Each century is named after a naksatra, viz., Asvint, Bharani, etc: and the number of years within the century is generally mentioned, so that the number of year of the era never exceeds 100. This era is in use in Kashmir and neighbouring places.
The Vikrama Era: The Vikrama era is widely prevalent in Bharat, excepting Bengal, and is used in inscriptions from the ninth century AD. In popular belief, the Vikrama era was started by King Vikramaditya of Ujjain who had repelled an attack on this famous city by Shaka or Scythian hordes about 57 BC and founded an era to commemorate his great victory.
It has been concluded by historians that the earliest name so far found of this era was Krita. Then between 405-542 AD, it came to be known as the era of Malava Tribe and was used by the Verma Kings of Mandasor, Rajputana, though they were feudatories of the Gupta emperors (319-550 AD). Its association with King Vikrama is first found in 737 AD, nearly 300 years after the supposed date of King Vikrama.
In conclusion, it may be said that it was adopted by the Malava Tribes who migrated from Punjab to Rajasthan around the first century BC. The association with a king Vikrama occurred 800 years later, and is probably due to lapse of historical memory, for the only historical King Vikramaditya who is known to have crushed the Shaka power in Ujjain, was King Candragupta II of the Gupta Dynasty (about 395 A.D.). All the Gupta emperors from Samudragupta, had an “Aditya” title, and many of them had the little “Vikramaditya” so that the Gupta age was par excellence the age of Vikramadityas. It may be mentioned that Indian astronomers used exclusively the Shaka era for their calendric calculations.
The Shaka Era: The Shaka era is the era par excellence which has been used by Bharatiya astronomers all over Bharat in their calculations since the time of the astronomer Varaha-Mihira (died 587 AD) and probably earlier. The Bharatiya almanac-makers, even now, use the Shaka era for calculation, and then convert the calculations to their own systems.
This era is extensively used over the whole of Bharat except in Tinnevelly and part of Malabar, and is more widely used than any other era. It is also called Shaka Kala, Shaka Bhupa Kala, Shakendra Kala, and Shalivahana Shaka and also Shaka Samvat. Its years are Chaitradi for luni-solar reckoning and Meshadi for solar reckoning. In luni-solar reckoning the months are Purnimanta in North and Amanta in Southern Bharat. The reckoning of Shaka era begins with the vernal equinox of 78 AD, and is measured by expired years, so the year between the vernal equinox of 78 AD to that of 79 AD is zero of Shaks era.
Buddha Nirvana Era: The Buddhists of Ceylon have been using since the first century BC, the Buddhist Nirvana era, having its era-beginning in 544 B.C. This era has not however been found in use on the Bharatiya soil, except for the solitary instance in an inscription of Alokachalla Dev found at Gaya. Most of the antiquarians however put the date of Nirvana in 483 BC.
The Gupta Era: This era was established by the founder of the Gupta Dynasty (Chandragupta I) to commemorate the accession to imperial power of his family, about 319 AD, and was in vogue over the whole of northern Bharat from Saurashtra to Bengal during the days of their hegemony (319 AD-550 AD). After the decay of their empire, the era was continued by their former vassals, the Maitrakas of Vallabhi and was in use in parts of Gujarat and Rajputana up to the thirteenth century. Its use in Bengal was discontinued from about 510 AD with the disappearance of Gupta rule first in South Bengal, then over whole Eastern Bharat.
Eras in Eastern Bharat-Bengal: The subsequent dynasties including the Pala emperors (750 AD – 1150 AD.) used regnal years in their inscriptions for four hundred years of their rule. The Shaka era in Bengal appear to have been introduced by the Sena Dynasty, which replaced the Palas; the Senas were migrants from the South (Karnata-Ksatriyas), where they were familiar with the Shaka era, but it was not used in royal records which continued to use regnal years. After Mohamedan conquest, Bengal was left without an era. For official purposes, Hejira was used, but the learned men used the Shaka era, and the common people in certain parts used a rough reckoning, called Parganati-Abda, reckoned from the time of disappearance of the Hindu rule.
Amli Era–Orissa: The year-beginning of the Amli Era used in Orissa, viz., the 12th lunar day of the light half of the month of Bhadra is said to represent the birth date of King Indradyumna, the mythical king who is said to have discovered the site of modern Puri.
Kollam Era: The Kollam era, prevalent in Malayalam speaking regions, is of obscure origin. The year of this era is known as the Kollam Andu. The era is also called the Era of Parasurama, and is said to have omitted thousands from their previous reckonings. In South Malabar it begins with solar month Simha and in North Malabar with solar month Kanya. The era started from 825 A.D. The Indian calendars followed in different regions are scientific and accurate than the western calendar. Need of the hour is that we follow our own traditions than imitating the unscientific western.
(The writer is renowned Sanskrit scholar and a Prof at Sanskrit Department of Delhi University)
Leave a Comment