Panchang

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.

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.

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