Page:Sewell Dikshit The Indian Calendar (1896) proc.djvu/53

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THE HINDU CALENDAR.
37

There is evidence[1] to show that the cycle of Jupiter was in use in Southern India before Saka 828 (A.D. 905-6); but from that year, according to the Ârya Siddhânta, or from Saka 831 (A.D. 908-9) according to the Sûrya-Siddhânta, the expunction of the samvatsaras was altogether neglected, with the result that the 60-year cycle in the south became luni-solar from that year. At present the northern samvatsara has advanced by 12 on the southern. There is an easy rule for finding the samvatsara according to the luni-solar cycle, viz., add 11 to the current Saka year, and divide by 60; the remainder is the corresponding luni-solar cycle year. It must not be forgotten that the samvatsaras of Jupiter's and the southern cycle, are always to be taken as current years, not expired.

63. The twelve-year cycle of Jupiter. There is another cycle of Jupiter consisting of twelve samvatsaras named after the lunar months. It is of two kinds. In one, the samvatsara begins with the heliacal rising[2] of Jupiter and consists of about 400 solar days, one samvatsara being expunged every 12 years or so.[3] In the other, which we have named the "twelve-year cycle of Jupiter of the mean-sign system", the years are similar in length to those of the sixty-year cycle of Jupiter just described, and begin at the same moment. Both kinds, though chiefly the former, were in use in early times, and the latter is often employed in modern dates, especially in those of the Kollam era. The samvatsaras of this heliacal rising system can only be found by direct calculations according to some Siddhânta. The correspondence of the samvatsaras of the mean-sign system with those of the sixty-year cycle are given in Table XII. They proceed regularly.

64. The Graha-parivṛitti and Oṅko cycles. There are two other cycles, but they are limited to small tracts of country and would perhaps be better considered as eras. We however give them here.

The southern inhabitants of the peninsula of India (chiefly of the Madura district) use a cycle of 90 solar years which is called the Graha-parivṛitti. Warren has described the cycle, deriving his information from the celebrated Portuguese missionary Beschi, who lived for over forty years in Madura. The cycle consists of 90 solar years, the length of one year being 365 d. 15 gh. 31 pa. 30 vi., and the year commences with Mesha. Warren was informed by native astronomers at Madras that the cycle consisted of the sum in days of 1 revolution of the sun, 15 of Mars, 22 of Mercury, 11 of Jupiter, 5 of Venus and 29 of Saturn, though this appears to us quite meaningless. The length of this year is that ascertained by using the original Sûrya-Siddhânta; but from the method given by Warren for finding the beginning of the years of this cycle it appears that astronomers have tried to keep it as nearly as possible in agreement with calculations by the Ârya-Siddhânta, and in fact the year may be said to belong to the Ârya-Siddhânta. The cycle commenced with Kali 3079 current (B. C. 24) and its epoch, i.e., the Graha-parivṛitti year 0 current[4] is Kali 3078 current (B. C. 25).

  1. ↑ See Corpus Inscrip. Indic., Vol. III., p. 80, note; Ind. Antiq., XVII., p. 142.
  2. ↑ The heliacal rising of a superior planet is its first visible rising after its conjunctions with the sun, i.e., when it is at a sufficient distance from the sun to be first seen on the horizon at its rising in the morning before sunrise, or, in the case of an inferior planet (Mercury or Venus), at its setting in the evening after sunset. For Jupiter to be visible the sun must be about 11° below the horizon. [R. S.]
  3. ↑ It is fully described by me in the Indian Antiquary, vol. XVII. [S. B. D.]
  4. ↑ In practice of course the word "current" cannot be applied to the year 0, but it is applied here to distinguish it from the year 0 complete or expired, which means year 1 current. We use the word "epoch" to mean the year 0 current. The epoch of an era given in a year of another era is useful for turning years of one into years of another era. Thus, by adding 3078 (the number of the Kali year corresponding to the Graha-parivṛitti cycle epoch) to a Graha-parivṛitti year, we can get the equivalent Kali year; and by subtracting the same from a Kali year we get the corresponding Graha-parivṛitti year.
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