Page:Sewell Dikshit The Indian Calendar (1896) proc.djvu/61

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THE HINDU CALENDAR.
45

1806 current. From this the conversion to an A. D. date can be worked by the Tables. For an exact equivalent the saṅkrânti day must be ascertained.

The Mahratta Sûr-san or Shahûr-san.—This is sometimes called the Arabi-san. It was extensively used during the Mahratta supremacy, and is even now sometimes found, though rarely. It is nine years behind the Fasali of the Dakhan, but in other respects is just the same; thus, its year commences when the sun enters the nakshatra Mṛigaśîrsha, in which respect it is solar, but the days and months correspond with Hijra reckoning. It only diverged from the Hijra in A.D. 1344, according to the best computation, since when it has been a solar year as described above. On May 15th, AD. 1344, the Hijra year 745 began. But since then the Shahûr reckoning was carried on by itself as a solar year. To convert it to an A.D. year, add 599.

The Harsha-Kâla.—This era was founded by Harshavardhana of Kanauj,[1] or more properly of Thaṇeśar. At the time of Alberuni (A.D. 1030) it was in use in Mathurâ (Muttra) and Kanauj. Its epoch seems to be Śaka 529 current, A.D. 606—7. More than ten inscriptions have been discovered in Nepal[2] dated in the first and second century of this era. In all those discovered as yet the years are qualified only by the word "samvat".

The Mâgi-San.—This era is current in the District of Chittagong. It is very similar to the Bengali-san, the days and months in each being exactly alike. The Mâgi is, however, 45 years behind the Bengali year,[3] e.g., Magi 1200 = Bengali 1245.

The Kollam era, or era of Paraśurâma.—The year of this era is known as the Kollam âṇḍu. Kollam (anglicé Quilon) means "western", âṇḍu means "a year". The era is in use in Malabar from Mangalore to Cape Comorin, and in the Tinnevelly district. The year is sidereal solar. In North Malabar it begins with the solar month Kanni (Kanyâ), and in South Malabar and Tinnevelly with the month Chiṅgam (Siṁha). In Malabar the names of the months are sign-names, though corrupted from the original Sanskṛit; but in Tinnevelly the names are chiefly those of lunar months, also corrupted from Sanskṛit, such as Śittirai or Chittirai for the Sanskrit Chaitra, corresponding with Mesha, and so on. The sign-names as well as the lunar-month names are given in the pañchâṅgs of Tinnevelly and the Tamil country. All the names will be found in Table II., Part ii. The first Kollam âṇḍu commenced in Kali 3927 current, Śaka 748 current, A.D. 825—26, the epoch being Śaka 747—48 current, A.D. 824—25. The years of this era as used are current years, and we have treated them so in our Tables.

The era is also called the "era of Paraśurâma", and the years run in cycles of 1000. The present cycle is said to be the fourth, but in actual modern use the number has been allowed to run on over the 1000, A.D. 1894—95 being called Kollam 1070. We believe that there is no record extant of its use earlier than A.D. 825, and we have therefore, in our Table I., left the appropriate column blank for the years A.D. 300—825. If there were really three cycles ending with the year 1000, which expired A.D. 824—25, then it would follow that the Paraśurâma, or Kollam, era began in Kali 1927 current, or the year 3528 of the Julian period.[4]

The Nevâr era. This era was in use in Nepal up to A.D. 1768, when the Śaka era

  1. Alberuni's India, English translation by Sachau, Vol. II., p. 5.
  2. Corpus Inscrip. Indic, Vol. III., Introd., p. 177 ff.
  3. Giriśa Chandra's Chronological Tables for A.D. 1764 to 1900.
  4. Warren (Kálasaṅkalita, p. 298) makes it commence in "the year 3537 of the Julian period, answering to the 1926th of the Kali yug". But this is wrong if, as we believe, the Kollam years are current years, and we know no reason to think them otherwise. Warren's account was based on that of Dr. Buchanan who made the 977th year of the third cycle commence in A.D. 1800. But according to the present Malabar use it is quite clear that the year commencing in 1800 A.D., was the 976th Kollam year.