Page:Sewell Dikshit The Indian Calendar (1896) proc.djvu/64
given. (As to current and expired years see Art. 70 above.) A short description of eras is given in Art. 71. The years in the first three columns are used alike as solar and luni-solar, commencing respectively with Mesha or Chaitra. (For the beginning point of the year see Art. 52 above.) The Vikrama year given in col. 3 is the Chaitrâdi Vikrama year, or, when treated as a solar year which is very rarely the case, the Meshâdi year. The Âshâḍhâdi and Kârttikâdi Vikrama years are not given, as they can be regularly calculated from the Chaitrâdi year, remembering that the number of the former year is one less than that of the Chaitrâdi year from Chaitra to Jyeshṭha or Âśvina (both inclusive), as the case may be, and the same as the Chaitrâdi year from Âshâḍha or Kârttika to the end of Phâlguna.
Cols. 4 and 5. The eras in cols. 4 and 5 are described above (Art. 71.) The double number is entered in col. 4 so that it may not be forgotten that the Kollam year is non-Chaitrâdi or non-Meshâdi, since it commences with either Kanni (Kanyâ) or Chiṅgam (Siṁha). In the case of the Christian era of course the first year entered corresponds to the Kali, Śaka or Chaitrâdi Vikrama year for about three-quarters of the latter's course, and for about the last quarter the second Christian year entered must be taken. The corresponding parts of the years of all these eras as well as of several others will be found in Table II., Parts ii. and iii.
75. Cols. 6 and 7.—These columns give the number and name of the current samvatsara of the sixty-year cycle. There is reason to believe that the sixty-year luni-solar cycle (in use mostly in Southern India) came into existence only from about A. D. 909; and that before that the cycle of Jupiter was in use all over India. That is to say, before A. D. 909 the samvatsaras in Southern India were the same as those of the Jupiter cycle in the North. If, however, it is found in any case that in a year previous to A.D. 908 the samvatsara given does not agree with our Tables, the rule in Art. 62 should be applied, in order to ascertain whether it was a luni-solar samvatsara.
The samvatsara given in col. 7 is that which was current at the time of the Mesha saṅkrânti of the year mentioned in cols, i to 3. To find the samvatsara current on any particular day of the year the rules given in Art. 59 should be applied. For other facts regarding the samvatsaras, see Arts. 53 to 63 above.
76. Cols. 8 to 12, and 8a to 12a. These concern the adhika (intercalated) and kshaya (suppressed) months. For full particulars see Arts. 45 to 51. By the mean system of intercalations there can be no suppressed months, and by the true system only a few. We have given the suppressed months in italics with the sufifix "Ksh" for "kshaya." As mean added months were only in use up to A.D. 1100 (Art. 47) we have not given them after that year.
77. The name of the month entered in col. 8 or 8a is fixed according to the first rule for naming a lunar month (Art. 46), which is in use at the present day. Thus, the name Âshâḍha, in cols. 8 or 8a, shows that there was an intercalated month between natural Jyeshṭha and natural Âshâḍha, and by the first rule its name is "Adhika Âshâḍha", natural Âshâḍha being "Nija Âshâḍha."
By the second rule it might have been called Jyeshṭha, but the intercalated period is the same in either case. In the case of expunged months the word "Pausha", for instance, in col. 8 shows that in the lunar month between natural Kârttika and natural Mâgha there were two saṅkrântis; and according to the rule adopted by us that lunar month is called Mârgaśîrsha, Pausha being expunged.
78. Lists of intercalary and expunged months are given by the late Prof K. L. Chhatre in a list published in Vol. I., No. 12 (March 1851) of a Mahrâṭhi monthly magazine called Jñanaprasâraka, formerly published in Bombay, but now discontinued; as well as in Cowasjee