Vikram Samvat

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Vikram Samvat (ISO: Vikrama Saṁvata; abbreviated VS), also known as the Vikrami calendar is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent and still used in several states.[1][2] It is a lunisolar calendar, using twelve to thirteen lunar months each solar sidereal years. The year count of the Vikram Samvat calendar is usually 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar, except during January to April, when it is ahead by 56 years.

The Vikram Samvat (called Bikram Sambat in Nepal) calendar should not be confused with the Nepal Sambat, a much more recent innovation.

History

A number of ancient and medieval inscriptions used the Vikram Samvat. Although it was reportedly named after the legendary king Vikramaditya, the term "Vikrama Samvat" does not appear in the historical record before the 9th century; the same calendar system is found with other names, such as Krita and Malava.[3] In colonial scholarship, the era was believed to be based on the commemoration of King Vikramaditya expelling the Sakas from Ujjain. However, later epigraphical evidence and scholarship suggest that this theory has no historical basis. During the 9th century, epigraphical artwork began using Vikram Samvat (suggesting that the Hindu calendar era in use became popular as Vikram Samvat); Buddhist and Jain epigraphy continued to use an era based on the Buddha or the Mahavira.[4]

Vikramaditya legend

Two illustrated portions of a manuscript
The Jain monk Kalakacharya and the Saka king (Kalakacharya Katha manuscript, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai)

According to popular tradition, King Vikramaditya of Ujjain established the Vikrama Samvat era after defeating the Śakas.

Kalakacharya Kathanaka (An account of the monk Kalakacharya), by the

Pratishthana (modern Paithan in Maharashtra). Later on, Vikramaditya invaded Ujjain and drove away from the Śakas. To commemorate this event, he started a new era called the "Vikrama era". The Ujjain calendar started around 58–56 BCE, and the subsequent Shaka-era calendar was started in 78 CE at Pratishthana.[full citation needed
]

Historical origins

The association of the era beginning in 57 BCE with Vikramaditya is not found in any source before the 9th century CE; earlier sources call the era "Kṛṭa" (343 and 371 CE), "Kritaa" (404), "the era of the

Shukla 2, Chanda" (20 April 842). The earliest known inscription which associates the era with a king called Vikramaditya is dated 971, and the earliest literary work connecting the era to Vikramaditya is Subhashita-Ratna-Sandoha (993-994) by the Jain author Amitagati.[6]

A number of authors believe that the Vikram Samvat was not started by Vikramaditya, who might be a legendary king or a title adopted by a later king who renamed the era after himself.

D. R. Bhandarkar believed that Chandragupta II adopted the title of Vikramaditya, and changed the era's name to "Vikrama Samvat". According to Rudolf Hoernlé, the king responsible for this change was Yashodharman. Hoernlé believed that he conquered Kashmir and is the "Harsha Vikramaditya" mentioned in Kalhana's Rajatarangini.[6]

Some earlier scholars believed that the Vikram Samvat corresponded to the Azes era of the Indo-Scythian (Śaka) king King Azes. This was disputed by Robert Bracey after the discovery of an inscription of Vijayamitra, which is dated in two eras.[7] The theory was discredited by Falk and Bennett, who place the inception of the Azes era in 47–46 BCE.[8]

Popularity

The Vikram Samvat has been used by Hindus, Sikhs,[9] and Pashtuns.[10] One of several regional Hindu calendars in use on the Indian subcontinent, it is based on twelve synodic lunar months and 365 solar days.[9][11] The lunar year begins with the new moon of the month of Chaitra.[12] This day, known as Chaitra Sukhladi, is a restricted (optional) holiday in India.[13][failed verification]

The calendar remains in use by people in Nepal serving as its national calendar where the first month is Baisakh and the last month is Chaitra. It is also symbolically used by Hindus of north, west and central India.[3] In south India and portions of east and west India (such as Assam, West Bengal and Gujarat), the Indian national calendar is widely used.[14]

With the arrival of Islamic rule, the Hijri calendar became the official calendar of sultanates and the Mughal Empire. During British colonial rule of the Indian subcontinent, the Gregorian calendar was adopted and is commonly used in urban areas of India.[15] The predominantly-Muslim countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh have used the Islamic calendar since 1947, but older texts included the Vikram Samvat and Gregorian calendars. In 2003, the India-based Sikh Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee controversially adopted the Nanakshahi calendar.[9] Alongside Nepal Sambat, Vikram Samvat is one of two official calendars used in Nepal.[16]

Calendar system

Like the Hebrew and Chinese calendars, the Vikram Samvat is lunisolar.[9] In common years, the year is 354 days long,[17] while a leap month (adhik maas) is added in accordance to the Metonic cycle roughly once every three years (or 7 times in a 19-year cycle) to ensure that festivals and crop-related rituals fall in the appropriate season.[9][11] Early Buddhist communities in India adopted the ancient Hindu calendar, followed by the Vikram Samvat and local Buddhist calendars. Buddhist festivals are still scheduled according to a lunar system.[18]

The Vikram Samvat has two systems. It began in 56 BCE in the southern Hindu calendar system (amaanta) and 57–56 BCE in the northern system (purnimaanta). The Shukla Paksha, when most festivals occur, coincides in both systems.[14][5] The lunisolar Vikram Samvat calendar is 56.7 years ahead of the solar Gregorian calendar; the year 2081 BS begins mid-April 2024 CE, and ends mid-April 2025 CE.

The

Chaitra. The first day of the new year is a public holiday in Nepal. Bisket Jatra, an annual carnival in Bhaktapur, is also celebrated on Baishakh 1. In 2007, Nepal Sambat
was also recognised as a national calendar alongside Bikram Sambat.

In India, the reformulated Saka calendar is officially used (except for computing dates of the traditional festivals). In the Hindi version of the preamble of the constitution of India, the date of its adoption (26 November 1949) is presented in Vikram Samvat as Margsheersh Shukla Saptami Samvat 2006. A call has been made for the Vikram Samvat to replace the Saka calendar as India's official calendar.[20]

New Year

  • Chaitra Navaratri: the second most celebrated, named after vasanta which means spring. It is observed in the lunar month of Chaitra (post-winter, March–April). In many regions the festival falls after spring harvest, and in others during harvest. It also marks the first day of the Hindu calendar, hence also known as the Hindu Lunar New Year according to Vikram Samvat calendar.[21][22]
  • Vaisakhi:
    • Vaisakhi marks the beginning of Hindu Solar New Year in Punjab, Northern, Eastern, North-eastern and Central India according to the solar Vikram Samvat calendar.[23][24] and marks the first day of the month of Vaisakha, which is usually celebrated on 13 or 14 April every year and is a historical and religious festival in Hinduism.
    • Baisakh (Nepal): Baisakh Ek Gatey is celebrated as Nepalese New Year[25] because it is the day which marks Hindu Solar New Year[26] as per the solar Nepali Bikram Sambat.
  • Varsha Pratipada or Bestu Varas: It is considered an auspicious day celebrated in the Indian state of Gujarat to mark the New Year according to the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar. It falls on the first day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartika. The day is significant as it symbolizes the beginning of the agricultural year, and farmers traditionally start their new accounting books on this day.[27]

Divisions of a year

The Vikram Samvat uses lunar months and solar

vadhya paksha (the dark fortnight, considered inauspicious).[28]

Lunar metrics

  • A tithi is the time it takes for the longitudinal angle between the Moon and the Sun to increase by 12°.[29] Tithis begin at various times of the day, and vary in duration.
  • A paksha (or pakṣa) is a lunar fortnight and consists of 15 tithis.
  • A māsa, or lunar month (about 29.5 days), is divided into two paksas.
  • A ritu (season) is two māsas.[29]
  • An ayana is three ritus.
  • A year is two ayanas.[29]

Months

The classical Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calendar, except during January to April, when it is ahead by 56 years. The month that the new year starts varies by region or sub-culture.

Upto 12 April 2024, it will be 2080 BS in the BS calendar. The names of months in the Vikram Samvat in Sanskrit and Nepali,[30][31] with their roughly corresponding Gregorian months, respectively are:

Vikram Samvat months Gregorian months
Vaiśākha or Baisakh April–May
Jyēṣṭha or Jestha or Jeth May–June
Āshādha or Asar or Asadh June–July
Shrāvaṇa
or Sawan or Shrawan
July–August
Bhādrapada or Bhādra or Bhadau August–September
Ashvin
or Asoj
September–October
Kārtika
or Kattik or Kartik
October–November
Agrahāyaṇa or Mangsir/Mārgaśīrṣa or Aghan November–December
Pauṣa or Paush or Poush December–January
Māgha or Magh January–February
Phālguna or Falgun February–March
Chaitra or Chait or Chaitra March–April

See also

References

  1. .
  2. .
  3. ^ .
  4. .
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ .
  7. .
  8. ^ Falk and Bennett (2009), pp. 197-215.
  9. ^ .
  10. ^ Jazab, Yousaf Khan. An Ethno-Linguistic Study of the Karlanri Varieties of Pashto. Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar. pp. 342–343.
  11. ^ .
  12. ^ Davivajña, Rāma (1996) Muhurtacintāmaṇi. Sagar Publications
  13. ^ India.gov.in
  14. ^ .
  15. .
  16. .
  17. ., Text: "...the lunar year consists of 354 days..."
  18. .
  19. .
  20. ^ "Vikram Samvat should be declared national calendar". The Free Press Journal. 15 February 2012. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  21. The Hindustan Times
    . 30 March 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  22. ^ Desk, India TV News (21 March 2015). "Difference between Vasanta and Sharad Navaratri - India TV". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  23. .
  24. .
  25. ^ International Commerce. Bureau of International Commerce. 1970.
  26. ISBN 978-0-679-01013-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  27. ^ "Gujarati New Year 2021: Significance and all you need to know about special occasion". Firstpost. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  28. ^ "What Is the Hindu Calendar System?". Learn Religions. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  29. ^ a b c Burgess, Ebenezer Translation of the Sûrya-Siddhânta: A text-book of Hindu astronomy, with notes and an appendix originally published: Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 6, (1860), pp. 141–498, Chapter 14, Verse 12
  30. .
  31. ^ Chatterjee, SK (1990). Indian Calendric System. Government of India. p. 17.

Further reading

  • Harry Falk and Chris Bennett (2009). "Macedonian Intercalary Months and the Era of Azes." Acta Orientalia 70, pp. 197–215.
  • "The Dynastic Art of the Kushan", John Rosenfield.
  • "Samvat" .
    New International Encyclopedia
    . 1905.

External links