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33-508: In lunar religious calendars, Agrahayana or Margashirsha typically begins either on the new moon or the full moon, depending on the regional tradition, and generally corresponds to the ninth month of the year. In solar religious calendars, Agrahayana (or Margaḻi in Tamil traditions) begins with the Sun 's entry into the zodiac sign Sagittarius (Dhanus Rashi) and is considered the ninth month of

66-697: Is a sidereal solar calendar used by the Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent . It is also used in Puducherry , and by the Tamil population in Sri Lanka , Malaysia , Singapore , Myanmar and Mauritius . It is used in contemporary times for cultural, religious and agricultural events, with the Gregorian calendar largely used for official purposes both within and outside India. The Tamil calendar

99-450: Is based on the classical Hindu solar calendar also used in Assam , West Bengal , Kerala , Manipur , Nepal , Odisha , Rajasthan , and Punjab,India . The calendar follows a 60-year cycle that is also very ancient and is observed by most traditional calendars of India and China. This is related to 5 12-year revolutions of Jupiter around the Sun and one that adds up to 60 years and

132-532: Is calculated from 3600 - (476 + 23) + 1 (no year zero from 1 BCE to 1 CE). According to K. D. Abhyankar, the starting point of Kali Yuga is an extremely rare planetary alignment, which is depicted in the Mohenjo-daro seals. Hindu texts describe four yugas (world ages)⁠ in a Yuga Cycle , where, starting in order from the first age of Krita (Satya) Yuga , each yuga's length decreases by one-fourth (25%), giving proportions of 4:3:2:1. Each yuga

165-593: Is described as having a main period ( a.k.a. yuga proper) preceded by its yuga-sandhyā (dawn) and followed by its yuga-sandhyāṃśa (dusk)⁠, where each twilight (dawn/dusk) lasts for one-tenth (10%) of its main period. Lengths are given in divine years (years of the gods), each lasting for 360 solar (human) years. Kali Yuga , the fourth age in a cycle, lasts for 432,000 years (1,200 divine years), where its main period lasts for 360,000 years (1,000 divine years) and its two twilights each last for 36,000 years (100 divine years). The current cycle's Kali Yuga ,

198-523: Is found in the Mahabharata , Manusmriti , Vishnu Smriti , and various Puranas . According to P. V. Kane , one of the earliest inscriptions with one of the four yugas named is the Pikira grant of Pallava Simhavarman (mid-5th century   CE): Who was ever ready to extricate dharma that had become sunk owing to the evil effects of Kaliyuga. Other epigraphs exist with named yugas in

231-466: Is itself very old. After the completion of sixty years, the calendar starts with the first year. This corresponds to the Hindu "century." The Vakya or Tirukannitha Panchangam (the traditional Tamil almanac) outlines this sequence. It is related to the position of the planets in the sky with respect to Earth. It means that the two major planets Sani/Saturn (which takes 30 years to complete one cycle round

264-608: Is regarded as the protector and guardian deity. Margashirsha Guruvar Mahalakshmi Vrat , also known as Margashirsha Devi Vrat , is a sacred observance dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi . This fast is observed on all Thursdays of the Margashirsha month in the Hindu lunar calendar, totaling four days of devotion and prayer. The fast holds special significance, as it is associated with wealth, prosperity, mental and spiritual growth, making it ideal for invoking goddess Lakshmi’s blessings. Devotees recite powerful stotras and hymns, including

297-427: Is the duration of the first or Krita age. The morning of that cycle consists of four hundred years and its evening is of four hundred years. (21) Regarding the other cycles, the duration of each gradually decreases by a quarter in respect of both the principal period with the minor portion and the conjoining portion itself. Manusmriti , Ch. 1: (67) A year is a day and a night of the gods   ... (68) But hear now

330-623: The Lakshmi Ashtottara Shatanamavali (108 names of Lakshmi), the Śrī Sūkta , and the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam . In Odisha this fast is celebrated as Manabasa Gurubara . In Tamil Nadu, during this month of Margaḻi , women make kolams or rangoli early in the morning. Devotees usually go to temples each morning and recite Thiruppavai by Andal and Thiruvempavai by Manikkavacakar . Tamil calendar The Tamil calendar (தமிழ் நாட்காட்டி)

363-646: The Old Mysore region of India , published in Epigraphia Carnatica . The start date and time of Kali Yuga was at midnight (00:00) on 17/18 February 3102 BCE. Astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata , who was born in 476 CE, finished his book Aryabhatiya in 499 CE, in which he wrote "When the three yugas (satyug, tretayug and dwaparyug) have elapsed and 60 x 60 (3,600) years of kaliyug have already passed, I am now 23 years old." Based on this information, Kali Yuga began in 3102 BCE, which

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396-476: The Satya Yuga , the first stage of development, the bull has four legs, which is reduced by one in each age that follows. The four legs of Dharma are Tapas lit.   ' austerity ' , Śauca lit.   ' cleanliness ' , Dayā lit.   ' compassion ' and Satya lit.   ' truth ' . By the age of Kali, morality is reduced to only a quarter of that of

429-578: The 14th century CE to South Indian, often Vaishnavite, courtiers who were tasked with defining the traditional calendar that began in mid-April. The Tamil New Year follows the nirayanam vernal equinox and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year. 14 April marks the first day of the traditional Tamil calendar and is a public holiday in the state of Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. Tropical vernal equinox fall around 22 March, and by adding 23 degrees of trepidation (oscillation) to it, we get

462-562: The Golden and the other Ages, as measured by the difference in the number of the feet of Virtue in each, is as follows : (17) The tenth part of an Age, multiplied successively by four, three, two, and one, gives the length of the Golden and the other Ages, in order : the sixth part of each belongs to its dawn and twilight. A dialogue between Krishna and Ganga found in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana describes that for

495-560: The Hindu sidereal or Nirayana Mesha Sankranti (Sun's transition into nirayana Aries). Hence, the Tamil calendar begins on the same date in April which is observed by most traditional calendars of the rest of India – Assam , Bengal , Kerala , Odisha , Manipur , Punjab etc. This also coincides with the traditional new year in Burma , Cambodia , Laos , Sri Lanka , Bangladesh , Nepal , and Thailand . The days of week (Sikamiyella) in

528-534: The Lubichi calendar relate to the celestial bodies in the solar system: Ngungi , Yuki , Nyamunyi , Buki , Jupiter , Venus , and Saturn , in that order. The week starts with Sunday. The number of days in a month varies between 29 and 32. These are the months of the Tamil Calendar. The Sanskrit month starts a few weeks ahead of the Tamil month, since the Tamil calendar is a solar calendar , while

561-520: The Sanskrit calendar is a lunisolar calendar. The Tamil year, in keeping with the old Indic calendar, is divided into six seasons, each of which lasts two months: The 60-year cycle is common to both North and South Indian traditional calendars, with the same name and sequence of years. Its earliest reference is to be found in Surya Siddhanta , which Varahamihirar (550 CE) believed to be

594-537: The Sun's shift from one Rāsi to the other, but the names of the months are based on the star on the start of the pournami in that month. The name of the month is sometimes the name of the star itself. (e.g. Chittirai is always the star on the pournami of the Chittirai month). Some of the celebrations for each month are listed below. Dates in parentheses are not exact and usually vary by a day or two. Underneath (or beside)

627-563: The Sun) and the Viyaḻan/Jupiter (which takes 12 years to complete one cycle round the Sun) comes to the same position after 60 years. The following list presents the current 60-year cycle of the Tamil calendar: The months of the Tamil Calendar have great significance and are deeply rooted in the faith of Tamil Hindus . Some months are considered very auspicious, while a few are considered inauspicious as well. Tamil months start and end based on

660-551: The Tamil months starting with Mesha/Chittirai in mid-April. The Manimekalai alludes to this very same Hindu solar calendar as we know it today Adiyarkunalaar, an early medieval commentator or Urai-asiriyar mentions the twelve months of the Tamil calendar with particular reference to Chittirai i.e. mid-April. There were subsequent inscriptional references in Pagan, Burma dated to the 11th century CE and in Sukhothai, Thailand dated to

693-472: The brief (description of) the duration of a night and a day of Brahman [(Brahma)] and of the several ages (of the world, yuga) according to their order. (69) They declare that the Krita age (consists of) four thousand years (of the gods); the twilight preceding it consists of as many hundreds, and the twilight following it of the same number. (70) In the other three ages with their twilights preceding and following,

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726-532: The first 10,000 years of Kali Yuga , the ill effects of Kali Yuga will be reduced due to the presence of bhakti yogis and the ability to nullify sinful reactions, after which Earth will be devoid of devout religious people and be shackled by Kali Yuga . Gaudiya Vaishnavism believes this sub-period started later in Kali Yuga with the birth of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486 CE). Hinduism often symbolically represents morality ( dharma ) as an Indian bull. In

759-527: The first month of the winter season (Śiśira Ritu), the gopis undertook a sacred vow ( Vrata ) with the desire to have Krishna as their husband. Bhairava Ashtami occurs on the Krishna paksha Ashtami of this month of Margashirsha month. According to Hindu tradition, it is believed that on this day, Lord Shiva manifested in his fierce form as Bhairava on Earth. This day is commemorated with special prayers, rituals, and offerings dedicated to Bhairava, who

792-542: The four yugas (world ages) in a Yuga Cycle , preceded by Dvapara Yuga and followed by the next cycle's Krita (Satya) Yuga . It is believed to be the present age, which is full of conflict and sin. According to Puranic sources , Krishna's death marked the end of Dvapara Yuga and the start of Kali Yuga , which is dated to 17/18 February 3102  BCE . Lasting for 432,000 years (1,200 divine years), Kali Yuga began 5,125 years ago and has 426,875 years left as of 2024  CE . Kali Yuga will end in

825-579: The golden age, so that the bull of Dharma has only one leg, the one representing Satya . The Kurukshetra War and the decimation of Kauravas thus happened at the Yuga-Sandhi , the point of transition from one yuga to another. A discourse by Markandeya in the Mahabharata identifies some of the attributes of people, animals, nature, and weather during the Kali Yuga. The Kali Yuga

858-473: The months of the Hindu calendar are their Gregorian counterparts. Deepavali is celebrated during this month. Each Monday of this month is dedicated to the worship of Shiva . The Tamil Calendar is important in the life of Tamil-speaking people and most festivals of Tamil Nadu are based on it. Some festivals include: Kaliyuga Kali Yuga , in Hinduism , is the fourth, shortest, and worst of

891-651: The most accurate of the then current theories of astronomy. However, in the Surya Siddhantic list, the first year was Vijaya and not Prabhava as currently used. There are some parallels in this sexagenary cycle with the Chinese calendar . The Surya Siddhanta and other Indian classical texts on astronomy had some influence on the Chinese calendar although it merits attention that the sexagenary cycle in China

924-530: The orbit of Nakshatras (stars) as described in the Surya Siddhanta . In the Gregorian year 2024, the Tamil year starts on 14 April 2024, Kaliyuga 5126. The Vikrama and Shalivahana (Saka) eras are also used. There are several references in early Tamil literature to the new year. Nakkeerar, Sangam period author of the Neṭunalvāṭai , wrote in the third century CE that the Sun travels each year from Mesha/Chittirai in mid-April through 11 successive signs of

957-580: The present age, has the following dates based on it starting in 3102   BCE: Mahabharata , Book 12 ( Shanti Parva ), Ch. 231: (17) A year (of men) is equal to a day and night of the gods   ... (19) I shall, in their order, tell you the number of years that are for different purposes calculated differently, in the Krita, the Treta, the Dwapara, and the Kali yugas. (20) Four thousand celestial years

990-479: The thousands and hundreds are diminished by one (in each). Surya Siddhanta , Ch. 1: (13) ... twelve months make a year. This is called a day of the gods. (14) ... Six times sixty [360] of them are a year of the gods   ... (15) Twelve thousand of these divine years are denominated a Quadruple Age (caturyuga); of ten thousand times four hundred and thirty-two [4,320,000] solar years (16) Is composed that Quadruple Age, with its dawn and twilight. The difference of

1023-815: The year 428,899 CE. Near the end of Kali Yuga , when virtues are at their worst, a cataclysm and a re-establishment of dharma occur to usher in the next cycle's Krita (Satya) Yuga , prophesied to occur by Kalki . Yuga ( Sanskrit : युग ), in this context, means "an age of the world", where its archaic spelling is yug , with other forms of yugam , yugānāṃ , and yuge , derived from yuj ( Sanskrit : युज् , lit.   'to join or yoke'), believed derived from *yeug- ( Proto-Indo-European : lit. 'to join or unite'). Kali Yuga ( Sanskrit : कलियुग , romanized :  kaliyuga or kali-yuga ) means "the age of Kali ", "the age of darkness", "the age of vice and misery", or "the age of quarrel and hypocrisy". A complete description of Kali Yuga

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1056-454: The year. Vaikunta Ekadashi , observed on the Ekadashi (11th lunar day) of Margashirsha month, is celebrated also as Mokshada Ekadashi . Additionally, the 10th Canto, 22nd Chapter of Bhagavata Purana narrates a significant episode where the young, marriageable daughters of the cowherd men of Gokula ( gopis ) worship goddess Katyayani . During the entire Margashirsha month, considered

1089-536: The zodiac. Kūdalūr Kiḻar in the third century CE refers to Mesha Rāsi/Chittirai i.e. mid-April as the commencement of the year in the Puṟanāṉūṟu . The Tolkappiyam is the oldest surviving Tamil grammar text that divides the year into six seasons where Chihthirrai i.e. mid-April marks the start of the Ilavenil season or Summer. The 5th century Silappadhigaaram mentions the 12 rāsigal or zodiac signs that correspond to

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