Vedic Hindu Calendar (Panchanga) and Its Contribution to the WorldVedic
rituals are very particular about muhurta or auspicious times. Hence
they had accurate measurements of years, seasons, dates and minute
fractions of a second. Panchang or Vedic calendar gives much
information on all these aspects.
We also see that calendars all
over the world bear significant similarities with the Hindu Vedic
calendar used in Bharat since times immemorial. The Western Gregorian
calendar that we all use today was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in
1582 AD. Before 1582 AD, Europe followed Roman calendar, Julian
calendar and a correction to Julian calendar by the Roman abbot
Dionysius Exiguus in 525 AD. In Europe and their colonies prior to 1582
AD it was common for March 24 of one year to be followed by March 25 of
the next year. One can see how close this date is to Hindu New Year day
of Chaitra Varsha Pratipada. Again we see that calendars all over the
world have seven days in a week similar to Hindu practices. In the
Vedas one of the names for Surya Bhagwan is “Sapta Ashwan” or rider of
seven horses. In Hindu pantheon Sun God is shown as riding a chariot
driven by seven horses. Hindus call Sunday as Ravivaar, Bhanuvaar (or
Nyayitru Kizhamai in Tamil). Ravi and Bhanu in Sanskrit and Nyayiru in
Tamil mean Sun. Similarly Monday or Moonday is called Somavaar (or
Tingal in Tamil). Soma in Sanskrit and Tingal in Tamil mean moon.
Saturday is Shanivaar and Shani is the name of the planet Saturn.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are named in English after the
Norse Gods Tiu, Woden, Thor and Freya which are similar to their
equivalents in Sanskrit namely Mangal, Budh, Guru and Shukravaar.
Romans had only ten months in a year but the Hindus had 12 months
starting from Chaitra in end March and ending in Falguna. Abbot
Dionysius Exiguus in 525 AD added two months to Roman calendar and
named them July and August in honor of Julius Caesar and Augustus
Caesar. The nomenclature of Roman calendar months bears similarities to
Sankrit language. Starting from their first month March, the seventh,
eighth, ninth and tenth months are September, October, November and
December. These must have been derived from Sanskrit words Sapta for
seven and hence September, Ashta for eight and hence Ashtober or
October, Nava for nine and hence November and Dasa for ten and hence
December. The clock changes its date at midnight 12 O’clock because
when it is mid night in Europe, it is early morning 5.00 O’clock in
Bharat when we start our new day. Thus we see that most parts of the
world followed Bharat in astronomy and calendar. As we have already
seen Europe was not aware till 17th century that the earth was round
and that it revolved around the sun. In the absence of these details it
is impossible to arrive at a proper calendar and hence it is logical
that they all followed the Hindu calendar.
In the Julian and
modified Julian calendar till 1582 AD, 1st January and 1st April fell
on Hindu festivals namely Makara Sankranti and Besakih the Hindu solar
New Year. The influence of Hinduism can be easily appreciated from the
fact that these days are declared holidays in Europe.
On 24th
February 1582 Pope Gregory issued a papal bull, Inter Gravissimas,
establishing what is now called the Gregorian calendar reform. The
Gregorian calendar is the calendar which is currently in use in all
Western and Westernized countries. One of the Gregorian reforms was the
shifting of New Year Day from 25th March to 1st January. The other was
to delete 10 days in 1582 (and one day each was deleted in 1700, 1800
and 1900). Initially most countries in Europe continued to observe
March 25 as their New Year which was very close to Hindu lunar New Year
day or Varsha Pratipada.
Only Catholic countries of Italy, Spain,
Portugal and Poland readily adopted the Gregorian calendar upon the
promulgation of Pope Gregory’s decree in 1582. France and Luxembourg
followed shortly. During the next two years most Catholic regions of
Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands came on board.
Hungary followed in 1587. The rest of the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany
and Switzerland made the change during 1699 to 1701. The Gregorian
calendar was adopted in Britain (and in the British colonies) in 1752,
with September 2, 1752, being followed immediately by September 14,
1752. Sweden adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1753, Japan in 1873,
Egypt in 1875, Eastern Europe during 1912 to 1919 and Turkey in 1927.

thus..our hindu calender is the mother of all calenders...our calculations of time are accurate and very scientific...so necer ever make fun of "muhurtha" system...
-comments welcome
-HARSHA BHAT