Panchanga
Also called: Panchang · Topic: Studying Indian History: Sources, Dating and Historiography · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 4 "Timeline and Sources of History"
Meaning
A pañchānga (panchang) is a traditional Indian almanac, a yearly book of tables. It lists the days of each month with astronomical details worked out from the positions of the sun and moon. With it, people can predict eclipses, sunrise and sunset, festival dates and good times for ceremonies. Its name means "five limbs", the five parts of time it records (tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana). It runs alongside the Gregorian calendar and is still widely used in India.
Example
Families across India check the pañchānga to find the dates of festivals such as Diwali. These dates follow the moon, so they fall on a different Gregorian date each year.
Don't confuse with
- Gregorian calendar: a sun-based calendar of 12 months and 365 days, with leap years. It gives fixed dates but no festival or ritual timings.