Malayalam calendar
Encyclopedia
Malayalam calendar is a solar
and sidereal
Hindu calendar
used in Kerala
, India
. The origin of the calendar has been dated as 825 CE.
There are many theories about the origin of the calendar. Some say that it was founded by the ruler of Venad Udaya Marthanda Varma (a feudatory with capital at Kollam
) or by the Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara
or simply it is a derivation of the Saptarshi Era. But, it's generally agreed among the scholars that it was started with the reopening of the natural disaster destroyed city of Kollam
on the Malabar coast.
There is also a possibility that it was in the honor of philosopher Adi Shankara
's death, a new calendar was adopted in Kerala. This date is ascertained with reference to Kali Dina Samkhya "Aachaarya Vaagbhadaa" as mentioned by "Paralpperu" or Katapayadi.
Like the months above, there are twenty seven stars
starting from Aswathi (Ashvinī
in Sanskrit) and ending in Revatī
. The 365 days of the year are divided into groups of fourteen days called Njattuvela, each one bearing the name of a star.
The Makaravilakku
festival is celebrated in the Ayyappa
Temple at Sabarimala
on the 1st day of month Makaram. This marks the grand finale of the two-month period to the Sabarimala pilgrimage.
The 1st of Makaram marks the Winter Solstice (Uttarayanan) and the 1st of Karkadakam marks the Summer Solstice (Dakshinayanam) according to the Malayalam calendar. (According to the astronomical calendar the Summer solstice is on June 21, and the Winter solstice on December 21.)
Formerly the New Year in the Malabar region was on the 1st of Kanni and that in the Travancore region was on the 1st of Chingam. When the Government of Kerala adopted Kolla Varsham as the Regional Calendar the 1st of Chingam was accepted as the Malayalam New Year.Medom is the first month according to the astronomical calendar; it is identical with Chaitram of the Saka Varsha. The first of these months are supposed to mark the Vernal Equinox. Astronomically the calendars need to be corrected to coincide with actual Vernal Equinox which falls on the 21st of March. (Chaitram 1 usually falls on March 20, and Medom 1 falls on April 14.)
The agricultural activities of Kerala are centred around the seasons. The Southwest monsoon
which starts around June 1 is known as Edavappathi, meaning mid-Edavam. The North east monsoon which starts during mid October is called thulavarsham (rain in the month of thulam). The two harvests of paddy are called Kannikkoythu and Makarakkoythu (harvests in the months kanni and makaram) respectively.
Solar calendar
A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicate the position of the earth on its revolution around the sun .-Tropical solar calendars:...
and sidereal
Sidereal time
Sidereal time is a time-keeping system astronomers use to keep track of the direction to point their telescopes to view a given star in the night sky...
Hindu calendar
Hindu calendar
The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
used in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The origin of the calendar has been dated as 825 CE.
There are many theories about the origin of the calendar. Some say that it was founded by the ruler of Venad Udaya Marthanda Varma (a feudatory with capital at Kollam
Kollam
Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...
) or by the Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
or simply it is a derivation of the Saptarshi Era. But, it's generally agreed among the scholars that it was started with the reopening of the natural disaster destroyed city of Kollam
Kollam
Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...
on the Malabar coast.
There is also a possibility that it was in the honor of philosopher Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
's death, a new calendar was adopted in Kerala. This date is ascertained with reference to Kali Dina Samkhya "Aachaarya Vaagbhadaa" as mentioned by "Paralpperu" or Katapayadi.
Months
The Malayalam months are named after the Signs of the Zodiac. Thus Chingam (from Simham or Lion) is named after the constellation Leo and so on. The following are the months of the astronomical Malayalam calendar:| Months in Malayalam Era | In Malayalam | Gregorian Calendar Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter... |
Tamil calendar Tamil calendar The Tamil calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Tamil Nadu. It is also used in Pondicherry , and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. It is also used by Telugu speaking people in Tamil Nadu... |
Saka era | Sign of Zodiac |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chingam | August–September | Aavani | Sravan–Bhadrapada | Leo | |
| Kanni | September–October | Purattasi | Bhadrapada–Asvina | Virgo | |
| Thulam | October–November | Aippasi | Asvina–Kartika | Libra | |
| Vrishchikam | November–December | Karthigai | Kartika–Agrahayana | Scorpio | |
| Dhanu | December–January | Margazhi | Agrahayana–Pausa | Sagittarius | |
| Makaram | January–February | Thai | Pausa–Magha | Capricon | |
| Kumbham | February–March | Maasi | Magha–Phalguna | Aquarius | |
| Meenam | March–April | Panguni | Phalguna–Chaitra | Pisces | |
| Medam | April–May | Chithirai | Chaitra– Vaisakha | Aries | |
| Edavam | May–June | Vaikasi | Vaisakha–Jyaistha | Taurus | |
| Midtunam | June–July | Aani | Jyaistha–Asada | Gemini | |
| Karkadakam | July–August | Aadi | Asada–Sravana | Cancer |
Days
The days of the week in the Malayalam calendar are suffixed with Azhcha ( - week).| Malayalam | മലയാളം | English | Hindi |
|---|---|---|---|
| njayar | Sunday | Ravivar | |
| thinkal | Monday | Somvar | |
| chouwa | Tuesday | Mangalvar | |
| budhan | Wednesday | Budhvar | |
| vyazham | Thursday | Guruvar | |
| velli | Friday | Sukravar | |
| shani | Saturday | Shanivar |
Like the months above, there are twenty seven stars
Nakshatra
Nakshatra is the term for lunar mansion in Hindu astrology. A nakshatra is one of 27 sectors along the ecliptic...
starting from Aswathi (Ashvinī
Ashvini
Asvini is the first nakshatra in Hindu astrology, corresponding to the head of Aries, including the stars β and γ Arietis.The name aśvinī is used by Varahamihira...
in Sanskrit) and ending in Revatī
Revati (nakshatra)
Revati is the twenty-seventh nakshatra in Hindu astrology, corresponding to ζ Piscium.It is ruled by Puṣan,one of the 12 Ādityas...
. The 365 days of the year are divided into groups of fourteen days called Njattuvela, each one bearing the name of a star.
Significant dates
The festivals Antupirapp ( - new year, more commonly called Antupiravi (ആണ്ടുപിറവി) or puthuvarsham (പുതുവര്ഷം)), celebrated on the 1st of Medam, Vishu ( - astronomical new year), and Onam , celebrated on the star tiruʋoːɳəm in the month of Chingam, are two of the major festivals, the greatest of them being Onam .The Makaravilakku
Makaravilakku
Makaravilakku is an annual festival held on January 14 in Kerala, India at the shrine of Sabarimala. The festival includes the Thiruvabharanam procession and a congregation at the hill shrine of Sabarimala...
festival is celebrated in the Ayyappa
Ayyappan
Ayyappan is a Hindu deity worshiped in a number of shrines across India. Ayyappan is believed to be an incarnation of Dharma Sastha, who is the son of Shiva and Vishnu . The name "Ayyappan" is used as a respectful form of address in the Malayalam language, spoken in the Indian state of Kerala...
Temple at Sabarimala
Sabarimala
Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage center located in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District in Kerala. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in India with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. Sabarimala is believed to be the place where the Hindu God Ayyappan...
on the 1st day of month Makaram. This marks the grand finale of the two-month period to the Sabarimala pilgrimage.
The 1st of Makaram marks the Winter Solstice (Uttarayanan) and the 1st of Karkadakam marks the Summer Solstice (Dakshinayanam) according to the Malayalam calendar. (According to the astronomical calendar the Summer solstice is on June 21, and the Winter solstice on December 21.)
Formerly the New Year in the Malabar region was on the 1st of Kanni and that in the Travancore region was on the 1st of Chingam. When the Government of Kerala adopted Kolla Varsham as the Regional Calendar the 1st of Chingam was accepted as the Malayalam New Year.Medom is the first month according to the astronomical calendar; it is identical with Chaitram of the Saka Varsha. The first of these months are supposed to mark the Vernal Equinox. Astronomically the calendars need to be corrected to coincide with actual Vernal Equinox which falls on the 21st of March. (Chaitram 1 usually falls on March 20, and Medom 1 falls on April 14.)
Derived names
Many events in Kerala are related to the dates in the Malayalam calendar.The agricultural activities of Kerala are centred around the seasons. The Southwest monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
which starts around June 1 is known as Edavappathi, meaning mid-Edavam. The North east monsoon which starts during mid October is called thulavarsham (rain in the month of thulam). The two harvests of paddy are called Kannikkoythu and Makarakkoythu (harvests in the months kanni and makaram) respectively.
External links
- Malayalam Calendar 2010 2010 Malayalam Calendar with both Malayalam dates and English dates.
- 111 Years Malayalam Calendar Malayalam Calendar for Kolla Varsham 1076-1186 (1900-2010 A.D.) showing important festivals, events and date conversion to Gregorian format.
- Maps of India: Malayalam Calendar