Tamil Solar Months - Bearing Lunar names!!

[Sundareswaran N.K.]

Dear List,

In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, tradition follows Solar months - bearing names as shown below:

Sanskrit
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N. K. Sundareswaran,
Professor , Department of Sanskrit,
University of Calicut,
Kerala - 673635
INDIA
https://universityofcalicut.academia.edu/SundareswaranNK

[Sundareswaran N.K.]

Dear List,

Sorry for the incomplete mail. Let me complete it.

In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, tradition follows Solar months - bearing names as shown below:

मेष               മേടം (मेडम्)            சித்திரை    (चित्तिरै)

वृषभ             ഇടവം(इडवम्)          வைகாசி (वैकाशि)

मिथुन            മിഥുനം(मिथुनम्)        ஆநி        (आनि)

कर्कटक   കർക്കടകം(कर्क्कटकम्) ஆடி        (आडि)

सिंह    ചിങ്ങം(चिङ्ङम्)         ஆவணி    (आवणि)

कन्या    കന്നി (कन्नि)           புரட்டாசி   (पुरट्टाशि)

तुला    തുലാം (तुलाम्)         ஐப்பசி      (ऐप्पशि)

वृश्चिक   വൃശ്ചികം (वृश्चिकम्) கார்த்திகை (कार्त्तिकै)

धनु    ധനു (धनु)             மார்கழி    (मार्गऴि)

मकर         മകരം (मकरम्)           தை        (तै)

कुम्भ         കുംഭം (कुंभम्)           மாசி       (माशि)

मीन          മീനം (मीनम्)             பங்குநி    (पङ्कुनि)

In Malayalam, the names are more or less the same as those in Sanskrit. But in Tamil, though the  months meant are solar ones, names are तद्भव-s of Sanskrit lunar months. 

For instance, see these:

चैत्रम् -चित्तिरै

वैशाख - वैकाशि

आषाढ  - आडि

श्रावणी - आवणि

Moreover, in the case of पौषमास, an older Sanskrit name, to be more specific, Vedic name viz. तैष (pertaining to तिष्या =पुष्य) is employed.

I know that many Tamil scholars are there in this forum. I would like to know their thoughts on this aspect. Further I request scholars to share the  sources of deliberations, in whatsoever mode, that have come out on this interesting aspect.

I may further add this: In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, for all calculations and observations of Vrata-s like शिवरात्रिव्रत, नवरात्रिव्रत, कृष्णाष्टमी, etc. Lunar months are followed. However for all other practical purposes and references, Solar months are reckoned.

In the case of जन्मदिन and श्राद्ध also, calculations and observations are based on Solar months.

Regards and Pranams,

nks

 

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[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste Sir

There are some coastal regions in Karnataka also following solar methods. Last year in 2020 Krishna Janmashtami in Udupi was in Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha and not in Sravana Krishna Paksha. Why? Because they believe Surya should be in Simha Rashi for Krishna Janmashtami. Last year Sravana Krishna Ashtami the Sun was in Karkataka and not Simha. When this happens they skip one month and go to Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami. 

But non coastal areas do not follow this rule. The inland people believe in Lunar calendar here. Some scholars have shown the Lunar calendar is more ancient and in tune with Vedic and Puranic sources. The Solar calendar is more recent. 

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Regards

 

-Venkatesh

[Sundareswaran N.K.]

Dear Murthy Sir,

Thank you for your response. Yes, The trend of following solar months, as you have pointed out in the case of Udupi region for कृष्णाष्टमी, is seen in some regions. I can cite another case.  Brahmins belonging to some particular Agrahara-s of Palghat (the present name is Palakkad), perform  Yajurupaakarman on the पूर्णिमा day of सिंहमास . This, of course, has the approval of some Smrti-s.

However my point is about the tamil tradition having Lunar names for Solar months. How much antiquity has this tradition got?  Is there another set of names for solar months (or lunar months) in  Old tamil literature? Has oral tradition got to say anything about this? Is there any  document/study/discussion/ deliberation dealing with this issue? 

Certainly this issue might have been noticed and discussed by scholars. I would like to get sources of such discussions and studies.

Thanks and regards,

nks

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[Rajagopalan Soundararajan]

Dear Sri NKS,

The months are named using solar positions in the Zodiac, for example: Mesha, Rishabha etc. The months are also named after the position of the Moon i..e when the Full Moon occurs in the nakshatra chart. In the month of Mesha, the Full Moon generally occurs in the start Chittirai and hence the month is named Chittirai. Similarly, Vaikasi (Visaka), Ani (Jyeshta), Adi (Ashada), Avani/Shravanam (Thiruvonam), Purattasi (Purattadi), Aippasi (Revati), Kartigai (Kruttigai), Margazi (mrugashirsham), Thai/Pushyam (Poosam), Maasi (Makam), Panguni (Uttiram-Uttara palguni).

The Tamil names of months are a mix of both conventions; Chittirai, Vaikasi, Kartigai etc follow the Full Moon convention. It also appears some names like Margazi, Masi, Panguni etc are variations over time from the Sanskrit originals such as Mrigashirsham, Makam, Uttara palguni etc. Even Adi seems to have been derived from Ashada. Of course Avani is a variation of Shravanam.

Thanks

[Sundareswaran N.K.]

Dear Sri Rajagopalan,

Thanks.

Yes, what you say is right. The solar  month Mesha (when Sun traverses the Mesha part of the zodiac) corresponds to the lunar month Chitra ( time taken for the moon to complete one cycle of waxing and waning - usually named basing on the asterism in which Moon happens to be on the full moon day) and so on. And the fact that the names of Tamil months can be derived from (or are tadbhava-s of) Sanskrit names Chitra etc. is also well-known. 

But in the process of forming a Luni-solar calendar why the names of months are retained in the Tamil region, even as the new concept of a solar month was accepted? (In the other regions the months have always been reckoned on lunar basis) That's the question. Another point I would like to raise is this: Is there anther set of months, be solar or lunar, which was in vogue in any period of time in the Tamil tradition?

nks

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[Radhakrishna Warrier]

In Kerala, festival days, birthdays etc. are reckoned based on nakshatra and the solar month.

The moonlight of Ōṇam (Ōṇa nilāvŭ) is a favorite of the Malayalam poets.  Do we always have moonlit nights during the time of the Ōṇam festival? If so, why?

The Śravaṇa (Ōṇam) nakṣatra is in the Makara Rāśi that spans roughly a 30° segment of the sky on the ecliptic (sun’s apparent path along the celestial sphere).  The festival day of Tiruvōṇam occurs when the moon is near Śravaṇa (Ōṇam) in the month Chingam (Ciṅṅam ചിങ്ങം).  The month of Chingam is so named because in that month the sun is in the Simha Rāśi. The beginning of Simha Rāśi which also spans roughly a 30° segment of the sky on the ecliptic is about 150° away from the beginning of Makara.  In this situation there will be an angular distance of 120° to 180° between the sun and the moon.  Full moon occurs when the angular distance between the sun and the moon is approximately 180°.  With an angular separation between the sun and the moon of 120° to 180°, we can expect a beautiful moonlit night if the sky is not overcast.

This I think is the logic of reckoning festival days based on nakṣatra and the solar month.  This way, we can expect fairly consistent phase of the moon for the festival day.  Those knowledgeable in astronomy (not astrology) may please correct me if I am wrong.

Regards,

Radhakrishna Warrier

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From: bvpar...@googlegroups.com <bvpar...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Sundareswaran N.K. <nksw...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 3, 2021 9:10 PM
To: bvparishat <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Tamil Solar Months - Bearing Lunar names!!

 

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