Introduction to Panchangum

History :
India, the land of Rig Veda and the mesmerizing epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata and the treasures of wisdom in the form of her ancient scriptures, also has long drawn traditions in panchanga which has carved a special niche for themselves in more than 5,000 years old Indian history.

In the early decades of 20th century, there were panchangas, one published by the Nirnaysagar Press of Mumbai and two others by a press at Surpur near Gulbarga now in Karnataka. Besides these, there were two/three panchangas in Karnataka and one or two sampradaik panchangas brought by certain sects. However, there was no unanimity among these panchangas.

Astronomical mathematics plays a crucial role in the compilation of a panchanga. The Late Shree Laxmanshaastree Date (Nana) used to wonder how these panchangas differed from one another even though they were based on astronomical mathematics. He felt that this was because these calculations were based on the theories propounded in the two scriptures, Surya Siddhanta and Grahalaghava. The Grahalaghava was compiled some 600 years ago and Surya Siddhanta was available ages before that. Therefore these had become outdated by Nana's times. The calculations based on these theories did not match the actual celestial positions, yet the editors of the panchangas preferred to stick to these theories since there was no option for them. They went to the extent of saying that the calculations only from Grahalaghava had the sanction of the Dharmashaastras.

The issue of discrepancies among various panchangas in India was discussed threadbare in 1906 at a conference of Akhil Bharatiya Jyotish Parishad organised at the instance of Lokmaanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who himself was a mathematician besides being a veteran journalist and the freedom fighter.

Lokmaanya Tilak did not discuss anything about Dharmashatra, the Bharatiya ethical traditions and guidelines for the daily chores. He insisted, however, that a panchanga should be a mirror of the sky. The mathematical calculations should be able to provide the positions of grahas (the planets) and nakshatras (constellations) in the sky as they are observed. He appealed to the scholars to adopt Drukpratyayi (what you calculate is what you see) mathematics, but they were in no mood to agree to his views. They continued to argue that Grahalaghaviya mathematics had the sanction of Dharmashaastras. They felt that any new theory would have no religious sanction.