Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c29: XXIV.—Ilâhi Era

Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c29

Language: English

XXIV.—Ilâhi Era

THE *Târikh Ilâhi*, or “Ilâhi Era,” was established by Akbar so late as the 30th year of his reign in A.H. 992, or A.D. 1584. The courtly Abul Fazl says, that it was established “in order to remove the perplexity that a variety of dates unavoidably occasions. He disliked the word *Hijra* (flight), but was at first apprehensive of offending ignorant men, who superstitiously imagined that this era and the Muhammadan faith were inseparable.” “Amir Fateh-Ullah Shirâzi corrected the calendar from the tables of Ulugh Beg, making this era to begin with His Majesty’s reign, and contemplating the character of the monarch, named it *Târikh Ilâhi*, or the Mighty Era.” “The years and months are both natural solar, without any intercalations. The names of the months and days correspond with the ancient Persian. The months are from 29 to 30 days each. There is not any week in the Persian month, (the) 30 days being distinguished by different names, and in those months which have 32 days, the last two are named *Roz-o-Shab* (day and night), and in order to distinguish one from the other are called first and second.”

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The Ilâhi era dates from Akbar’s accession to the throne, which, according to the Tabakât-i-Akbari, was Friday the 2nd of Rabi-us-Sâni, A.H. 963, or 15th February 1556, O. S.* It was employed extensively, though not exclusively, on the coins of Akbar and Jahângir, and appears to have fallen into disuse early in the reign of Shah Jahân. Marsden has published a coin of this king with the date of Snh 5 Ilâhi, coupled with the Hijra date of 1041. But in this case the Ilâhi date would appear to be only the *jalus*, or year of the king’s reign.†

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† Numismata Orientalia, Vol. II, p. 640.

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In the account quoted above from Abul Fazl, which Prinsep has also copied, the lengths of the months are said to be “from 29 to 30 days each;” but in the old Persian Calendar of Yazdajird, they were 30 days each, the same as amongst the Parsis of the present day. The names of the twelve months, all of which are found on the coins, are as follows:—

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∗ Nizâmuddin in Elliot's Muhammadan Historians, V, p. 241.

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The Ilâhi era, as well as the old Persian era, had a different name for each of the 30 days of the month—

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Days.

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The following is Abdul Kâdir’s account of the establishment of this era:[*] “The era of the Hijra was now abolished, and a new era was introduced, of which the first year was the year of the Emperor’s accession (963). The months had the same name as at the time of the old Persian kings, and, as given in the *Niçabuççibyan*, fourteen festivals also were introduced corresponding to the feasts of the Zoroastrians; but the feasts of the Musalmans and their glory were trodden down, the Friday prayer alone being retained, because some old, decrepit, silly people used to go to it. The new era was called Târikhi Ilâhi, or ‘Divine Era.’ On copper coins and gold-mohurs, the era of the Millennium was used, as indicating that the end of the religion of Muhammad, which was to last one thousand years, was drawing near.”

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I have read somewhere that in A.H. 992, when the Hijra millenary began to draw towards its close, and Akbar was meditating the establishment of the Ilâhi era, one of our courtiers stated openly that the eras even of the greatest kings did not last beyond 1,000 years. In proof of this he cited the extinction of some Hindu era, which was abolished at the end of 1,000 years.

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∗ Blochmann’s Ain-i-Akbari, p. 195.