Indian Chronology (Solar, Lunar and Planetary): A Practical Guide to the Interpretation and Verification of Tithis, Nakshatras, Horoscopes and other Indian Time-records, B.C. 1 to A.D. 2000 c6.10

c6.10

5. The Decursus of the Hindu Solar Reckoning.—Hindu astronomers reckon on the present chronology from the midnight between 17th and 18th February 3102 B.C., which is commonly called the beginning of Kaliyuga. On the morning of 18th February 3101 B.C., that is one year later, one complete Hindu solar year had run out by 6·13 a.m., *i.e.*, ·25875 of the day. As however the Hindu day is always reckoned from sunrise, mean sunrise for the whole of India being at 6 a.m., the first year is reckoned to have been completed at 13 minutes (or exactly ·00876 of a day) Indian time of the day, on 18th February 3101 B.C. At this moment the year 1 of Hindu chronology began. You probably think it was the year 2 which began on 18th February 3101 B.C., and not the year 1 ; but the Hindus generally reckon completed or expired years, and not current years, as the European calendar does; and this is another point which you should thoroughly understand. The first year of the Hindu chronology, which began on 18th February 3102 B.C., is, according to Hindu reckoning, the year 0. By adding 3101 to an English calendar year A.D. you can always arrive at the corresponding (expired) year of Kaliyuga. Thus the present year 1910 A.D. is K.Y. 5011. For a B.C. year, the K.Y. equivalent is obtained by subtracting it from 3102, not 3101.