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 c8.2

c8.2

9. We computed the time of occurrence of the first mean new moon in K.Y. 5011, and we arrived at the result, 7 ghaṭikas and 17 palas after mean sunrise on 9th May 1910. If now we look into a Pañchāngam, computed from the English Nautical Almanac, like Mr. Srauti's Tiruvâdi Pañchāngam or Messrs. Râghava Châri & Son's Nungumbaukam Pañchāngam, we shall find the time of occurrence of the new moon in May 1910 to be 9th May, 13 ghaṭikas and 2 palas after sunrise. It is encouraging that we are so near the Pañchāngam result, but we are not near enough. The Pañchāngams in question are calculated for the latitude and longitude of Kumbakonam and Madras, respectively, whereas our calculation is for mean sunrise (6 a.m.) at the Equator on the meridian of Ujjain, which is accepted by Hindu astronomers as a starting point in the same way as Greenwich is accepted by modern English astronomers. It is known that Madras time is 18 minutes or 45 palas in advance of Ujjain time, and, further, sunrise at Madras on the 9th May 1910 is noted in the Panchangam as occurring 12 minutes or 30 palas before 6 a.m. These two circumstances account for a difference of 75 palas or 1 ghaṭika and 15 palas between our mean time and the Panchangam time, but there is still a difference of 4 ghaṭikas and 30 palas or ·0750 of a day to be accounted for.