Indian Epigraphy c15.s1.t2: 2. Fasli Era
Indian Epigraphy c15.s1.t2
- Language
- English
2. Fasli Era
c15.s1.t2.1
¹ Ojha, *Bhāratīya Prācīn Lipimālā*, p. 192.
c15.s1.t2.2
The months of the Hijrī era which was introduced in the dominions of the Muslim rulers of India were not linked with the crop seasons. As it was easy to collect revenue from the tenants during the seasons of the Rabi and Kharif crops, the Mughal emperor Akbar introduced the era called Faslī, i.e. related to *fasl* or crop, by solarising the lunar Hijrī year 971 (1563 A. D. = Vikrama 1620). Unlike the Hijrī, the years and months of the Faslī are solar (luni-solar). Thus Faslī is another solar modification of the Hijrī like the Śuhūr era.
c15.s1.t2.3
Originally the Faslī era was introduced in the Punjab and U. P. regions. With the gradual expansion of Akbar's empire, it was introduced in Bengal and other tracts at different later dates. It was introduced in South India during the reign of Shāh Jahān in Hijrī 1046 = 1636 A.D. This and some other local factors are reponsible for the variations of the era as prevalent in different regions. In the Punjab, U. P. and Bengal, the Faslī era starts from Pūrṇimānta Āśvina-badi 1, and 592-93 added to the years of the era gives the equivalent years of the Christian era. The later introduction of the era in the South has lead to a difference of about 2¼ years between the North and South Indian Faslī, the South Indian Faslī being 2¼ years in advance of the North Indian. One has to add 590-91 to the years of the South Indian Faslī era to get corresponding years of the Christian era. In the Marāṭhī-speaking areas, i.e. in Maharasthra, the Faslī year, like the year of the Śuhūr San, begins with the sun's entry into the Mṛgaśirā *nakṣatra* (i.e. between the 5th and 7th of June), and the months are of the Arabic calendar, viz. Muharram, etc. In the Madras region, its beginning was originally calculated from the Karkaṭa-saṅkrānti (solar Śrāvaṇa 1). From 1800 A. D., the year was calculated to begin from the 13th of July and, from 1855 A.D., from the 1st of July.