Indian Epigraphy c15.t1.34

c15.t1.34

The conception of a week of seven days does not appear in very early Indian literature. As indicated above, the name of the week-day first occurs in an Indian epigraph of the last quarter of the 5th century A.D., and it is generally believed that the conception was borrowed by the Indians from Greek astronomers. As in the West, the Indian week-days are named after seven out of the nine grahas : (1) the sun (called Ravi, Āditya, etc.), (2) the moon (called Soma, Candra, etc.), (3) Mars (called Bhauma, Maṅgala, etc.), (4) Mercury (called Budha, etc.), (5) Jupiter (called Bṛhaspati, Suraguru, etc.), (6) Venus (called Śukra, Daityaguru, etc.), and (7) Saturn (called Śani, Śanaiścara, etc.). Thus Sunday is called Ravi-vāra, Āditya-vāra, etc.