The Orion, or Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas c8.63

c8.63

∗ See Dr. Geiger’s Civ. An. Iran., Vol. I., p. 145. The annual feasts to the manes amongst the Parsis came after the Gahanbars and it is interesting to note that the pitri paksha is defined in the Sūrya Siddhānta, xiv. 3-6. as the period of 16 days after the four Shadashīti-mukhas or festivals at intervals of 86 days each beginning with Libra. The author of the Sūrya Siddhānta is here evidently describing some old festivals and as Rāshis were in use in his days he fixes the duration of these festivals according to the calendar then in force. The mention of Libra does not therefore prevent us from regarding Shadashīti mukhas as old festivals. But whether Shadashīti mukhas were in any way connected with the Gahanbars it is not easy to determine in the present state of our knowledge of these festivals.