Tamil calendar


The Tamil calendar is a sidereal solar calendar used by the Tamil people. It is used in the Indian subcontinent, and other countries with significant Tamil population like Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar and Mauritius. It is used in contemporary times for cultural, religious and agricultural events, with the Gregorian calendar largely used for official purposes.

History

There are several references to the calendar in early Tamil literature. Nakkeerar, the Sangam period author of the Neṭunalvāṭai, wrote in the third century CE that the Sun travels each year from Mesha/Chittirai in mid-April through 11 successive signs of the zodiac. The same is referenced to by Kūdalūr Kiḻar in Puṟanāṉūṟu. Tolkappiyam, the oldest surviving Tamil grammar text, divides the year into six seasons and Chittirai marks the start of the "ilavenil" season. The fifth century CE treatise of Cilappatikaram mentions the 12 rāśis that correspond to the Tamil months. The sixth century epic Manimekalai alludes to this to the Hindu solar calendar.
Inscriptional evidences from Pagan in Myanmar from the 11th century CE and in Sukhothai in Thailand from the 14th century CE point to South Indian courtiers being tasked with defining the traditional calendar that followed a similar cycle.

Description

The Tamil calendar is based on the Hindu system of calendrics that was used to calculate date and time. The Tirukkanida Panchanga derived from astronomical data is used as a basis for the same. The calendar is similar to traditional calendars followed in other parts of the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia.
The Tamil calendar follows a 60-year cycle similar to the other traditional calendars of India. The Tamil New Year follows the Nirayana system, and usually falls on 13 or 14 April in the Gregorian year. The new year starts on the date arrived by adding the days corresponding to the 23 degrees of trepidation to the vernal equinox, when the Sun begins its transition as per the Hindu sidereal calendar. A Tamil calendar year might consist of 365 or 366 days in a year.

Sixty-year cycle

The 60-year cycle is common to Hindu traditional calendars, with similar names and sequence of years. The earliest reference of the same is in Surya Siddhanta, dated between 4th and 9th century CE. There are parallels to the sexagenary cycle used in the Chinese calendar, though which influenced the other has been subject to debate.
After the completion of a cycle of sixty years, the calendar re-starts with the first year of a new cycle. As per the Hindu Panchangam, it represents the year in which Shani Saturn and Vyalan come to a same position after 60 years.
The following list presents the current 60-year cycle of the Tamil calendar:
No.NameTransliterationGregorian YearNo.NameTransliterationGregorian Year
01.பிரபவPrabhāva1987–198831.ஹேவிளம்பிHēvilaṃbi2017–2018
02.விபவVibhāva1988–198932.விளம்பிVilaṃbi2018–2019
03.சுக்லŚuklā1989–199033.விகாரிVikāri2019–2020
04.பிரமோதூதPramadutā1990–199134.சார்வரிŚarvarī2020–2021
05.பிரசோற்பத்திPrachopati1991–199235.பிலவPlava2021–2022
06.ஆங்கீரசĀṅgirasa1992–199336.சுபகிருதுŚubhakṛt2022–2023
07.ஸ்ரீமுகŚrīmukha1993–199437.சோபக்ருத்Śobhakṛt2023–2024
08.பவBhava1994–199538.க்ரோதிKrodhī2024–2025
09.யுவYuva1995–199639.விசுவாசுவViśvāvasuva2025–2026
10.தாதுDhātu1996–199740.பரபாவParapāva2026–2027
11.ஈஸ்வரĪśvara1997–199841.ப்லவங்கPlavaṅga2027–2028
12.வெகுதானியVehudānya1998–199942.கீலகKīlaka2028–2029
13.பிரமாதிPramāti1999–200043.சௌம்யSaumya2029–2030
14.விக்ரமVikrama2000–200144.சாதாரணSādhāraṇa2030–2031
15.விஷுViṣu2001–200245.விரோதகிருதுVirodhikṛti2031–2032
16.சித்திரபானுCitrabhānu2002–200346.பரிதாபிParitapi2032–2033
17.சுபானுSubhānu2003–200447.பிரமாதீசPramādīca2033–2034
18.தாரணDhārana2004–200548.ஆனந்தĀnanda2034–2035
19.பார்த்திபPartibhā2005–200649.ராட்சசRākṣasaḥ2035–2036
20.வியViya2006–200750.நளNala2036–2037
21.சர்வஜித்Sarvajit2007–200851.பிங்களPiṅgāla2037–2038
22.சர்வதாரிSarvadhārī2008–200952.காளயுக்திKālayukti2038–2039
23.விரோதிVirodhī2009–201053.சித்தார்த்திSiddhidātrī2039–2040
24.விக்ருதிVikṛti2010–201154.ரௌத்திரிRautrī2040–2041
25.கரKara2011–201255.துன்மதிDhūnmatī2041–2042
26.நந்தனNandhana2012–201356.துந்துபிDundubhi2042–2043
27.விஜயVijaya2013–201457.ருத்ரோத்காரிRudhirōtgāri2043–2044
28.ஜயJaya2014–201558.ரக்தாட்சிRākṣasī2044–2045
29.மன்மதManmatha2015–201659.க்ரோதனKrodhanā2045–2046
30.துன்முகிDhuṇmūkī2016–201760.அட்சயAkṣayā2046–2047

Months

There are twelve months in the Tamil calendar, with 29 to 32 days per month. Tamil months start and end based on the Sun's shift from one rasi to the other, and the names of the months are based on the nakshatra that coincides with the start of the pournami in that month. The Tamil calendar month starts a few days after the corresponding Hindu calendar month as the Tamil calendar is a solar calendar, while the other is a lunisolar calendar.
Month English transliterationHindu Lunar calendarNakshatraGregorian calendarDays
சித்திரைChittiraiChaitraChittiraiApril-May30-31
வைகாசிVaikāsiVaisakhaVisakamMay-June31-32
ஆனிĀniJyesthaAnushamJune-July31-32
ஆடிĀdiAsadhaPooradam or UthiradamJuly-August31-32
ஆவணிĀvaṇiShravanaThiruvonamAugust-September31-32
புரட்டாசிPuraṭṭāsiBhadrapadaPooratathi or UthiratathiSeptember-October30-31
ஐப்பசிAippasiAsvinaAshviniOctober-November29-30
கார்த்திகைKārtikaiKartikaKartikaiNovember-December29-30
மார்கழிMārgaḻiMargashirshaMirgashirshamDecember-January29-30
தைTaiPaushaPushamJanuary-February29-30
மாசிMāsiMaghaMaghamFebruary-March29-30
பங்குனிPanguniPhalgunaUttiramMarch-April30-31

Seasons

A Tamil year is divided into six seasons, each of which lasts two months.
Season English transliterationEnglish translationHindu calendarCommon seasonTamil monthGregorian month
இளவேனில்Ila-venilLight warmthVasantaSpringChittirai, VaikāsiApril-June
முதுவேனில்Mudhu-venilHarsh warmthGrishmaSummerĀni, ĀdiJune-August
கார்KārDark cloudsVarshaMonsoonĀvaṇi, PuraṭṭāsiAugust-October
குளிர்KulirColdShardaAutumnAippasi, KārtikaiOctober-December
முன்பனிMun-paniEarly mistHemantaWinterMārgaḻi, ThaiDecember-February
பின்பனிPin-paniLate mistShishiraPre-vernalMāsi, PanguniFebruary-April