ANCIENT INDIA AND SCIENCE

• As per Rig Veda Kaliyug started in 3120 BC with the start of the Mahabharata war.

• Shape of Earth and India   As per Hindu mythology, the cosmos was shaped like a flat dish, the centre of which was Meru Parvat. Around Meru Parvet , the sun, the earth and moon rotated. There were four independent continents around this peak , one of them was Jambu Dweep (Jambu = Rose and Dweep = Island) where humans stayed. The southern part of this land which was beyond the Himalayas was called Aryavarte & Bhatatkhande or the land of the Aryans and sons of Bharat.
• Manu had two children, Ila the daughter and Iksavaku the son. The Chandravanshi and Suryavanshi trace their lineage to these two.

The Indian Calendar.

• The Indian calendar is of 29.5 days. the month sis divided into two halves called Paksha of 15 Thithees (Lunar days) each. The first half beginning with full moon and was called Purnimavasya and the second half beginning with new moon was called Amavashya or Bahaulvashya. The fortnight beginning with the new moon was called Shuklpaksha and the dark half is called Krishnapaksha. The calandar normally consists of 12 lunar months. This makes only 354 days, thus to cater for the difference with a solar year, a thirteenth month was added to the calendar after each 30 lunar months. This leap month was called Dvitiya Asadha or DvitiyaSravanna. It was added after asadha or sravanna month. Thus each second or third year had thirteen months.

• Indian Months These are Chaitra (March - April), Vaishakh (April - May), Jyaistha (May - June), Ashadh (June - July), Sharavan (July - August), Bhadrapada or Parusthapada (August - September), Ashivan or Asvayuja (September - October), Kartikka (October - November), Margasirsha or Agrahayana (November - December), Pausa or Taisa (December - January), Magha (January-February), and Phalgun (February - March). However during Vedic times the months were called Madhu, Madhava, Shukra, Suchi, Nabhas, Nabhasya, Isa, Urja, Sahas, Tapas and Tapashya.

• Indian Seasons A group of two months was called Ritu. The six seasons were Vasantha ( Spring, March - May), Grishma (Summers, May - July), Varsha (Rains, July - September), Sarad (Autumn, September - November), Hemantha (Winters, November - January),and Sishir (Cool season, january - March.)

• Indian Dates Indian dates are normally given in the order of month, paksha and tithi and the abbreviation sudi or badi is used for the bright or dark halves of the month e.g. Chaitra sudi7 means , seventh day from the new moon of the month of Chaitra .
• The various Era's followed by Indians are :-
• Vikramaditya Era - this started in 58BC. It was started by Emperor Vikramaditya to celebrate his victory over the Sakas and driving them out of Ujjain.
• Sakas Era - This was started by a Saka King on his return to Ujjain in 78AD.
• Gupta Era - started by Emperor Chandra Gupta in 320 AD.
• Harsh era - Started by Raja Harshavardhana of Kannauj in 606 AD.
• Kalachuri Era - Started in 248 AD by a small dynasty of Central India called Traikutaka.
• Lakshmana Era - Started in Bengal in 1119 AD.
• Lichivi and Nevar Era of Nepal started in 110 Ad and 878 AD respectively.
• Kollam Era of Malabar Started in 825 AD.
• Buddha Era started in 544 BC.
• Mahavir Era started in 528 BC.
• Off all the above, the Saka and Vikrama are the most widely used eras.
• Weights, Measures and Distances The various measurements given in the Manu Smriti and still in use in some of the remote villages and areas of India are:-

• Goldsmith weights - 5 ratti = 1 massa,16 massa = 1 tola, 4 tola = 1 pala, 10 palas = 1 dharna.

• Length
• 8 Yava (barley corn) = 1 angul (one fingers breadth = 3.4 inch).
• 12 Anguls = 1 vitasti (span of fingers = 9 inches.)
• 2 Vitasti = 1 Hasta(hand) 18 inches.
• 4 Hastha = 1 danda or dhanu 6 feet.
• 2000 dandas = 1 kosh or goruta 2 1/2 miles.
• 4 kosh = 1 yojana 9 miles.
• Time
• 18 Nimesas (wink) = 1 Kastha (3 1/2 secs.)
• 30 Kastha = 1 Kala (1 3/5 minutes).
• 15 kalas = 1 Nadika or Nalika (24 Minutes.)
• 30 Kalas or 2 Nadikas - 1 Muhurata or Kasna (48 Minutes.)
• 30 Muhuratas = 1 aho-ratri (1 day and night = 24 hours.)

• Cosmology and Cosmic Time According to scriptures cosmos passes through cycles of time within cycles of time for all eternity over an enormous period of time called Mahakalpa. During the cosmos evolves and declines and again evolves only to decline once again. This cycle is divided into four periods Ashankyeya .

• The basic cycle is called Kalpa i.e ' Day of Brahma' which is equal to 4320 million earthly years. His night is equal to the day, 360 such day and night of Brahma is equal to "One year of Brahma". The life of each Brahma is 100 such years, thus as per the Hindu's the life of the universe is 311,040,000 million years. After this another great Brahma takes birth.
• In each cosmic day or Kalpa the Brahma creates the Universe and gathers it in his lap at night.
• Each Kalpa has 14 Manvantras or secondary cycles of 306,720,000 earth years.
• In each of this secondary cycles one new Manu appears.
• We are now in the 7th Manavantra of the Kalpa. The present Manu is called Vaivasvata.
• Each Manvantra contains 71 Mahayugs (1000 Mahayugs make one Kalpa.)
• Each Mahayug has four yugs called Karta, Treta, Dwapar and Kalyug. The duration of each of these is 4800, 3600, 2400 and 1200 years of GOD (each year of God = 360 human years.)
• We are in the Kalyug which started in 3120 BC i.e when the Mahabharat war started. the Kalyug will finish in 428898 AD (A very long way off, so do not worry about the Mayan Calender about the earth Coming to an end in 2012 AD)

• The Planets and Stars As per Rig Veda, the heaven was divided into 27 Nakshatras based on the position of moon. The full cycle of moon was divided into 27 1/2 days and later this was corrected by adding another nakshatra. The 28 Nakshatras were Ashwini, Bharani, Krattka, Rohini, Mragasiras, Ardra, Punarvasu, Pusya, Asleesa, Magha, Purva-Phalguni, Uttara-Phalguni, Hastha, Chitra, Swati, Vishaka, Annuradha, Jyestha, Maula, Purvasadha, Uttarasadha, abhijeet, Sharvana, Dhanishta or Sravistha, satabishaj, Purva-bhadrapadda and Uttara- Bhadrapadda.
• The seven planets which could be seen by naked eyes were named Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Budha (Mercury),Shukra (Venus), Mangal (Mars), Brahspati (Jupitar), and Shani (Saturn). later two more planets which though could not be seen by the naked eyes . These were Rahu and Ketu. So way back , before the invention of the telescope, our astronom,ers had said that there were nine planets.

  KINGS As per Vedas there are five types of Kings. These are :

• Raja - An ordinary King
• Maharaja - A great King
• Rajadhiraj - King of Kings
• Maharajadhiraj - Great king of kings.
• Chakravartiraja - Universal Emperor