Dialogue July-September, 2011, Volume 13 No.1
The Burmese Calendar
The Burmese calendar is essentially Indian.
Burmese astronomers use the kali-yuga which commenced in 3102 B. C.
Gautama Buddha’s grandfather, King Einzana, is said to have started a new era in 691 B.C.
The religious era of the Burmese starts from the date of Buddha’s Nirvāna in 543 B.G.
The Indian Saka era is equated with another, said to have been started by King Thamondarit of Prome in 78-9 A.D.
The common era of Burma was started A.D. 638-9 by King Poppasaw of Pagan. In Arakan this era is said to have been established by King Tharey-arenu of Dinyawadi dynasty. In Chittagong it is current under the name of Magi San.
The book used in Burma as the authority for matters astronomical is Thandeikta. It is based on our Sūrya-siddhānta, but applies its rules only to a limited extent. Sūrya-siddhānta itself was not known in Burma till 1148 B.E. (A.D. 1786). In that year, Bhavani Din, a learned pandit of Banaras, brought it to Amarapura, i.c. Mandalay, in North Burma. Some fifty years later, it was translated into Burmese.
Thandeikta docs not adopt the system of apparent reckoning. Mean years and mean months are still used, but the Burmese translation of the Sūrya-siddhānta was made use of in effecting small alterations in the length of the year and the month; the Metonic cycle was abandoned, and intercalary months were so fixed as to prevent further divergence between the solar and luni-solar years.
The Burmese use many Indian astronomical terms, e.g.: didi frfFk] the thirtieth part of a mean lunation. Adimath vf/kekl an intercalated month.
The Burmese Zodiac is divided into 12 rathi jkf'k] and each rathi into 30 intha v'ak-
The names of the signs are:
BURMESE SANSKRIT BURMESE SANSKRIT
1. Meiktha es"k 2. Pyeiktha o`"kHk
3. Medon feFkqu 4. Karakat ddZV
5. Thein flag 6. Kan dU;k
7. Tu rqyk 8. Pyeiksa o`f'pd
9. Danu /kuql~ 10. Makara edj
11. Kon dqEHk 12. Mein ehu
Besides the 12 signs of the Zodiac, the ecliptic is also divided into 27 nekkats (u{k=k) representing the 27 days of siderial month. Thandeika gives the following list of nekkats (u{k=k) ―
BURMESE SANSKRIT BURMESE SANSKRIT
1. Athawani vf'ouh 2.Barani Hkj.kh
3. Krattiga d`fÙkdk 4.Rawhani jksfg.kh
5. Migathi e`xf'kjl~ 6. Adara vknzkZ
7. Ponnapokshu iquoZlq 8. Poksha iq";
9. Athaleiktha vk'ys"kk 10. Maga e?kk
11. Prokpa Palgonni iwokZ QYxquh 12. Oktra Palgonni mÙkjk QYxquh
13. Hathada gLrk 14. Seiktra fp=kk
15. Thwati Lokfr 16. Withaka fo'kk[kk
17. Anurada vuqjk/kk 18. Zeta T;s"Bk
19. Mulathan ewyk 20. Prokpa Than iwokZ vk"kk<k
21. Oktra Than mÙkjk vk"kk<k 22. Tharawan Jo.kk
23. Danatheikda /kfu"Bk 24. Thattabeiksha 'krfHk"kk
25. Prokpa Parabaik iwokZ Hkknzink 26. Oktra Parabaik mÙkjk Hkknzink
27. Rewati jsorh
Among the days of the week are to be noted:
Inga Ne vúkjd Tuesday
Buddahu Ne cq/k Wednesday
Kyathabade Ne okpLifr Thursday
Thaukkya Ne 'kqØ Friday
Sane Ne 'kfu Saturday.
The Burmese phonetics has transformed some words into unrecognisable forms. Change of 'k or l to Fk is evident in the name of the Rangoon district itself - Hanthawadi for galkorh-