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| Nanakshahi Calender |
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| In Nanakshahi calendar
Gurpurb dates have been fixed according to the solar
dates, and since Common Era Calendar is also based
on the tropical year , Gurpurbs will always occur
on the same dates of the Common Era Calendar,
and will not shift from year to year. |
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Month |
Date |
Gurpurab |
January |
5 |
Parkash
Guru Gobind Singh Ji |
| 31 |
Parkash
Guru Har Rai Ji |
March |
14 |
Hola
Mohalla New Year Day |
| Gurgaddi
Guru Har Rai Ji |
| 19 |
Jyoti
Jot Guru HarGobind Ji |
April |
14 |
Parkash
Guru Nanak Dev Ji |
| Creation
of the Khalsa |
| 16 |
Gurgaddi
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji |
| Gurgaddi
Guru Amar Das Ji |
| Jyoti
Jot Guru Angad Dev Ji |
| Jyoti
Jot Guru Har Krishan Ji |
| 18 |
Parkash
Guru Angad Dev Ji |
| Parkash
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji |
May
|
2 |
Parkash
Guru Arjan Dev Ji |
| 23 |
Parkash
Guru Amar DAs Ji |
June |
11 |
Gurgaddi
Guru HarGobind Ji |
| 16 |
Jyoti
Jot Guru Arjan Dev Ji |
| July |
5 |
Parkash
Guru HarGobind Ji |
| 23 |
Parkash
Guru Har Krishan Ji |
| August |
16 |
Completion
of Granth Sahib Ji |
| September |
1 |
Parkash
Guru Granth Sahib Ji |
| 16 |
Gurgaddi
Guru Ram DAs Ji |
| Gurgaddi
Guru Arjan Dev Ji |
| Jyoti
Jot Guru Amar DAs Ji |
| Jyoti
Jot Guru Ram DAs Ji |
| 18 |
Gurgaddi
Guru Angad Dev Ji |
| 22 |
Jyoti
Jot Guru Nanak Dev Ji |
| October |
9 |
Parkash
Guru Ram DAs Ji |
| 20 |
Gurgaddi
Guru Granth Sahib Ji |
| Gurgaddi
Guru Har Krishan Ji |
| Jyoti
Jot Guru Har Rai Ji |
| 21 |
Jyoti
Jot Guru Gobind Singh Ji |
| 24 |
Jyoti
Jot Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji |
| November |
24 |
Gurgaddi
Guru Gobind Singh Ji |
Notes:
1.
All the dates given above are fixed, so that the
Gurpurbs shall always fall on the same date of
the CE calendar and Nanakshahi calendar. According
to Hindu calendar there had been two Parkash Purbs
of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib in 2003 CE.
2. The Calendar Committee of the SGPC in their
meeting of 30 June, 1999 decided that Hola Muhalla,
Bandi Chhor Divas, and the Birthday of Guru Nanak
Sahib, shall continue to be celebrated according
to the existing practice for the time being. This
was to appease some of the so called 'Babas' and
members of 'Sant Samaj'.
In 2007CE the dates for these according to the
Bikrami (Hindu) calendar are :
i. Holla Muhalla - ..............................................04
March
ii. Bandi Chhor Divas (Diwali) - ............................27
October
iii. Guru Nanak Sahib's Parkash (Katik Pooranmashi)
- 13 November
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| Why Nanakshahi
calendar
? |
Sardar Pal Singh Purewal,
the developer of this calendar describes in his
own world the following reasons for Nanakshahi calendar
:
A calendar is part of a Nation's religious identity.
"Today each of the major religions has its own calendar
...and it is almost as true to say that each calendar
has its religion- (E.G. Richards, Mapping Time).
ikrami Calendar is Hindu calendar
used by the Sikhs, for a very long period resulting
in different dates of same gurpurab or event every
year basically there are two problems with the
Bikrami calendar. Firstly, because it is based
on the length of sidereal year its months wander
in seasons - the relation of the months with seasons
as given in Gurbaani is changing. Secondly, since
the Gurpurbs are celebrated according to the lunar
dates of the Bikrami calendar, these occur on
different dates of the Common Era calendar from
year to year.
Both these problems have been resolved
in Nanakshahi Calendar. Its year is based on the
length of the tropical year - the year which is
based on Gurbaani. Therefore, its months will
always maintain the present relationship with
seasons, and will stay according to Gurbaani.
lso, since the Gurpurb dates have
been fixed according to the solar dates, and since
Common Era Calendar is also based on the tropical
year , Gurpurbs will always occur on the same
dates of the Common Era Calendar, and will
not shift from year to year. In 1998 CE the Parkash
Purb of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib occurred twice
according to Bikrami Calendar, and did not occur
in 1999 CE at all. The same situation is going
to repeat in 2003 CE and 2004 CE. Parkash Gurpurb
will be twice in 2003 CE, and none in 2004 CE.
In Nanakshahi Calendar there is no such anomaly.
This Gurpurb shall always occur on 23 Poh (Nanakshahi)
/ 5 January CE. |
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| Who
opposes Nanakshahi calendar ? |
Sardar Pal Singh Purewal,
further says :
The opposition to the Nanakshahi Calendar came mainly
from BJP/RSS, Baba Kashmira Singh, and late Baba
Mangal Singh (may his soul rest in peace) and their
followers, and very few intellectuals. The opposition
can be categorized as follows:
1.
From persons who are slaves to the tradition and
resist any change however good.
2.
From those who in the garb of Sikhism act against
the tenets of Sikhism, and who have infiltrated
into the very high Sikh Institutions and adversely
influence the process of decision making, which
results in decisions that are not in the best interest
of the Sikh Nation.
3. From those
who find technical faults with the Calendar.
4. From those who say that since in
Gurbaani 'tithis' and Bikrami dates are mentioned,
and since Guru Sahiban used the Bikrami Calendar,
we cannot discard Bikrami Calendar.
Briefly my response is as follows:
1.
It is not unnatural to resist change, but if the
change makes things easier, better, and is more
scientific we should accept it. In every sphere
we are accepting change daily, but where traditions
are concerned we have problems. However, sometimes
a wrong belief is the cause of the resistance to
change. One such commonly held belief is that Vaisakhi
always occurs on 13th April. But this is not true.
The dates of Vaisakhi, and for that matter, of all
Sangrands have been changing slowly but consistently.
In the last century Vaisakhi occurred on 12th April,
13th April and 14th April. It will go on shifting.
In Nanakshahi Calendar Vaisakhi has been fixed on
14th April. Vaisakhi and other 'sangrands' will
not change both in relation to the seasons and the
Common Era, but in the Bikrami Calendar these will
always go on changing. In 3000 CE Vaisakhi will
be on May 1.
2. I had discussed
the Gurpurb dates and the Nanakshahi Calendar with
Baba Kashmira Singh on 28th February, 1999 at his
Dera, for more than two hours. I answered all his
questions to his full satisfaction. But it appears
that he was toeing the line of RSS in opposing the
Nanakshahi Calendar vehemently, and supporting the
Bikrami Calendar vigorously. It was Baba Kashmira
Singh who said at the meeting at Akal Takht Sahib
that Nanakshahi Jantri [Calendar] would do what
AK47 could not do? I am given to understand that
he is now in support of the NS Calendar, provided
certain dates of Gurpurbs are changed.
3. Persons, like Dr Harinder Singh of Punjab
University, Chandigarh, S. Santokh Singh of Amritsar,
and Col. Nishan of Chandigarh, and lately Dr. Harjinder
Singh Dilgeer who do not possess adequate knowledge
of calendars, find 'gross errors' in the Nanakshahi
Calendar. It appears , that some objectors have
not even read the introduction given by me in the
Nanakshahi Jantri 1999-2000 published by SGPC (available
free of cost).
4. And lastly, in
Gurbaani : |
|
| a. |
'yojan',
and 'kos' have been mentioned as units of distance.
We discarded them first for 'mile' and then for
'kilometer'.
. |
| b. |
'gaz',
'hath', 'angul' have been mentioned as units of
length. We gave them up for 'meter', and 'centimeter'
.
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| c. |
'man',
'ser', 'tola', 'tank', 'masa', 'rati' have been
mentioned as units of weight. We have replaced them
with 'quintal', 'kilogram', 'gram' and 'milligram'.
. |
| d. |
'muhurat',
'ghari' 'pal' have been mentioned as units of time.
We have given them up and are using hours and minutes.
Guru Sahiban used the then prevalent units without
commenting on their accuracy or inaccuracy. They
did not ordain that the Sikhs shall forever use
these units, and this applies to the Bikrami Calendar
as well. |
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