Famous Arab scholar 'Al-Beeruni" visited the Indo-Pak subcontinent in the
beginning of the 11th century AD. In his book - 'Kitab ul Hind or Indica' he
has written a chapter about the Calendars that had been used or were in use
in different parts of the subcontinent. Al-Beeruni mentions the following
five calendars and their geographical domains that he considered important
and were used in ancient times.
The Saka Era continued in Sindh for about seven hundred years when a new Era
was started in Sindh. Since this new Era was born in Sindh, it was called
Sindhu Sambat or Sindhu Era. Al-Beeruni makes a reference to the existence of
this Era in his book. The Sindhu Sambat was widely used in Sindh which at
that time included geographical area from Kashmir to the Sindh Sagar (
present day Arabian Sea) and from Gujrat to Kirman.
In a discussion about 'Aharguna' or methodology of calculating months and
days in a year, he presents a formulae that ties Sindhu Era, Islamic Hijra
Era, Iranian YazdGird Era and the Saka Era. He says that the Sindhu Era
should have started six years before the Iranian YazdGird Era. In his
estimation, the First of Month Safar in Year 117 Hijra was Fourth of Month
Chaytu in Year 109 Sindhu Sambat which was a Wendesday. In other words, the
first day of Month Chaytu in Year 109 Sindhu Sambat starts from Sunday, which
is also Chaytu 1st, 657 Saka; February 27, 735 AD; Moharam 28, 117 Hijra.
Based on the above, the first day of Month Chaytu in Year Zero of Sindhu
Sambat was Tuesday, March 11th 1997, which was also Chaytu 1st, 548 Saka Sambat; Azar 20, 7
Before YazdGird; March 4, 626 AD; and Ramazan 29, 4 Hijra. Let me point out
that March 4 is an important day in the Sindhi national movement in Sindh. It
so happens that Sindhu Sambat also started from March 4.
Having determined the starting date of the Sindhu Sambat from above exercise
one must look at the events that gave rise to Sindhu Sambat. It is a custom
in the subcontinent that Sambats start after triumphs of locals over invaders
or foreign rulers in a strugle for freedom. Therefore, we must look at the
history of Sindh in 626 AD. We have only 'Fathnama ( commonly known as
Chachnama)' ,written by Ali Koofi after the fall of Sindh to Arab invaders,
that gives an account of two dynasties (i.e. the Rai Dynasty and the Brahmin
Dynasty) who ruled Sindh before Arab invasion of 712 AD. Years in which these
rulers ruled are mixed up in the Chachnama and it is difficult to pinpoint
who ruled Sindh in 626 AD except that the ruler must have been someone from
the last Rai rulers. Based on the available documentary evidence, Dr. N.B.
Baloch says that the Brahamin and Rai rulers ruled in the following years:
The Sindhu Sambat started as a Lunar cum Solar system and the equivalence
among various Sambats was shown above under this system for the known dates
recorded in the history. However, to develop a conversion formulae is rather
confusing when both Lunar and Solar calculations are to be considered. It would be
wiser if a simple Solar calendar for Sindhu Sambat is devised whereby the
names of the months are kept the same. Such a calendar can then be used for
everyday use. Syed Samad Hussain Rizwi, a Pakistani astronomer has prepared
such a calendar that covers a period from the year 700 Before Sindhu Sambat
to year1499 Sindhu Sambat. This calendar is consistent with the Gregorian
calender. In accordance with this system the Sindhu Sambat leap year falls on
the year that is divisible by 4 after adding 2 to it. For example, year 1246
Sindhu Sambat was a leap year and there were 366 days in that year. It so
happens that the corresponding Gregorian and Sindhu Sambat years are Leap
years simultaneously. The equivalence between the Sindhu Sambat and the
Gregorian Calendar is as follows:
Sindhu Sambat.......Days in the Month.....Gregorian Calendar
This is a researched article by Dr Nabi Bux Baloch, former Vice Chancellor of Sindh University.
It is speculated that Saka Era came into being due to certain events that
took place in Sindh in the year 78 or 79 AD. Al-Beeruni mentions that a
foreign ruler ruled the 'Aryawarata' territories with its capital in Sindh.
He had issued an order whereby Aryas were to call themseleves only Sakas and
not the Aryas. He was therefore not liked by the people of Sindh. He was
killed in a local revolt at 'Kiror' near present day Multan (then a part of
Sindhu Desh). The Saka Era is said to have started from that incident after
which local population took a sigh of relief from this tyrant.
The Rai Dynasti kings were:
Another Arab Scholar Al-Tibiri has refered to a Raja who ruled Sindh in 644
AD while describing 'the Battle of the River' in Makran (then a part of
Sindh). He has given his name as 'Raja Rasal'. Dr. Baloch opines that this
Rasal is none other than Rai Sahasi II, the last Rai ruler of Sindh. The
Chachnama describes the death of Rai Saharas II, the father of Rai Sahasi II,
in a battle defending Sindh's borders, which extended up to Qalat and Makran,
against the Shah of Neemroz ( i.e. Seestan, Iran). Rai Saharas II gave his
life but the tide of the Iranian army was turned. Sindh was once again
independent of Iranian influence. Untill this battle, Iran had imposed its
hegemony over Sindh under one pretext or another. It was this reason that the
martyrdom of Rai Saharas II was celebrated by starting the Sindhu Sambat. It
was March 4, 626 AD when Rai Saharas II gave his life for Sindh and Chaytu
1st, Year Zero of Sindhu Sambat started from that day.
Now based on this conversion system following dates are equivalent:
Therefore, the Sindhi year starts with the first day of spring. We should
celebrate Sindhi new year or Chetia Chandu on March 22 or 21 each year
depending on if the year is a Leap year or not.
Ancient agarian cultures which persisted in using a lunar calendar,
including the Sindhi one, evolved a periodic adjustment to keep it
consistent with the solar calendar. A lunar calendar, which may be good enough for a nomadic people or
other more primitive societies, is quite unsuitable to an agarian
economy, where people plan planting and harvest, as well as
celebrations around planting and harvest time, based on the solar
cycle.
In Northern societies, where sunlight is scarce in the winter (e.g.,
days shrink from a few hours in Northern Germany to almost nothing
around the Artic circle) leading to greater incidence of depression,
many holiday celebrations are concentrated around the depressing
winter months (particulary Dec/Jan, where the days are the
shortest). Of course, the lunar month is a better predictor of cyclical high (and
low) tide, an observed rise in lunancy, romantic passions, etc.
There is a difference of 10+ days between the
solar and lunar calendars. In our lunar calendar, we make it up by
adding an extra month every three years. Such a calendar is published every year as
Sindhi Tipno (or Almanac).
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