# Controversy Surrounding Nanakshahi Sikh Calender



## Admin (Dec 3, 2009)

*Nanakshahi is Immortal *
Simple Primer of the Almanac
Pal Singh Purewal

_Nearly two decades of painstaking research resulted in the conception and creation of the Nanakshahi Calendar, which presented a flawless almanac to the beleaguered Sikh community in search of its sui generis status. Since its implementation in 2003, with the approval of the Khalsa Panth, endorsement by the SGPC and under the seal of Akal Takht Sahib, as its implementation was ordered at the Akal Takht Sahib, it has become part of the daily personal, religious and professional affairs of nearly 95 percent of the Sikh nation. The state government of Punjab and the government of India have adopted Sikh holidays as per this calendar.

Then and now, a section of the community, with little or no understanding or deliberate misunderstanding is attempting to undermine the calendar, through amendment or rejection, from a belligerent group of people who want it to be replaced with the earlier anomaly-ridden Hindu mythology based Bikrami calendar, which is totally inimical to Sikh traditions and beliefs.  

We believe that truth and facts can dispel the canards of forces out to destroy the institution of the calendar, dear to the Sikhs. As the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib Giani Gurbachan Singh and the SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar are working for a review of the same and have asked for views from the community prior to 5 January 2010, World Sikh News presents a set of FAQs about the calendar which will enlighten readers into the background and contents of the historic calendar, prepared by none other than the septuagenarian author of the calendar, Pal Singh Purewal.

_Do you know that even Baba Banda Singh Bahadur struck coins              in the name of Nanakshahi?  Do you know that              Nanakshahi mohars were minted during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit              Singh? Do you know that some old buildings still              have bricks called Nanakshahi bricks? Do you know that Dr Ganda              Singh compiled _Mukhtasir Nanakshahi Jantri (Urdu_) published              in 1949CE by the Sikh History Society,  Amritsar? Do you              know that the offfice of Sri Akal Takht Sahib has already started              giving the Nanakshahi date with the corresponding date of the Common              Era in its correspondence and in Hukamnamas? Do you know that most              Sikh websites cite both the Nanakshahi dates and the Common Era              dates on their homepages? Do you know that the Sikh Panth is more              united on the issue of Nanakshahi Calendar than on any other issue?              Now is the time              to be better informed and to join hands to contest any move to              undermine the calendar in any small or big way. 
*Question:* *What is the relationship of Gurbani with the Nanakshahi Calendar?*
*Answer:*              When Guru Sahiban revealed _Barahmaha_ and _Ruti Sloka Banis_,              they had the seasons in Punjab and not the ones in Australia, in              their mind, just like Guru Sahiban used the Indian units rati, tola,              masa, ser, maan etc., and not the British units ounces, pounds,              stone, nor the international units grams, and kilograms etc. It is              true that Guru Sahiban’s message is universal, but there are certain              thoughts expressed in Gurbani which are region-specific.
Barahmaha's              spiritual message is universal, but the seasons and their occurrence              in particular months is region specific.
In Barahmaha              Tukhari in the month of Asarh the following line occurs:
ਰਥੁ              ਫਿਰੈ ਛਾਇਆ ਧਨ ਤਾਕੈ              ਟੀਡੁ ਲਵੈ ਮੰਝਿ ਬਾਰੇ ॥ ਪੰ:              1108


This refers to              the date when the day is longest in the year, and usually the              hottest, when the northern declination of the sun is maximum, when              the sun changes its course from northerly to southerly direction              (see Faridkoti Teeka, Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha- Mahan Kosh, or              Sampardaee Teeka of Sant Kirpal Singh). This phenomenon occurred on              the Sawan Sangrand at the time of beginning of Siddhantic astronomy.              Because of the shift of the Sangrands due to the precession of the              equinoxes, it occurred about 15th Asarh at the time of Guru Nanak              Sahib, and around 13th Asarh in the first decade of the 18th              Century, and occurs around 9th Asarh during the present times. This              will shift to the close of Jeth in another 600 years. Here it does              not matter whether it is  Australia              or India, it will occur in Jeth, contrary to its mention in the              month of Asarh. Unlike Bikrami calendar, Nanakshahi calendar is              based on the tropical length of the year, therefore no further shift              will occur and it will always occur in the month of Asarh. 
In 6500 years,              Asarh will move into mid-September. In September, it is autumn in              the Northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere.             
The names of the              month of the Nanakshahi calendar are the same as given in Barahmahas,              except that their popular variants are used. We read Gurbani, and we              want our children to read and understand Gurbani. We have to tell              them about calendars as well, when explaining Gurbani Barahmahas.
On the beginning              month of the Nanakshahi Calendar, I just want to reiterate that in              the calendar we cannot have Chet as the twelfth month, when it is              the first month in both the Barahmahas and Ruti Slok Banis.  
*Question:* *Why was it necessary to give up the Bikrami calendar?*
*Answer:*              We gave up the Bikrami calendar for the following three primary              reasons:
1. The months              mentioned in the Bikrami calendar do not have a permanent              relationship with the seasons as mentioned in Gurbani.
2. The              lunar-date system is not very practical. For celebrations of              important days we should use a calendar based on the solar tropical              year. The Bikrami calendar is luni-solar based on the sidereal year.
3. A calendar is              a part of the identity of a Nation and the Sikh nation should have              its own calendar.  
*Question*:             *All Guru Sahiban used the Bikrami calendar because that calendar              was in common use. Guru Sahiban also used other units of time,              weight and measure, which have been discarded and replaced. You are              not using ghati, pal, ratti, tola, masa, ser, mann, and gaz,              etc. Do we cite Gurbani concerning these units and try to convince              people to go back to them?*
*Answer*:              Do you know that the Bikrami calendar used in  Punjab              these days is not the same as was in use during the Guru period? If              you really believe that you should adhere to the Bikrami calendar              because of mention of its dates in Gurbani, then you should discard              all Jantris published in  Punjab, and use              those based on Surya Siddhanta which was used during Guru period to              calculate Bikrami calendar. Do you know what Surya Siddhanta is?              There are still some Jantris calculated according to Surya Siddhanta              and published from Varanasi.
Regarding past              dates I would like to mention that there have been changes in              calendars the world over. The change is applicable from the              implementation time and not retroactively. Old dates are always              interpreted in the then prevalent calendar. 
I would also              like to add, to clear the air that Guru Ji did not create the              Bikrami calendar. It was there before their time.


*Question:* *Is there mention of rasi and sankranti in Guru Granth Sahib?* 
*Answer:*              There is no mention of any rasi in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The Hindus              have defined the 'sankranti'. (By the way the sun does not enter a              new zodiac belt, it enters the next rasi in the same belt.) When in              1998CE Nanakshahi Jantri (Calendar) was first published we called              the day 1 of the months of Nanakshahi Calendar Mah Arambhta, which              it really is.
We are not sun              worshippers. We are worshippers of Akalpurkh. At all Gurdwaras Giani              Jis and the lay worshippers too, mention in the Ardaas 'commencement              of the new month' and seek Akalpurkhs blessings for the new month,              and not Rasi Pravesh of the sun. Next time when any of you go to the              Gurdwara on a _'Sangrand_' day, talk to the members of the              Sangat, and find out how many know from which _rasi_ the sun              has moved to which _rasi_.
*Question:* *What is seriously wrong with the Bikarami calendar?*  
*Answer:*              The Bikrami Calendar is already out of tune from the seasons by              about 24 days. How many know what ayanamsa is? 
In the Panchanga              Divakar (Hindi) or Martand Panchaga (Hindi) for 2060BK or 2061BK,              the value of Ayanamsa for the first of every month is given. I leave              this as an exercise for the inquisitive reader to find out what it              means. It is very relevant to why the Bikrami calendar months are              shifting in seasons. Even the Hindu Pundits agree that months of the              Bikrami calendar are drifting in seasons, since its year is not              based on the length of the tropical year, on which most other solar              calendars of the world are based. 
By Guru Nanak              Sahib's time, the Bikrami calendar was out by about 16 days. There              has been a further drift of about 8 days since then. Bikrami month              of Chet will shift to about middle of June in 6500 years. Similar              shift of other months including Vaisakh shall occur. The rate of              shift is roughly 1 week in 500 years. These are basic astronomical              facts. 
In the Ganesh              Aapa Panchanga (Hindi) for the same year (2060BK or 2061 BK),              compare the dates of sankrantis given in each. Which ones you would              celebrate - the ones from Kurali Pundits or the one from Varanasi              Pundit? Compare the dates and times of _tithis_ given in each.              It will be a revelation.
*Question:* *During the Guru period, mainly Bikrami luni-solar, Saka, and the              Hijri calendars were in use in ** India,              while the calendar used in England              was the Julian calendar?*
*Answer:*              The Gregorian calendar, now commonly known as Common Era, which is              in use throughout the world along with indigenous calendars, is not              the same as the Julian calendar. The dates of the Julian calendar              are not the same as those of the Gregorian. If we have to use the              dates of the Julian calendar then we shall have to follow the method              the Greek Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church use.              They celebrate Christmas on 25th December of the Julian calendar and              not on the 25th of the Gregorian calendar. Now a days, the 25th              of December (Julian) falls on 7th January of the Gregorian              calendar,. Therefore, they celebrate Christmas on 7th January              Gregorian.
The original              date of Shaheedi of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib is 11 Maghar, 1732              Bikrami/11 November, 1675 (Julian). We have converted 11 Maghar in              the Nanakshahi calendar to 24th November (Gregorian). This date,              i.e. 11 Maghar, will always fall on 24th November. Coincidentally,              if we convert 11 November Julian to Gregorian it is also 24th              November in this century. The birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib              was on 23 Poh 1723 Bikrami/22 December 1666 Julian. Now a days, the              22nd of December (Julian) occurs on 4th January              (Gregorian), and in the next century it will fall on 5th January. We              have taken 23 Poh as the original date, and according to Nanakshahi              calendar it will always fall on 5th January. The Julian dates as              well as the dates of the Bikrami calendar will continue shifting in              the Gregorian calendar. The shift of months in seasons is even              greater in the Bikrami calendar than it is in the Julian calendar.
I am of the              opinion that we should neither use the Julian dates of the Guru              period in the Gregorian calendar, nor convert the Julian dates into              Gregorian and then use them. The original dates are in either lunar              dates or the solar dates of the Bikrami calendar. The Julian              calendar was unknown in  Punjab at that              time. We should celebrate the Gurpurbs on the original solar dates.              For the Nanakshahi calendar we have taken those original solar              dates. These original solar dates, as given in Nanakshahi Calendar,              will always occur on the fixed dates of the Gregorian calendar.              Don't we celebrate the Shaheedi purbs of Sahibzadas on 8 and 13 Poh,              which are solar dates?
*Question:              What is Surya Siddhanta and what is its relevance? Did the Guru              Sahibs have anything do with it?*
*Answer:*              Surya Siddhanta used in Guru Sahiban's time has already been              discarded in most of India. Very few almanac compilers use it these              days. In 1960s they switched over to the calculation of _tithis,              sankrantis,_ etc. according to modern astronomical methods. Surya              Siddhantic methods have been proven by the pundits to be erroneous              for calculating the positions of sun, moon, planets, and eclipses.             
Guru Sahiban's              mission did not include the correction of Surya Siddhanta formulas.              It was left for the scientists.
*Question:* *Are the Sikh dates in the Nanakshahi calendar as per Sudis and              Vadis? What about Amavasyas, Pooranmasis, and Panchamis*
*Answer:*              In the Nanakshahi Jantri, I have kept only Guru Nanak Sahib’s              Gurpurb celebration,and Bandi Chhor Divas (Divali) according to the              Pooranmasi and Amavasya respectively. That too,onlyfor the time              being. However, yielding to the pressure from the ‘Sants’, Hola              Muhalla date was also made an exception. Even this did not appease              the ‘Sants’. They do not want to give up the Bikrami Calendar. We              have included the festivals of other nations in the Nanakshahi              Jantri for information. We decided to keep most of the festivals              from previous publication of the SGPC, but put them in the category              of ‘Other Festivals’. Gurpurabs and Sikh festivals have been shown              separately.
The Calendar              Reform Committee decided that dates for _Amavasyas_ and _             Pooranmasis_ should be given in the Jantri, even though we do not              believe in their observance. We have to educate the Sikh masses              first. Thousands of Sikh pilgrims go to the Gurdwaras on these              occasions. _Panchamis_ are regularly observed in Gurdwara Dukh              Nivaran Sahib in  Patiala. If we              do not give the dates of these _tithis_, people would simply              take them from Hindu Panchangs. The best approach is to explain the              real meanings of Gurbani to the Sangat on all these occasions, and              persuade them not to follow these ritual-based festivals. This              applies to _Sangrands _as well. We have mentioned in the              Nanakshahi Jantri, that, this _(Sangrand)_ being the first day              of the Nanakshahi months have nothing to do with the sun’s entry              into the _rasis_ as is the present practice. That is why _             Sangrands_ of some months of Nanakshahi calendar differ from              those of the Bikrami calendar. Eventually all will differ, since the              Bikrami _Sangrands_ will go on shifting while Nanakshahi _             Sangrands_ remain fixed in relation to the Common Era calendar,              since the precession of equinoxes has been taken into consideration.
*Question:              What is the problem with dates given by earlier well-known Sikh              scholars and writers?*
*Answer:*              There are two types of problems with the dates. First, we might not              be 100% sure of the correctness of the original date, usually given              in Bikrami solar/lunar or Hijri format. Second, its conversion to              the CE date may not be correct, even if the original date is              correctly known. Dr Ganda Singh, Dr Hari Ram Gupta, Prof. Sahib              Singh, Principal Satbir Singh and others have erred in converting              the dates. Most of the calculations and conversions by S. Karam              Singh Historian are correct, but in a very few instances his              conversion is out by 1 day. But, perhaps he did not check his              manuscript thoroughly. This caused a very wrongly converted date to              make its way into history books, and also in the Mahan Kosh.
This is what              happened: S. Karam Singh takes 21 Harh, 1652 Bikrami as the birth              date of Guru Hargobind Sahib He converts this to Harh Vadi 6 ( this              is wrong by 1 day, conversion should result in Harh Vadi 7) Then he              converts Harh Vadi 6 to 18 June, 1595 Julian and gives this as the              CE birthday of Guru Sahib.
In the summary              of the chapter he makes a mistake (perhaps a typo error or              transcription error) and writes  14 June, 1595              (correct conversion of 21 Harh 1652 BK is  19 June, 1595              Julian).
He did all the              calculations using Indian Calendars by Sewell and Dixit. These              calculations are given in his book Gurpurab Nirnay -ਗੁਰਪੁਰਬ ਨਿਰਣਯ.This              wrong date can be seen in:
Mahan Kosh, which gives  ਹਾੜ              ਵਦੀ                           6, 14              ਜੂਨ,                          1595
             ਸ਼੍ਰੋਮਣੀ ਡਾਇਰੀ                                       1991 (ਸ਼ਘਫਛ)              -              ਹਾੜ              ਵਦੀ                           6, 14              ਜੂਨ,                          1595
ਸਿੱਖ              ਇਤਿਹਾਸ - ਪ੍ਰਿੰ:              ਤੇਜਾ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਤੇ ਡਾ: ਗੰਡਾ ਸਿੰਘ - 14,                          ਜੂਨ,1595
ਗੁਰ              ਰਤਨਾਵਲੀ                           -              ਸੰਪਾਦਕ              ਡਾ: ਮਨਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ -                           14              ਜੂਨ                                       1595.
Can we say then,              that, since so many authors have given this date of 14 June,              therefore it must be correct? Not at all. All these authors have one              source - S. Karam Singh’s Gurpurb Nirnaya (summary at the end of the              chapter on Guru Hargobind Sahib).
ਗੁ:              ਇਤਿਹਿਸ              ਪਾ:2 ਤੋੰ                                       9 -              ਪ੍ਰੋ:              ਸਾਹਿਬ ਸਿੰਘ,              ਹਾੜ ਵਦੀ 1,              19              ਜੂਨ,              1595, 21              ਹਾੜ                                       1652                           ਬਿਕ੍ਰਮੀ
It was              Harh Vadi 7 on  19 June, 1595              Julian. Therefore, either Harh Vadi 1 is incorrect or 19 June. On 21              Harh it was not Harh Vadi 1. Therefore, either Harh Vadi 1 is              correct or 21 Harh, but not both.
If you compile              the date of birth of Guru Hargobind Sahib from various sources,              which I have done, you will discover the chaos.
Prof. Sahib              Singh’s books contain many errors, so far as dates are concerned -              here is a monstrosity:
                                       "ਸੰਨ                                       1515              ਸੀ,                          ਜਦੋਂ ਗੁਰੂ              ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ ਜੀ ਪਹੋਏ              ਪਹੁੰਚੇ,                          ਸਤੰਬਰ              ਦੀ ਤਕਰੀਬਨ 13 ਤਾਰੀਖ ਸੀ।              ਅੱਸੂ              ਦੀ ਚੌਦਸ । ---ਅਗਲੇ              ਦਿਨ ਮੱਸਿਆ ਸੀ,ਤੇ              ਸੂਰਜ ਨੂੰ ਗ੍ਰਹਿਣ              ਲੱਗਣਾ ਸੀ                                       ----" -              ਜੀਵਨ              ਬ੍ਰਿਤਾਂਤ ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ ਜੀ 
But, there was              no solar eclipse on the date mentioned. Therefore the date is wrong.
*Question*:*              What is the Shaheedi date of Elder Sahibzadas?*
*Answer:             *Many              authors have given the date as 22 December              1604, but this is wrong. Even Dr Gupta and so many others have given              this date as 22 December. Most authors agree that the battle of              Chamkaur took place on 8 th Poh. It was 7th December on              8th Poh, the Shaheedi day of the Elder Sahibzadas. It was 13th Poh              when the Younger Sahibzadas achieved Shaheedi, and the corresponding              date was 12th December, Julian. Many historians have just given the              present day Gregorian date equivalent to 8th Poh, and 13th Poh.
If 8th Poh which              was on 7th December can be celebrated on 22nd December now a days,              why cannot Vaisakhi which was on 29th March 1699 Julian, be              celebrated on 14th April? It is the same logic. The important thing              here to note is that the Shaheedi day celebrations are fixed on 8th              Poh and 13 Poh - and not on 22 December and 27 December. These              Bikrami dates will go on shifting in CE calendar, but since 8 Poh in              Nanakshahi calendar is on 21st December for all times to come, these              dates will not shift in relation to the CE calendar. By the same              process 23 Poh, birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib converts to 5th              January, in Nanakshahi calendar.
*Question*:             *What about Vaisakhi? All authors in the past have it to be on * *30th              March 1699,              then why to go on sticking to Vaisakhi Day on 13/14th              April?*
*Answer*:              You must have seen from the above discussion that if most authors              have given 30 March, 1699 as the Baisakhi date of the ‘Creation of              the Khalsa’, it does not necessarily mean that they have all done              the calculations. In fact, Dr. Ganda Singh’s source was Indian              Ephemeris - Swamikannu Pillai. In it Pillai gives Sankranti date as              29 March, but gives Vaisakh 1 against 30 March. The date of 30 March              applies to Tamil Nadu, because the rule there is - if the time of              Sankranti is after sunset (the Sankranti time on 29th March was 9:06              p.m.), then the Day 1 of the month is on the following day after              Sankranti. The rule in Punjab is that it does not matter what time              the Sankranti is, day one will be on the day of Sankranti (sunrise              to sunrise rule). Obviously, Dr Ganda Singh was not aware of this              rule. Perhaps, he did not read the introduction; otherwise he would              have taken March 29 given on the same page. Indian Calendars- Sewell              and Dixit also give 29th March 1699 Julian as the date of Sankranti.              Of course, in my Jantri 500 Years, I have given  29 March 1699              Julian. Most historians have either followed Dr Ganda Singh, or made              the same mistake using IE of Pillai. However, Dr Sangat Singh in his              book Sikhs in History correctly gives this date as 29th March, 1699              Julian.
Dr Ganda Singh              was an historian par excellence, but he was not an expert on              calendars. Most historians have made many blunders doing conversion              of dates. This was the reason, I produced my Jantri 500 Years so              that dates could be easily, correctly, and quickly converted without              calculation. I have great regard for Dr Ganda Singh as an historian.              But, where he is wrong I have not minced words. However, the              following is the dedication I wrote in my book:
_“This book is              dedicated to the memory of late Dr Ganda Singh who spent his life to              discover the truth and sift fact from fiction.”_
I have already              said that I do not subscribe to the view that Julian dates should be              observed in Gregorian calendar. In Nanakshahi calendar we have fixed              14th April as the day of Vaisakhi for ever.
*Question:* *Is the Nanakshahi Calendar a Christian calendar?*
*Answer:*              Anybody’s call to adopt a mixture of Julian and Gregorian dates              would be wrong. Some critics are already saying that Nanakshahi              calendar is a Christian calendar, which it is not. The only thing              common with the Christian Calendar is, that Nanakshahi Calendar is              also based on the length of the tropical year, so that months do not              shift in seasons.
*Question:* *In practical life, how does one maintain sensibility between the              Common Era Calendar usage and the Nanakshahi Calendar?*
*Answer:             *The              whole world is using Common Era calendar for civil purposes and not              for celebrating religious festivals (except Christians) –
The Jews use the              Jewish calendar for religious purposes and CE calendar for civil              use. The Muslims use Hijri Calendar for religious purposes and CE              calendar for civil use. The Hindus use Bikrami calendar for              religious purposes and CE calendar for civil use. The Bahaiis use              the Bahaii calendar for religious purposes and CE calendar for civil              use. The Sikhs, to all intents and purposes, have been using Bikrami              calendar for religious purposes and CE calendar (after Maharaja              Ranjit Singh's time) for civil use. Of course, the Christians use              the CE calendar for both civil and religious purposes. The Sikh              nation should continue to use the Nanakshahi calendar for religious              purposes and CE calendar for civil use.
*Question:             Sikhs do              not have a country of their own? Why should they have their own              calendar?* 
*Answer:*              The Bahai faith is the newest faith, being about 200 years old. Its              followers gave up on the Hijri calendar and have their own calendar              which is based on tropical year length and has permanent              correspondence with the Common Era calendar. All major religions of              the world have their own calendar. Why should we not have ours?
Richards, E.G.              in the ‘Mapping Time’ says it all: “Today each of the major              religions has its own calendar which is used to programme its              religious ceremonies, and it is almost as true to say that each              calendar has its religion. The Christians, the Moslems, the Jews,              the Buddhists, the Jains, the Hindus, the Zoroastrians, and, more              recently, the adherents of Bahai, all have their calendars.”
Even if the              Sikhs do not have their country, the Nanakshahi calendar reaffirms              the distinct identity of the Sikh people and the Sikh nation.


*Pal Singh              Purewal lives in Edmonton,             Canada              with his wife, who is always by his side supporting him in his              endeavours. He may be contacted at pspurewal@yahoo.com*


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