Hi friends I am here again after a considerable time gap. I was busy so I could post any new blogs. This time my blog is about the time measurement followed in ancient India during vedic times and later periods.

A detailed information on time measuirement is mentioned in Book I Chapter III Of Vishnu Purana. Hope this information will be useful to all of my fellow bloggers

Sidereal metrics

• a paramanu is the normal interval of blinking in humans, or approximately 4 seconds


• a vighati is 6 paramaanus, or approximately 24 seconds


• a ghadiya is 60 vighatis, or approximately 24 minutes


• a muhurta is equal to 2 ghadiyas, or approximately 48 minutes


• a nakshatra ahoratram or sidereal day is exactly equal to 30 muhurtas (Note: A day is considered to begin and end at sunrise, not midnight.)

An alternate system described in the Vishnu Purana Time measurement section of the Vishnu Purana Book I Chapter III is as follows:

• 15 twinklings of the eye = 1 Káshtìhá


• 30 Káshtìhás = 1 Kalá


• 30 Kalás = 1 Muhúrtta


• 30 Muhúrttas = 1 day (24 hours)


• 30 days = 1 month


• 6 months = 1 Ayana


• 2 Ayanas = 1 year or one day (day + night) of the gods

Small units of time used in the Vedas

• a trasarenu is the combination of 6 celestial atoms.


• a truti is the time needed to integrate 3 trasarenus, or 1/1687.5th of a second.


• a vedha is 100 trutis.


• a lava is 3 vedhas.


• a nimesha is 3 lavas, or a blink.


• a kshanas is 3 nimeshas.


• a kashthas is 5 kshanas, or about 8 seconds.


• a laghu is 15 kashthas, or about 2 minutes.


• 15 laghus make one nadika, which is also called a danda. This equals the time before water overflows in a six-pala-weight [fourteen ounce] pot of copper, in which a hole is bored with a gold probe weighing four masha and measuring four fingers long. The pot is then placed on water for calculation.


• 2 dandas make one muhurta.


• 6 or 7 dandas make one yamah, or 1/4th of a day or night.


• 4 praharas or 4 yamas are in each day or each night.

Lunar metrics

• a tithi (also spelled thithi ) or lunar day is defined as the time it takes for the longitudinal angle between the moon and the sun to increase by 12°. Tithis begin at varying times of day and vary in duration from approximately 19 to approximately 26 hours.


• a paksa (also paksha) or lunar fortnight consists of 15 tithis


• a masa or lunar month (approximately 29.5 days) is divided into 2 pakshas: the one between new moon and full moon is called gaura (bright) or shukla paksha; the one between full moon and new moon krishna (dark) paksha


• a ritu is 2 masa


• an ayanam is 3 rituhs


• a year is 2 Aayanas

Tropical metrics

• a yaama is 7½ Ghatis


• 8 yaamas 1 half of the day(either day or night)


• an ahoratram is a tropical day (Note: A day is considered to begin and end at sunrise, not midnight.)

Reckoning of time among other entities

Reckoning of time amongst the pitrs.

• 1 human masa = 1 day of the pitrs


• 30 days of the pitrs = 1 month of the pitrs


• 12 months of the pitrs = 1 year of the pitrs


• The lifespan of the pitrs is 100 years of the pitrs (= 3000 human years)

Reckoning of time amongst the Devas.

• 1 human year = 1 day of the Devas.


• 30 days of the Devas = 1 month of the Devas.


• 12 months of the Devas = 1 year of the Devas


• The lifespan of the Devas is 100 years of the Devas (= 36,000 human years)

The Vishnu Purana Time measurement section of the Vishnu Purana Book I Chapter III explains the above as follows:

• 2 Ayanas (six month periods, see above) = 1 year or one day (day + night) of the devas


• 360 days of the devas = 1 year of the devas


• 12,000 years of the devas = 4 Yugas

Reckoning of time for Brahma.

• 12,000 years of the Devas = 1 day of Brahma (4320,000,000 human years). This day is divided into 1000 parts called charanas. The charanas are divided as follows:

The cycle repeats itself so altogether there are 1000 cycles of yugas in one day of Brahma.

·         One cycle of the above four yugas is one mahayuga (4.32 million solar years)

·         A manvantara consists of 71 mahayugas (306,720,000 solar years). Each Manvantara is ruled by a Manu.

·         After each manvantara follows one Sandhi Kala of the same duration as a Krita Yuga (1,728,000 = 4 Charana). (It is said that during a Sandhi Kala, the entire earth is submerged in water.)

·         A kalpa consists of a period of 1,728,000 solar years called Adi Sandhi, followed by 14 manvantaras and Sandhi Kalas.

·         A day of Brahma equals

(14 times 71 mahayugas) + (15 x 4 Charanas)

= 994 mahayugas + (60 Charanas)

= 994 mahayugas + (6 x 10) Charanas

= 994 mahayugas + 6 mahayugas

= 1000 mahayugas

as is confirmed by the Gita statement "sahasra-yuga paryantam ahar-yad brahmano viduH", meaning, a day of brahma is of 1000 (maha-)yugas. Thus a day of Brahma, kalpa, is of duration: 4.32 billion solar years. Two kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma

• 30 days of Brahma = 1 month of Brahma (259,200,000,000 human years)


• 12 months of Brahma = 1 year of Brahma (3,110,400,000,000 human years)


• 25 years of Brahma = 1 kalpa (77,760,000,000,000 human years)


• 2 kalpas = 1 parardha (155,520,000,000,000 human years)  


• 2 parardhas = 100 years of Brahma, the lifespan of Brahma (311,040,000,000,000 human years)

The Vishnu Purana Time measurement section of the Vishnu Purana Book I Chapter III explains the above as follows:

• 360 days of the gods = 1 year of the gods


• 12,000 years of the gods = 4 Yugas


• 1,000 sets of 4 Yugas = a day of Brahmá


• 50 years of Brahma = 1 Pararddham


• 100 years of Brahma = 1 Param

• 4,000 + 400 + 400 = 4,800 years = 1 Krita Yuga


• 3,000 + 300 + 300 = 3,600 years = 1 Tretá Yuga


• 2,000 + 200 + 200 = 2,400 years = 1 Dwápara Yuga


• 1,000 + 100 + 100 = 1,200 years = 1 Kali Yuga

• Alternately, the reigns of 7 Rishis, Indra and Manu = 1 Manwantara = 71x12,000+A (A is not given) = 852,000 years of the gods+A (A is not given)


• 14 Manwantaras = a day of Brahmá

Our current date

We are currently in the 28th kaliyuga of the first day of the 1st year of the shvetavaraha kalpa of the second parardha of Brahma in the reign of the 7th Manu, Manu Vaivasvata. This is the 51st year of the present Brahma and so about 155 trillion years have elapsed since He took over as Brahma.

The current Kali Yuga (Iron Age) began at midnight 17 February / 18 February in 3102 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar.

It is  very interesting to note that a day of Brahma, kalpa, is of duration: 4.32 billion solar years. And from the latest dating techniques the age of the earth is found to be between 4.5 billion years to 5 billion years.  A close match of these two measurements rises very interesting questions!!