258 The LUNAR YEAR 



although moft of the Indian faft's and, feftivals be regulated by the days of 

 the moon, yet the mcfr. folemn and remarkable of them have a manifeft 

 reference to the mppofed motions of the fun ; the DurgSfava and Holica 

 relating as clearly to. the autumnal and vernal equinoxes, as the deep and 

 rife of Vishnu relate to the folitices r the fane -ran ris, or dzys on which the 

 fun enters a new fign, efpecially thofe. of %ula and Mejka, are great feflivafe 

 of the folar year, which anciently began with Paujha near the winter folftice, 

 whence the month Mdrgashflia has the name of A'grahdyana, or the year 

 is next before. The twelve months, now denominated from as irany flation& 

 of the moon, feem to have been formerly peculiar to the lunar year; For the? 

 old folar months, beginning with Chaitra, have the following very differ- 

 ent names in a curious text of the Veda on the order of the fix Indian leafons,, 

 Madbu, Madhava, Sue fa, MeM, Nabhas, Nabhafya, If a, Vrja, Sahas, Sah^~ 

 Jya t Tapas, Tdftafya* It is neceffary to premife, that the muchya chcmdra T 

 or primary lunar month ends with the conjunction, and the gauna ebandra^, 

 or fecondary, with the oppofition : both modes of reckoning are authorized 

 by the feveral Purdnas ; but, although the aftronomers of Cafi have adopted 

 the gauna month, and place in Bhddra the birth day of their padoral God,. 

 the muc'hya is here preferred, becaufe it is generally ufed in this province, rnd 

 efpecially at the ancient feminary of Brakmens -at Mriydpur, now called Nat- 

 vadwipa, becaufe a new ifland.ha& been formed by the Ganges on the fite of 

 the old Academy. ' The Hindus define a titlii, or lunar day, to-be the time-,, 

 in which the moon paffes through twelve degrees of her path; and to each 

 pacjlia, or half month, they allot fifteen tit'his, though ihey divide the moon's 

 orb mtofxteen phafes, named calds, one of which they fuppofe conftant, and 

 compare to the firing of a necklace or chaplet, round which are placed 

 moveable gems and flowers ; the Mahdcald is the day of the conjunction* 

 called <Amd t or Amdvafya, and defined by Go Bin la the day of the nearefk 



