Singhalese Chronology. 191 



second iEsala, without any regard to the solar month in 

 which the two full moons occur. 



The lunar month is divided into two portions, each called 

 pakshe. One, from the day after the new moon to the day 

 of full moon, is called pura, "increase ;" or purwa pahs'*',. 

 " the former part ;" or sukla-pakshe, " white part :" and the 

 other, from the day after the .full moon to the day of new 

 moon, is called awa } £{ wane," or apara-palishe, u the latter 

 part," or krishna pakshe, (£ the black part." Each pakshe, is 

 divided into 15 tic hies. The length of a tithi varies from 

 53 to 67 pseyas. 



The names of the fifteen tithles from the first, are 

 Paslawiya, Diyawaka, Tiyawaka, Jalawaka, Wiseniya, 

 Sa3tawaka, Satawaka, Atawaka, Nawawaka, Dasawaka, 

 Ekoloswaka, Doloswaka, Teleswaka, Tuduswaka, and Pasa- 

 loswaka or Amawaka. Of these two names for the last 

 tithi, Pasaloswaka is the full moon, and Amawaka, the 

 new moon. 



The moon's path in the firmament is divided into 27 

 portions, each called a Nsekata, ei asterism." Each ]S T a)kata is 

 four-ninths of a Rasi, The names of the 27 Naekatas, begin- 

 ning from the first point of Mesa Rasi, are Aswida, Berana, 

 Kieti, Rehena, Muwasirisa, Ada, Punawasa, Pusa, Aslisa, 

 Maha, Puwapal, Uttrapal, Hata, Sita, Sa, Wisa, Anura, 

 Deta, Mula, Puwasala, Uttrasala, Suwana, Denata s Siya- 

 wasa Puwaputupa, Uttraputupa and Rewati. The tithi 

 and na^kata of any day or time are those in which the moon 

 is in her course through the zodiac in that day or time. 

 The time of the moon's passing through each Nsekata 

 varies from 53 to 67 pseyas. 



The popular notion of the moon's rising or setting pa\ya 

 respectively at day and night of pura and awd, and vice 

 versa, is twice the number of tithie. So that on the day of 



