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ThePanjika (IAST: Pañjikā;Assamese:পঞ্জিকা;Bengali:পঞ্জিকা;Maithili:পাঁজিক, पाँजिक;Nepali:पञ्जिका;Odia:ପଞ୍ଜିକା) is theHindu astronomicalalmanac,[1] published inAssamese,Bengali,Maithili,Nepali andOdia languages and colloquially known asPanji (IAST: Pāñji;Assamese:পাঁজি;Bengali:পাঞ্জি;Odia:ପାଞ୍ଜି). In other parts of India it is calledpanchangam.[2]
There are two schools ofpanjika-makers in Bengal – Driksiddhanta (Bisuddhasiddhanta Panjika) and Odriksiddhanta (Gupta Press,PM Bagchi, etc.). They dictate the days on which festivals are to be held. Sometimes, they lay down different dates for particular festivals. For theDurga Puja in 2005, two different sets of dates came through. Some community pujas followed theGupta Press Panjika, because of its popularity. With deference to convention, it confirmed Pandit Nitai Chakraborty, president of Vaidik Pandit O Purohit Mahamilan Kendra.Belur Math adhered toBisuddhasiddhanta Panjika.Swami Vijnanananda (who became Math president in 1937–38), an astrologer, decided thatRamakrishna Mission would follow this almanac as it was more scientific.[3]
The difference occurs because the two schools follow differentcalendars of luni-solar movement on whichtithis are based. WhileGupta Press Panjika follows 16th centuryRaghunandan's workAshtabingshatitatwa based on the 1,500-year-old astronomical treatise,Suryasiddhanta.Bisuddhasiddhanta Panjika is based on an 1890 amendment of the planetary positions given inSuryasiddhanta.[3]
The earliest Indian almanacs date back to around 1000 BCE. It did analyse time but the calculations were not always very accurate.Suryasiddhanta, produced in that era, was the forerunner of all later daypanjikas.[4]
During British rule, Biswambhar again began the work of publishing thepanjika, in handwritten book form. The printed version came in 1869.Bisuddhasiddhanta Panjika was first published in 1890.[4] Gupta Press followsSuryasiddhanta with the original format while the version with "corrected" scripture is calledVisuddhasiddhanta.[5][6]
TheBisuddhasiddhanta Panjika came into being because an astronomer Madhab Chandra Chattopadhyay, on studying thepanjikas then in vogue found differences in the actual and astrological position of the planets and stars. He revised thepanjika as per scientific readings. There were other people in different parts of India who also supported the approach for scientific revision of thepanjika. It included such people asPathani Samanta inOdisha andBal Gangadhar Tilak in Pune.[7]
In 1952, a major revision of thepanjika was undertaken under the aegis of the Indian government.[4]
Gupta Press, one of the Bengalipanjikas, has come out in 2007 with a CD-version packed with interactive features like 'know your day', 'daily horoscope' and 'koshthi bichar' (horoscope). Transformation has been staple food for thepanjika. With the passage of time it has added information, like tourist attractions, pilgrim destinations, telephone codes and general information that common people seek, to make it more attractive. The format has also been made more flexible to cater to the needs of varied groups. The variants like 'directory panjika' (magnum opus) 'full panjika' (thinner version) and 'half panjika' (abridged version) and 'pocket panjika' have different price tags. The pocketpanjika is a hawkers' delight on local trains.[8]
Madan Gupter Full Panjika, which came out in the 1930s, has not changed much externally. The cover is still the same, on thick pink paper, but the inside is very different. The pages have changed from coarse newsprint to smooth white paper, the letter press has made way for offset printing, wooden blocks have been replaced by sharp photographs. The biggest difference is in the ad-editorial ratio. Previously the ads formed the bulk of the printed matter – and were pure delight. "When there was no TV and not so many newspapers, thepanjika was the place to advertise for many products. Many people boughtpanjikas for the ads," says the owner Mahendra Kumar Gupta, "They would offer solutions to many 'incurable' diseases." The 1938 edition started off with a full-page ad on an "Electric Solution", which promised to revive dead men. Now they publishDurga Puja timings in London, Washington and New York, based on the sunset and sunrise there.[9]
According to Arijit Roychowdhury, managing director of Gupta Press,panjika sales plunged after partition of India, as the market was lost in the eastern part of the former state. However, with innovative transformation of format and content, sales have been picking up and the overall annual market in 2007 is 2 million copies. The figure includes sales in the US and the UK.[8]
Panjikas have found their way into modern day shopping malls also. A senior official of the RPG group,Mani Shankar Mukherjee, himself a reputed author, said, "Our Spencer's store inGurgaon has sold a record number ofpanjikas."[8] Bengalipanjikas follow theBengali calendar and are normally out in the month ofChoitro, so that people can buy it well beforePohela Baishakh.
Madala Panji (Odia: ମାଦଳ ପାଞ୍ଜି) is a chronicle of theJagannath Temple, Puri in Odisha. It describes the historical events of Odisha related toJagannath and the Jagannath Temple.[1] TheMadala Panji dates from the 12th century. The Madala Panji was traditionally written on a year-to-year basis. OnVijayadashami Day, theKaranas (official history writers of Puri, a caste of Odisha, involved in keeping the chronicle. The tradition of keeping this chronicle began with Odia kingAnantavarman Chodaganga Dev (1078–1150).Madala Panji is the first panjika in Indian regional language, starting from the 12th century. It is the main source and evidence ofOdisha history.[10]
The modern Odia calendar begins with the scientific reforms initiated by the astronomerPathani Samanta. His findings which included astronomical observations with the help of traditional instruments were recorded in his treatiseSiddhanta Darpana written on palm-leaf manuscript in 1869 and eventually published in 1899 by Radharaman Pustaklaya Panjika, which still continues to print the Panjika. These observations were instrumental in the preparation of almanacs in Odisha especially by the astrologers of the Jagannath temple at Puri.[11]
The other notable prominent panjis published in Odia include Radharaman Pustakalaya Khadiratna Panjika, Radharaman Pustakalaya Biraja Panjika, Radharaman Pustakalaya, Samanta Panjika, Radharaman Panji, Bhagyadeepa Panji, Bhagyajyoti Panji, Bhagyachakra Panji.[12]
