The beauty of the terms: Uttarayana, Dakshinayana, Chaitra etc.

The ancient Indians termed the two solstices as Uttarayana and Dakshinayana. The modern terminology for the same is Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice.

The beauty of the ancient terms lies in the astronomical phenomena that we experience at the solstices. On the uttarayana day, the Sun begins its northward journey in the declination and on the dakshinayana day it begins its southward journey.

This is true everywhere on the Earth, whether one is living in the Northern hemisphere or Southern hemisphere. One can observe the Sun turning North on the uttarayana day and South on the dakshinayana day.

In the case of modern terminology, the Summer solstice of the Northern hemisphere is the Winter solstice in the Southern hemisphere and the Winter solstice of the northern hemisphere is the Summer solstice in the Southern hemisphere.

Why to name them on the basis of seasons then?

A seasonal identification can just overlay on the base as it is region specific.

Similarly, the beauty of the luni-sidereal solar months that the ancient Indians termed Chaitra etc. lies in the astronomical phenomena, the Moon's journey in the stellar world in this case. Since these months are nowhere linked to any seasonal phenomena, these months are valid on all the parts of the Earth, whether it is the northern hemisphere or the southern hemisphere.

Time to embrace the right terminologies and not get confused, for Gods are not different in the northern and the southern hemisphere.

---

More to read

Lahiri Ayanamsa - A Reality check

In this article, we would discuss the background of the popular and officially adopted Lahiri ayanamsha in two parts and address the related issues ..Read the full article..

Gold selling Tips – old jewelry

The first thing: the process. When we go to sell our old jewelry that doesn’t have a hallmark stamp, there would generally be three types of offers ..Read the full article..

Nothing is stable

We’re currently living in a highly competitive world and getting the desired settlement for the child is bound to go difficult day by day. Salaried class thinks business is better as it can be passed ..Read the full article..

Temples’ directions and the zodiac

Readers might be curious about the heading of this article and why this heading? Some might be expecting that I’m going to teach some technique of ascertaining which is important in a chart out of the duo – Sun and Moon. But it’s not so. ..Read the full article..