Malayalam calendar
Malayalam Calendar or Kollam Era is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated as 825 CE.
There are many theories regarding the origin of the era, but according to recent scholarship, it commemorated the foundation of Kollam after the liberation of the region from the Pandya rule by or with the assistance of the Chera king at Kodungallur. The earliest record mentioning Kollam Era is a royal order by Sri Vallava Goda, the chieftain of Venadu, dated to c. 973 CE. In the inscription the phrase "Kollam Tontri Andu" is employed. Kollam Era initially remained a local era in the port of Kollam alone and perhaps in the whole chiefdom of Venadu. Later it spread throughout Kerala and came to be known as the Malayalam Era.
Another era referred to as "Kollam Azhinta Andu", counting from 1097 CE, was reckoned by the Pandyas for some time. It is tentatively calculated that the Pandya kings, under the sanction of their Chola overlords, captured the port of Kollam in 1097 CE.
History
There are multiple conflicting accounts regarding the origins of the Malayalam calendar, some of which are mentioned below:- The Kollam era is attributed to the legend of the hero Paraśurāma, an avatar of the god Vishnu. It is sometimes divided into cycles of 1,000 years reckoned from 1176 BCE. Thus, 825 CE would have been the first year of the era's third millennium. Paraśurāma, was however, a contemporary of Rāma, whose birth date is estimated to be in 5114 BCE. It is, therefore, unclear if the Paraśurāma associated with the Kollam era is the same as the Paraśurāma of Rāmāyana.
- The news of the physical disappearance of Sri Adi Shankaracharya in 820 CE at Kedarnath reached Kerala only a few years later. It is believed that Kerala began the Malayalam era, also called the Kollam era, in 825 CE in his memory. There is, however, a differing opinion that Sri Adi Shankaracharya was born in 509 BC and died in 477 BC.
- The origin of Kollam Era has been dated to 825 CE, when the great convention in Kollam was held at the behest of King Kulashekhara. Kollam was an important town in that period, and the Malayalam Era is called 'Kollavarsham', possibly as a result of the Tharisapalli plates.
- According to Hermann Gundert, Kollavarsham started as part of erecting a new Shiva Temple in Kollam and because of the strictly local and religious background, the other regions did not follow this system at first. Once Kollam port emerged as an important trade center, however, the other countries also started to follow the new system of calendar. This theory backs the remarks of Ibn Battuta as well.
- It is believed that the era was started by the Syrian saints Mar Sabor and Mar Proth who settled in Korukeni, Kollam, near to the present Kollam.
Months
| No. | Months in Malayalam Era | In Malayalam | Sanskrit solar month | Gregorian Calendar | Tulu calendar | Tamil calendar | Saka era | Sign of zodiac |
| 1. | Chingam | ചിങ്ങം | Siṃha | August–September | Sona | Aavani | Śravana–Bhādrapada | Leo |
| 2. | Kanni | കന്നി | Kanyā | September–October | Nirnaala | Purattasi | Bhādrapada–Aśvina | Virgo |
| 3. | Thulam | തുലാം | Tulā | October–November | Bonthyel | Aippasi | Aśvina–Kārtika | Libra |
| 4. | Vrishchikam | വൃശ്ചികം | Vṛścikam | November–December | Jaarde | Karthigai | Kārtika–Mārgaśīrṣa | Scorpio |
| 5. | Dhanu | ധനു | Dhanu | December–January | Peraarde | Margazhi | Mārgaśīrṣa–Pauṣa | Sagittarius |
| 6. | Makaram | മകരം | Makara | January–February | Ponny | Thai | Pauṣa–Māgha | Capricorn |
| 7. | Kumbham | കുംഭം | Kumbha | February–March | Maayi | Maasi | Māgha–Phālguna | Aquarius |
| 8. | Meenam | മീനം | Mīna | March–April | Suggy | Panguni | Phālguna–Chaitra | Pisces |
| 9. | Meṭam | മേടം | Meṣa | April–May | Paggu | Chithirai | Chaitra– Vaiśākha | Aries |
| 10. | Eṭavam | ഇടവം | Vṛṣabha | May–June | Besa | Vaikasi | Vaiśākha–Jyaiṣṭha | Taurus |
| 11. | Mithunam | മിഥുനം | Mithuna | June–July | Kaarthel | Aani | Jyaiṣṭha–Āṣāḍha | Gemini |
| 12. | Karkaṭakam | കർക്കടകം | Karkaṭaka | July–August | Aaty | Aadi | Āṣāḍha–Śrāvaṇa | Cancer |
Days
The days of the week in the Malayalam calendar are suffixed with Aazhcha, meaning week.| No. | Malayalam | മലയാളം | Sanskrit | English | Kannada | Tamil | Hindi | Hijri | Punjabi |
| 1. | Njayar | ഞായർ | Bhānu vāsara | Sunday | Bhanuvara | Nyaayiru | Ravivar | al-aḥad | Ravivara |
| 2. | Thinkal | തിങ്കൾ | Soma vāsara | Monday | Somavara | Thingal | Somvar | al-ithnayn | Sovara |
| 3. | Chowva | ചൊവ്വ | Maṅgala vāsara | Tuesday | Mangalavara | Chevvai | Mangalvar | al-thalāthāʾ | Mangla Var |
| 4. | Budhan | ബുധൻ | Budha vāsara | Wednesday | Budhavara | Budhan | Budhvar | al-arbaʿā | Budhvarʾ |
| 5. | Vyazham | വ്യാഴം | Guru vāsara | Thursday | Guruvara | Vyazhan | Guruvar | al-khamīs | Gurūvar |
| 6. | Velli | വെള്ളി | Śukra vāsara | Friday | Shukravara | Velli | Sukravar | al-jumuʿah | Ta visvar |
| 7. | Shani | ശനി | Śani vāsara | Saturday | Shanivara | Shani | Shanivar | al-sabt | Sanivar |
Like the months above, there are twenty seven stars starting from Aswati and ending in Revatī. The 365 days of the year are divided into groups of fourteen days called Ñattuvela, each one bearing the name of a star.
Significant dates
Vishu, celebrated on the 1st of Metam, and Onam, celebrated on the star Thiruvonam in the month of Chingam, are two of the major festivals. The first day of Chingam is celebrated as the Kerala New Year replacing Vishu, which was till then considered the beginning of a year.The Makaravilakku festival is celebrated in the Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala on the 1st day of month Makaram. This marks the grand finale of the two-month period to the Sabarimala pilgrimage. The 1st of Makaram marks the Winter Solstice and the 1st of Karkaṭakam marks the summer solstice according to the Malayalam calendar.
Chaitram 1 or Metam 1, both in the proximity of the date of the vernal equinox, mark the beginning of the new year in many traditional Indian calendars such as the Indian National calendar and the Tamil calendar. When the Government of Kerala adopted Kolla Varsham as the regional calendar, the 1st of Chingam, the month of the festival of Onam, was accepted as the Malayalam New Year instead.
Derived names
Many events in Kerala are related to the dates in the Malayalam calendar.The agricultural activities of Kerala are centred on the seasons. The southwest monsoon which starts around 1 June is known as Etavappathi, meaning mid-Etavam. The northeast monsoon which starts during mid October is called thulavarsham. The two harvests of paddy are called Kannikkoythu and Makarakkoythu respectively.