Tamil panchagam predicted heavy rains

An image of the entry against the first day of the Tamil month of Karthigai, (November 17) in a local panchangam states that Chennai will have heavy rains for a week in November and would also be battered by a cyclonic storm. This prediction has caught the attention of a number of people some of whom have been discussing this on Facebook and WhatsApp groups.

Interestingly, the entry against November 17 mentions Chandran’s marriage’ (between celestial bodies) on more than one occasion. Experts said it is normal to refer to ‘marriage’ when certain stars move into Chandran’s (moon) raasi. “We are in the Chandra varusham, the year when the moon is the Lord of the Skies, and its movement will result in a huge amount of downpour,” said MP Ganeshkumar, director, Pambu Panchangam. According to him those who cast the almanac are experts in jyothida sastra and their predictions rely heavily on astrological references found in ancient texts. A number of corporates consult the panchangam, before entering into new deals, and parents use it to choose auspicious dates for significant events. Now it appears the panchangam is fairly effective in getting daily weather updates as well, especially after the accurate prediction of this week’s rains over Chennai.

The panchangams are printed in January of each year, after six months of scholarly research and compilation and come into use only by mid-April when the Tamil New Year commences. There are at least 20 different types of panchangams being printed in Tamil Nadu each year. Some publishers, like Pambu Panchangam have been in the business from 1833 while the Arcot Panchangam has been publishing its work for close to 100 years. The calculations are largely based on Vararuci, a 13th century Tamil astronomer.