Talk:Puthandu

Hence, the Tamil calendar begins on the same date observed by most traditional calendars in India (14th April)
As per “Origin and Significance” topic in this article, Sun's transition into Nirayana Aries happens on April 14th. But the generic date given for sun's transition into Aires is March 21st (Just after Northward Equinox) for an observer at equator.

So I started searching for a formula to find the latitude at which Sun enters Aires on April 14th. It came to approximately 9.7º N. A latitude that passes through kerala and tamilnadu somewhere between Virudhunagar and Madurai in Tamil nadu. Yes Madurai!!

An interesting fact – Most important festival in Madurai Meenakshiamman temple is “Chitirai Thiruvizha” observed on April 14th.

On April 14th: a) Sun crosses Madurai (South to North) with solar elevation of 90º (89.9º to be exact at 12:00 pm) / Sun entering Aires for an observer in madurai. b) Chittirai Thiruvizha at Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple. c) PeruVaenil Kadavizha – A sangam tamil festival for the same reason as (a) observed on April 14th d) Tamil New year / Assam new year / Bengali new year / first day as per Indian Hindu solar calender.

Just a coincidence or the earliest observatory that helped in defining Hindu solar calender was in Madurai and Tamil calendar was the earliest among the Hindu solar calenders!!

Related festival: Bohag Bihu
In the 'Related to' field, along with the currently listed festivals, it is worth noting the annual festival of Bohag Bihu in Assam celebrated as New Year on this day as well. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bihu#Bohag_Bihu

Regards and festival best wishes to all. Satnath (talk) 10:47, 15 April 2017 (UTC)


 * It is also called Rongali Bihu, which is mentioned. Ms Sarah Welch (talk) 13:57, 15 April 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Puthandu. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20121014131201/http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/04/12/fea04.asp to http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/04/12/fea04.asp
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.heb.gov.sg/hindu-resources/39-hindu-festivals

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 10:02, 2 January 2018 (UTC)

External links modified (January 2018)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Puthandu. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added tag to http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/2218.htm
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20111001205318/http://www.groundreport.com/World/Sri-Lankan-sinha/2921787 to http://www.groundreport.com/World/Sri-Lankan-sinha/2921787

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 03:33, 25 January 2018 (UTC)

Tamil calendar
You re-added to the lead:


 * "A Tamil year is based on scientifically established astronomical calculation. The earth takes 365 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 48 seconds to complete an orbit around the sun. The Tamil new year begins when the sun enters the first sign of the zodiac, Aries and ends when it leaves the last sign, Pisces. This is the exact period of a Tamil year. It is constant. The reason why a Tamil new year is celebrated on different dates like 13, 14 or 15 in April is due to the inconsistency in the Gregorian calendar. The most obvious inconsistency in the Gregorian calendar is the number of days in the month of February. For practical purposes, the Tamil new year is celebrated on April 14 (or 13, or 15 as the case may be). But the Tamil almanac specifies the exact time on that day when the new year is born. "

How is this focused discussion on the Tamil calendar / zodiac / etc relevant to the lead or consistent with WP:LEAD guidelines? How is speakingtree.in/blog a WP:RS? You also added back primary source references such as "Poem 229 of Puṟanāṉūṟu", which is not okay with WP:RS guidelines. Would linking the Tamil calendar suffice? Ms Sarah Welch (talk) 07:31, 27 June 2018 (UTC)


 * I only wanted to add a scientific information as to how the Tamil year is calculated. What I wrote is a fact. I gave this explanation because many people ask why the new year comes on different dates in different years of the Gregorian calendar. I gave a citation but I do not know whether it is  a WP:RS or not. I do not have the knowledge or capacity to check that. You also added back primary source references such as "Poem 229 of Puṟanāṉūṟu" . I did not add that. I only added the scientific information about the calculation of the year. That also I did a few months ago. Now I am mentally unbalanced and I cannot delve deep into such matters. I have almost stopped writing articles to Wiki because it consumes more of my time and energy to answer admin's queries. I will not answer any further in this matter. If you think what I wrote should not be in the article, then you can very well remove it. Thanks for your interest in Tamil New Year. Good Bye -- UK Sharma3  (User  &#124;  talk &#124; Contribs) 12:40, 27 June 2018 (UTC)


 * You are welcome to contribute, and I hope you will continue. This is an article on Puthandu, the festival. The content you add should relate to that subject. What you are adding may be a better fit in Tamil Calendar, perhaps as a separate section. Any contributions should be verifiable in WP:RS and you are requested to cite your sources. Ms Sarah Welch (talk) 15:44, 27 June 2018 (UTC)

Primary sources and OR, Synthesis
Dipendra2007: With this edit, you added content that does not verify. Where, for example, do lines 160 to 162 of the Neṭunalvāṭai assert that it is a 3rd-century text, or mention Puthandu? Similarly, you cite the primary source "Poem 229 of Puṟanāṉūṟu" as support for the claims of "third century CE" and mentioning/implying Puthandu. This is OR of the WP:SYNTHESIS variety, and is unacceptable here or any other wikipedia article. Please explain and gain consensus here. Ms Sarah Welch (talk) 15:33, 24 October 2019 (UTC)

Sara, I hadn't checked Wikipedia since October 15. I liked your edits on the Pongal page. On Puthandu, I briefly head home in late December. I will try to provide the citations after reviewing the material and alert you once done for review. I hear you on why the 3rd century and the 8 century dates etc. I will try to provide the citations or revised language once I get a hand on the source material. I'll contact you then. As an editor, I intermittently check Wikipedia and am not that regular. Cheers. Dipendra2007 (talk) 20:10, 15 November 2019 (UTC)