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Sunda Calendar

Ali Sastramidjaja, 1991


I. Introduction
My Name is Ali Sastramidjaja. I spend almost whole of my life exploring Sunda culture, including this calendar.
Thanks to the Internet, so this calendar can be published worldwide easily. I will always open my mind to your
critics, study, question or any discussion about these calendar and sunda culture.

You will hardly to find Sunda area in an Indonesians map. In reality the Sundanese live in the whole area of West
Java (Jawa barat).

Sundanese calendar research is not yet published. The rules were unknown until had refound by myself through the
long period of research from 1983 until 1991, the year when both calendars patented. As long as I know, Sunda
Calendar is the most accurate and finest (It never been corrected, since that calendar instituted) calendar system,
especially Saka-sunda calendar (Sunda solar calendar system). I make a comprehensive study with Julian Calendar,
Gregorius Calendar, and Islamic Calendar.

There are two calendar systems that used in Sunda calendar, solar calendar system and lunar calendar system. They
use both calendars simultaneously. I call them "Kala Sunda" or Sunda calendars.

II. Saka-Sunda Calendar (Sunda - solar calendar system)


2.1 History
2.2 Rules
2.3 Months

III. Caka Sunda Calendar (Sunda - lunar calendar system)


3.1 Description
3.2 Rules
3.3 Day (Poe&Pasar), Week (Wuku)
3.4 Indung poe (=main day) & Naktu
3.5 Example to define poe and pasar in a definite date in Caka Sunda calendar

IV. Mataram Javanese Calendar


4.1 The Background of Mataram Javanese Calendar
4.2 Exploring Mataram Javanese Calendar

V. Conclusion

Last updated 11th November 1998 (Rev 1.1)


This website will be updated periodictly, all comments and questions can be addressed to:
cidadap@bdg.starindo.net
or
PO. BOX 1212 Bandung, Indonesia
II. Saka - Sunda (Sunda - solar calendar system)
2.1 History

The Sunda - solar calendar system named Saka (It sounds like India calendar: Saka, but I can give an explanation
they are different in rules). Saka sunda calendar is a truly astronomical observation calendar. Karuhun
Sunda (Ancient Sundanese) made a media to observe the relation between time marking and the Sun. They
used lingga (a stone column) which a restricted area for ordinary people, because it should kept precise. Later,
several historian wrote that linggawere taboo place. Lingga used to measure shadows caused by sunray either north
or southly. My hypotheses are, they measured it day by day with harupat (a kind of stick from plants), and then cut
it as long as shadows length. They collected them sequentially. They had done it for very long time, until they
found enough data to analyze, and then made a conclusion. Sundanese use this solar calendar in relation with
seasons, planting and farming.

2.2 Rules

The year ended when the Sun on the maximum south point (23.5o South Latitude). They are two types of year in
saka sunda calendar, a common year (365 day per year) and a leap year (366 day per year).

1. The common year fall on years which undivisible by 4 (1,2,3,5,6,7,9,10,11,13,)


2. The leap year fall on years which divisible by 4 (4,8,12,16,...)
3. But when that leap year fall on a year which divisible by 128 (128, 256, 512,...). It should not be a leap year,
even its divisible by 4 (It should be a common year with 365 day per year).

With those rules we can make an accuration study;


Number of days in 128 years period = (128 x 365) + (128 / 4) - 1 = 46751days
Definitions:
128 x 365 = number of common years day in 128 years
128 / 4 = number of day that added (in leap year) in 128 years
-1= exception for year 128 (rules no. 3)
Then we can count an average age or length of year:
46751 days / 128 years = 365.2421875 days/year

(Notes: Because there are many new versions of 'Tropical year' numbers, and I still making a study of it, you
can skip this section (24-08-98):

When I made this research, I used an astronomical tropical number 365.2422 days/year. Then we can count the
missing day in a year; 365.2422 - 365.2421875 = 0.0000125 day per year

This number will be as many as 1 day in 80000 years. It means also, if we return the rule for year 80000 to a leap
year (even it divisible by 128 (we ignored ruleNo.3)), we miss nothing in 80000 years long.

I found the new tropical year in the Internet (in websites written by Peter Meyer). It is 365.24218967 (I round it
to 365.2421897) days. If we use these number, Saka-Sunda calendar miss just 0.0000022 day per year. It is
amazingly accurate, because It does not need an intercalating any more, this number is almost nothing in term of
day unit. In another words, we will need just 1 day addition in year 454,545.4545. So, the judgement day will
come earlier rather than an expiry date of this calendar! (jokes)
2.3 Months

III. Caka Sunda Calendar (Sunda - lunar calendar system)


3.1 Description

These calendar based on a lunar phase. I had been studied the rules through my grand fathers notes in 1950s. I
had also made a comperhensive study with Javanese and Islamic calendar.
Caka-sunda is the most practical calendar. With a simple calculation, we can make a table which valid for 120
years, earlier 120 years, next 120 years, and so on. This calendar system used as a civil calendar. It is a daily
calendar. Historical sunda artefact mostly written in this calendar system.

3.2 Rules

The month begins from:


perfectly half bright moon - full moon - half dark moon 15 days long, named Suklapaksa
perfectly half dark moon - dark moon - half bright moon 14 or 15 days long, named Kresnapaksa

So the month will segmented in 2 period, 1st - 15th Suklapaksa, and 1st - 14th/15th Kresnapaksa. So day 22nd would
be the same as 7th Kresnapaksa. The Suklapaksa sometimes named paro ca-ang (bright parts), and Kresnapaksa
somtimes named paro poek (dark parts).
Names of Caka-sundas month are similar with Saka-india Calendar. But Saka India is a solar system calendar, and
its rules are definitely different with Caka-sunda calendar.
The 12th month (Asuji) will be 29 days long, if it falls on taun pondok (short year), and it will be 30 days long, if
it falls on taun panjang (long years). Those depend on Windu (cycle of 8 years) rules:

The other rule is, the year 8th should be a short year on 15th cycles of Windu, equals with year 120th (8 years x 15
cycle). 120 years period calls sa-indung poe.
So, the total number of days in 120 years will be 42524 days. The average length of month in 120 years is
29.530556 days. Actual astronomical average day in a month is 29.53059 (When this research made). That means
We will need 1 day addition in 2420th year. By now Larry Freemans Calendar home page says the
average days of month are 29.530588 days.

3.3 Day (Poe & Pasar), Week (Wuku)

Number of weekdays (= a number of day in 1 cycle) in Caka calendar may varies, from 1 day to 10 days.
Pancawara (5 days per cycle) and Saptawara (7 days per cycle) are mostly used. Those used simultaneously. There
are also days name in each weekdays system, but I will write them completely in antoher occasion.

Those name taken from The Stars name. The ancient Sundanese had also identified planets as stars.

Because of simultaneous use of both Saptawara and Pancawara, it won't be the same 1st day's-name in a week
period, as long as 35 week (in 7 days/week cycle). Wuku or week is a period from Ahad to Saptu. 1st day name in
wuku (=Ahad), usually folows by Pasar (example: Ahad-pon). And every week period has a name (example: Wuku
Wukir is a week period which beginning with Ahad pon, refer to table 3.3.4).

IV. Mataram Javanese Calendar

4.1 The Background of Javanese Calendar.

The consist of this page are results of my research on Sunda calendar. Sunda calendar have a strong corelation with
Javanese calendar. It will be better if you see my another pages which will explain you about Saka Sunda and Caka Sunda
calendar. I found several version and type of Javanese calendar out there. This pages might be my own version. I
concentrate to explain Javanese calendar which instituted in Mataram era. I call it Mataram Javanese Calendar. But please,
don't hoping too much, because of Javanese calendar is not my specialities, and there are too many unknown factors in this
calendar, there are several questions can't be answered.

Mataram Javanese (or Javanese Mataram) calendar is a mixing of three calendar; Caka Sunda, Saka Sunda, and Hijrah. In
my term, especially for this page, Hijrah is a Jahiliyah calendar (a pure rule-based caledar) not an Islamic calendar which
commonly used by now (beside the rules, the recent Islamic calendar sometimes count on observation of the new moon
(Ru'yat)).

The institution of this Javanese calendar, writen in book "Primbon Adji Caka Manak Pawukon 1000 taun" in Javanese
language:
TaunDjawa
Bareng saadening karaton Djawa Islam ing Mataram, ing sadjumenenge Sri Sultan Agung Prabu Anjakrakusuma, ana
kaparenging karsa Nata jasa taun Djawa, awewaton taun Kamariah ija iku taun mitutur petungan rembulan, kang bisa
njakup antarane kabudajan, Hindu lan Arab bareng paugeraning Taun Djawa iku wis kalakon kaanggit kalajan mupakate
para Sudjana Sardjana ahlu'n nujum, bandjur wiwit katindakake tumapak ana ing nusa Djawa lan Madura (kadjaba ing
Banten kang ora kalebu wilajah Mataram) wiwit tumindake marengi ing dina Djum'at Legi, tanggal sapisan sasi Muharram
taun Alip windu Kuntara, nudju wuku Kulawu, wuku masa Prangbakat, masa wuku Kasanga, angkaning taun Caka 1555
(kang maune nganggo petungan sutja), kalestarekake kanggo angkaning taun Djawa 1555 kang badjur nganggo petungan
rembulan; ing wektu iku marengi tanggal sapisan sasi Muharram sanatu'lhidjrat (=taun Hidjrah) 1043, utawa marengi
kaping 8 Djuli sanatu'lmilladijah (=taun Milladi - Madehi) 1633.
Shortly this text explained that Mataram instituted a new calendar system as a mixing of Kala Surya Saka Sunda (Javanese
took the year Number (=1555)), Hijrah (Javanese took the date, the name of day, and the name of month), and Kala Candra
Caka Sunda (Javanese took the rules)

The Institution date:


01-01-1555 Javanese (Mataram)
01-01-1043 Hijrah
17-07-1555 Saka Sunda
08-07-1633 Gregorian
8k-01-1558 Caka Sunda
day Jumaah Pon (=Friday, Pon), Wuku (week) Warigagung - Sunda calendar, or
day Jumaah Legi (or Manis) (=Friday, Legi), Wuku Kulawau - Javanese calendar

If we see the historical background, I analyze that this calendar was instituted to be a standard by a government who govern
in that era (=Mataram), while before that, the calendars that had used were varies; Kala Sura (Saka Sunda), Kala Candra
(Caka Sunda), and Hijrah. It seems that Sultan Agung Prabu Anjarakusuma (the person who instituted this calendar), hoped
that this calendar would be accepted for all user of a predecessor calendars.

But unfortunatelly that mixing brought this calendar into a chaos. Islam was interfere too much in this calendar. The
Javanese forced to synchronize the date which falls, especially the 1st Muharam (=1st day in a year) in Javanese Mataram
calendar with the 1st Muharam in Hijrah. That was big mistake, because the Caka rules which used at beginning is different
with Hijrah rules. So I take a conclucion that Javanese calendar is not consistence.

Even this Mataram javanese calendar has been instituted, there still a lot of calendar systems were used: Saka Solo, Saka
Jogja, Saka Cirebon, Saka Bali, Saka Sunda - Mataram, Saka Sunda- Solo, Saka Banten, and the others.

4.2 Exploring Javanese Calendar

I didn't made a computer program which convert directly Javanese calendar (because too many exception) into another
calendar system. I just sequenced 5 calendar system (Saka Sunda, Gregorian, Caka Sunda, Hijrah, and Javanese calendar).
The Javanese calendar generated with algorithm/methods/rules like writen below:
I start generating Javanese calendar from this dates, The Institution date:
01-01-1555 Javanese (Mataram) = 01-01-1043 Hijrah = 17-07-1555 Saka Sunda = 08-07-1633 Gregorian = 8k-01-1558
Caka Sunda
day Jumaah Pon (=Friday, Pon), Wuku (week) Warigagung - Sunda calendar, or day Jumaah Legi (or Manis) (=Friday,
Legi), Wuku Kulawau - Javanese calendar
As described above, Javanese calendar took the year Number from Kala Surya Saka Sunda (1555), so this calendar begins
in 1555 (not year 1). The segmented Month which used in Caka Sunda rules (in 2 Segment ; Suklapaksa & Kresnapaksa)
was removed. So the dates writen just like a Hijrah (from 1 to 29 or 30). The 1st date in a month follows the Hijrah rules
(new moon). In Caka Sunda Calendar the 1st date begins on the perfectly half moon (to a full moon). It is equal about 7 days
later rather than Javanese or Hijrah. Because of this the 'pasar' would be unsynchronize with pasar in Sunda calendar.
Based on this I generated the Javanese calendar mostly like Caka Sunda calendar rules (Age of month, windu rules, and 120
year rules indung poe).
An then I put an exceptional rules based on historical data. In 1675 Javanese Mataram, Indung poe changed from Jumaah
Manis to Kemis Kaliwon. The Caka rules still used. But in 1678 Javanese Mataram, there are some revision (in Javanese
Mataram - Solo version). The 4th year (in 1 windu (8 year period)) changed to be a long year (=355 days), and 5th year
becomed short year (=354). So the short/long year in 1 Windu will be:

Table 4.2.1 Exception in 1675 Javanese Mataram

* please refer to Caka Sunda calendar site


So at this time we can see Caka Sunda rules was no longer (consistently) used. The age of month for 5th year (named Taun
Dal) specially based on rules writen below:

Table 4.2.2 Exception for 5th year (Dal)

In 1748 Javanese Mataram, there was another revision in Jogja (name of city in Java). 2nd year (wich should be a long year)
changed to short year (=354 days). But this rules valid for that period only. It seems that Javanese want their calendar's date
synchronize with Hijrah.

Because of that revision this Javenese calendar was more confusing. Because the revision fall on 2nd year, logically we
should wait until one windu completely run, and Indung poe could be changed from Kemis Kaliwaon to Rebo Wage. So the
rest of the years in one Windu in that period (1749, 1750, 1751, 1752, 1753, 1754) had no clearly Indung poe.
In 1867 Javanese Mataram, Indung poe changed again, form Rebo Wage to Salasa Pon. Mostly Javanese (until now) doesn't
know that Indung poe should been changed. Then if they use Naktu rules to count the days which falls. It will be deviated 1
days.

Those revision can be shortly explained:

Table 4.2.3 Unconsistence of Indung Poe

* I don't know how this period should be continued. Should these Javanese calendar returned to its original rules like Caka
Sunda (120 years) or there are another confusing exceptional?
3.4 Indung poe (=main day) & Naktu

Indung poe is a first day of 120 years periodic. It also written in both Poe (day in Saptawara) and Pasar (day in
Pancawara). Example : Radite kaliwon, Soma manis or Senen manis, etc.

With a combination of Indung poe and Naktu (=Neptu in Java Calendar), we can make a calculation to define poe
and pasar in a specific date, both in the past and the future. So, if we want to, we dont need to see a calendar as a
table, common format which we daily seen. We just counting just like an example given in section 3.5 below.
Naktu consist of Naktu pasar (5 day/cycle Naktu, Naktu poe (7 day/cycle (daily) Naktu), Naktu bulan (monthly
Naktu), and Naktu taun (annual Naktu).

Indung poe and Naktus origin numbers resulted by caka sundas calendar rules. Indung poe and Naktu have strong
corelations with Almanac (paririmbon), but for this time, Sunda almanac (paririmbon sunda) is not researched
deeply, because I do not find any reliable data.

Detailed of Indung poe and Naktus numbers origin will be writen in the next occassion.
Some Sundanese usualy just memorize the rules. Habitually they counting by heart.
Column # represent the cycle number. This calls Tunggul Taun. Today, year 1998 (Gregorian) is about year 1934
in Caka Sunda Calendar, it should be in a 17th Tunggul Taun, and an Indung poe which valid is Saptu Kaliwon.
This Table is a detailed table for period 1921-2040 or 17th Tunggul taun;

Table 3.4.2
17th Tunggul Taun in Caka sunda calendar

X = 120th year rules. This year should be a common year only. The next Indung poe will be fall on this day =
Jumaah wage. Day sequence (Row #3) : Saptu, Ahad, Senen, Salasa, Rebo, Kemis, Jumaah, Saptu, Ahad,.. Pasar
sequence (Row #4):kaliwon, manis, pahing, pon, wage, kaliwon, manis, pahing, Example for using this Table
: 1st day on Year 1921 caka (1st year in this 120 years periodic) fall on Saptu kaliwon. 1st day on Year 1990 caka
falls on Ahad pahing. Year 1925 falls on 5th Dewataun, year 2040, fals on 8th Dewataun
3.5 Example to define poe and pasar in a definite date in Caka Sunda calendar.

Question 1: On which day/poe and pasar, 1st Maga 1925 Caka falls?
Answer:

So those results of the addition used to count the poe/day and pasar, starts from indung poe which valid for year
1925 (it is Saptu kaliwon - refer to table 3.4.2)
And then we count sequentially 9 days from Saptu (This day is also included): Saptu, Ahad, Senen, Salasa, Rebo,
Kemis, Jumaah, Saptu, Ahad
And for pasar, we count sequentially 7 pasar from Kaliwon (This pasar is also included): Kaliwon, Manis, Pahing,
Pon, Legi, Kaliwon, Manis

Tips:
Because of days/poe are 7 in 1 cycle, we can subtract an additional result more than 7, with 7. In this example is 9
7 = 2. Then we count sequentially 2 days from Saptu (This day is also included): Saptu, Ahad
Because of pasar are 5 in 1 cycle, we can subtract an additional result more than 5 with 5, in this example is 7 5 =
2. Then we counting sequentially 2 pasar from Kaliwon (This pasar is also included): Kaliwon, Manis
So, 1st Maga 1925 Caka, falls on Ahad manis

Question 2: And then how if 12th Maga in the same year (1925 Caka)?
Answer:
We just counting day and pasar 12 days sequentially from 1st Maga (=Ahad manis (see an example above)):
Ahad, Senen, Salasa, Rebo, Kemis, Jumaah, Saptu, Ahad, Senen, Salasa, Rebo, Kemis
Manis, pahing, pon, kaliwon, wage, manis, pahing, pon, kaliwon, wage, manis, pahing
For counting day more than 10, some Sundanese usually think in 10 days (or divisible) period/ range. Like this
way:
In this example (12th), they say the day which counting started, twice: Ahad Ahad, plus 2 days next: Senen,
Salasa (it should be totally 10 days from ahad (included)). And then they say the rest of counting (12-10=2 days),
rebo, kemis. (They completely say, "Ahad, ahad, senen, salasa rebo, Kemis")
And for counting days more than 20, 22nd for example, they will be said:
Ahad, ahad, senen salasa (and then) Rebo, rebo, kemis, jumaah, - saptu, minggu
After we see those examples, we just need to know which dewataun, naktu taun, naktu bulan and which indung poe
should be used. Dewataun and indung poe can be seen in tunggul taun Table (like table 3.4.2) those valid for 120
years. Naktu taun and Naktu bulan will valid as long as Caka sunda calendar with its rules used.

V. Conclusion
Sunda calendar is truly reliable. The numbers that show up are definitely reasonable. Because of that, we might
have another thinking, that Sunda calendar should be long enough to reach its consistency. It should be an old
calendar, because as we have already known, it is not easy to make any calendars either precision or practical in
use.
Sundanese calendar is only one example. There are others unknown Sundanese culture that we try to explore. We
never stop to rediscover products of our ancient civilization that might have be a good contribution for both present
time and future. I will be very happy to introduce it to you, and everything about it will be very exiciting to discuss.

Ali Sastramidjaja, 1991

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