In Indian vedic astronomy, there are 27 nakshatras, or sectors along the ecliptic. A list of them is first found in the Vedanga Jyotisha, a text dated to the final centuries BCE. The nakshatra system predates the influence of Hellenistic astronomy on Vedic tradition, which became prevalent from about the 2nd century CE. There are various systems of enumerating the nakshatras; although there are 27âÂÂ28 days to a sidereal month, by custom only 27 days are used. The following list gives the corresponding regions of sky. Months in the modern Indian national calendar, which is based on the traditional "nirayana" sidereal calendar, are named after twelve of the nakshatras, but do not coincide with the times when the sun is passing through these nakshatras - in fact, they are close to the opposite. It is possible that during the original naming of these monthsâÂÂwhenever that happenedâÂÂthey were based on the position of the Full Moon (opposite the Sun). The modern Indian national calendar is a solar calendar, much like the Gregorian calendar, wherein solstices and equinoxes fall on the same date(s) every year.
The 27 Nakshatras cover 13ð20â of the ecliptic each. Each Nakshatra is also divided into quarters or padas of 3ð20âÂÂ, and the below table lists the appropriate starting sound to name the child. The 27 nakshatras, each with 4 padas, give 108, which is the number of beads in a Japa mala, indicating all the elements (ansh) of Vishnu:
The names of nakshatras in other languages are adapted from the Sanskrit variation (apabhramsa) through Pali or Prakrit. The variations evolved for easier pronunciation in popular usage.