Various civilizations across the world have their novel ways of recording time. In Bhārata, the Pañcāṅgam is used for that purpose. A Pañcāṅgam is a Hindu astrological almanac or calendar. The word "Pañcāṅgam" comes from Sanskrit, where "pañca" means five and "aṅgam" means limb or part. As the name suggests, it consists of five main elements:

Tithi: The lunar day
Vāra: The day of the week
Nakṣatra: One of the 27 constellations
Yoga: An element derived from a specific alignment of the sun and moon in the way they move together
Karaṇa: Loosely equivalent to half of a tithi

The pañcāṅgam is used to determine auspicious times for various activities, festivals, and religious observances. It is consulted for important life events like weddings, beginning new ventures, or performance of rituals. Before the advent of modern tools, the Pañcāṅgam was used to calculate and educate the masses of all astronomical phenomenon including the eclipses, in addition to dates important for mundane and religious affairs.

Pañcāṅgam is typically prepared for specific locations, as the calculations depend on geographical coordinates. They're widely used in India and by Hindu communities around the world for both religious and cultural purposes.

While traditionally complex to understand, presently modern versions of the Pañcāṅgam are available as apps or websites, thereby making this ancient system more accessible to people today. However, the knowledge of utilizing the data available in the pañcāṅgam is largely being lost in today’s times, with traditional mediums of instruction going out of fashion.

This course is aimed at imparting a good understanding of the Pañcāṅgam, its components, and its practical applications in both traditional and modern contexts. Through an array of video lectures, reading materials, quizzes, exercises and discussions, it will make the learner conversant with the Hindu methods of time keeping.

Time Commitment
- 6 weeks (2 modules per week)
- 3 lecture hours per week
- 2-3 hours per week additionally for readings and assignments.

- The media of instruction is English, and 
- The course does not pre suppose any knowledge of astrology

Required Materials

- Course notes: "Comprehensive Guide to Pañcāṅgam" (provided in digital format)
- Access to a computer with internet connection
- Drik Panchang - Browser version or App
- Traditional physical pañcāṅgam for your region