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{{Short description|Unit of time used in Indian subcontinent}} |
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'''Pahar''' ([[Bengali language|Bengali]] |
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| ⚫ | পহর, [[Hindi]]/[[Nepali language|Nepali]]: पहर, [[Urdu]]: {{lang|ur|پہر}}), which is more commonly pronounced '''peher''' ({{IPA|/pɛhɛr/|lang=hi}}) is a traditional [[unit of time]] used in [[India]], [[Pakistan]], and [[Bangladesh]]. One ''pahar'' nominally equals three [[hour]]s, and there are eight ''pahars'' in a day.<ref name="wadley2005">{{Citation | title=Essays on North Indian folk traditions | author=Susan Snow Wadley | author-link=Susan Snow Wadley | year=2005 | isbn=81-8028-016-0 | publisher=Orient Blackswan | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XuyTqD0Ybw4C | quote=''... pahar (period of three hours) ...''}}</ref> In India, the measure is primarily used in [[North India]] and by [[Hindi]]-speaking communities throughout the [[Dakhini Muslims|Deccan]] in [[South India|Southern India]].<ref name="khusro1882">{{Citation | title=Bāgh-o-bahār; or, Tales of the four darweshes | author= [[Amir Khusro|Amir Khusro Dihlavi]], Mir Amman | year=1882 | publisher=W.H. Allen | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=va9AAAAAYAAJ | quote=''... pahars, or watches, of which the second terminated at noon; hence, do-pahar-din, mid-day ... do-pahar-rat, midnight ... in the north of India, the pahar must have varied from three and a-half hours about the summer solstice, to two and a-half in winter, the pahars of the night varying inversely ...''}}</ref> |
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==Etymology== |
==Etymology== |
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{{Lang|hi|Pahar/pehar/peher}} is derived from Sanskrit word {{Lang|sa|[[prahar]]}} which is an ancient unit of time in India. |
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The word |
The word {{Lang|hi|pahar/peher}} has the same root as the [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] word {{Lang|hi|pehra}} (meaning "to stand guard") and {{Lang|hi|pehredar}} (literally "guard/watchman").<ref name="khusro1882"/> It literally means a "watch" (i.e. period of guard-duty). |
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==Timing== |
==Timing== |
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Traditionally, night and day were each allocated four ''pahars'', or "watches." The first ''pahar'' of the day (or ''din pahar'') was timed to begin at sunrise, and the first ''pahar'' of the night (''raat pahar'') was timed to begin at sunset.<ref name="khusro1882"/> |
Traditionally, night and day were each allocated four ''pahars'', or "watches." The first ''{{Lang|hi|pahar}}'' of the day (or ''{{Lang|hi|din pahar}}'') was timed to begin at sunrise, and the first ''pahar'' of the night (''{{Lang|hi|raat pahar}}'') was timed to begin at sunset.<ref name="khusro1882"/> |
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| ⚫ | This meant that in the winter the daytime ''pahars'' were shorter than the nighttime ''pahars,'' and the opposite was true in summer. The ''pahars'' were exactly equal on the [[equinoxes]].<ref name="wilson1883">{{Citation | title=Final report on the revision of settlement of the Sirsa district in the Punjab | author=J. Wilson (Settlement Officer) | year=1883 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V5oIAAAAQAAJ | quote=''... they vary in length at different times of the year, but at the equinox the pahars of the day and night are equal, each being three hours long. In traditional Hindu society(as in of time when Sanatan Dharma was only major religion in Indian Subcontinent), each prahar was associated with certain task or Karma, which were to be finished in that prahar only. Each varna had specified karma in which at least one prahar(mostly first or last day prahar) was dedicated to sadhna(God worship). Dopahar means midday; pahar din raha=3 PM; pahar rat gai=9 PM; pahar din charha=9 AM ...''}}</ref> Thus, the length of the traditional ''{{Lang|hi|pahar}}'' varied from about 2.5 hours to 3.5 hours in the [[Indo-Gangetic plains]].<ref name="khusro1882"/> |
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Each ''pahar'' of a 24-hour day-night cycle has a specific name and number.<ref name="khusro1882"/> The first ''pahar'' of the day, known as {{Lang|hi|pehla pahar}} ({{Langx|hi|pehla|lit=first|label=[[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]}}), corresponds to the early morning and sunrise.<ref name="kumar2006">{{Citation | title=अरविंद सहज समांतर कोश: शब्दकोश भी-थिसारस भी (Arvind Basic Dictionary and Thesaurus) | author=Arvind Kumar, Kusum Kumar | year=2006 | isbn=81-267-1103-5 | publisher=Rajkamal Prakashan Pvt Ltd | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AMO036cxZPwC | quote=''... पहला पहर = प्रातःकाल ...''}}</ref> |
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The second ''pahar'' is called ''{{Lang|hi|do-pahar}}'' ({{Langx|hi|do|lit=second|label=[[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]}}). However, in the common speech of North India, Pakistan and Nepal, {{Lang|hi|dopahar}} ({{Lang|hi|दोपहर}} or {{Lang|ur|دوپہر}}) has now come to be known as the generic term for afternoon or the time after midday, since it begins after completing the ''do-pahars''.<ref name="wilson1883"/><ref name="ref43jomef">{{Citation | title=A shorter English-Nepali dictionary | author=T. Warren | publisher=Asian Educational Services, 1988 | isbn=978-81-206-0304-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bKLI6V8V9vYC | quote=''... midday dopahar दोपहर् ...''}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | This meant that in the winter the daytime ''pahars'' were shorter than the nighttime ''pahars,'' and the opposite was true in summer. The '' |
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The third ''pahar'' is called {{Lang|hi|seh pahar}} ({{Langx|fa|seh|lit=three}}) and has generically come to mean evening, though the term is less commonly used than ''shaam''.<ref name="delacy1998">{{Citation | title=Hindi & Urdu phrasebook | author=Richard Delacy | year=1998 | isbn=0-86442-425-6 | publisher=Lonely Planet | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QkJH90HBlekC | quote=''... kal seh pahar ko : yesterday evening ...''}}</ref> |
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==Literature== |
==Literature== |
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The poet-saint [[Kabir]] mentions ''pahar'' in one of his dohas: |
The poet-saint [[Kabir]] mentions ''pahar'' in one of his dohas: |
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पाँच पहर धंधे गया, तीन पहर गया सोय । |
{{Lang|bho|पाँच पहर धंधे गया, तीन पहर गया सोय । |
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एक पहर हरि नाम बिन, मुक्ति कैसे होय ॥ |
एक पहर हरि नाम बिन, मुक्ति कैसे होय ॥}} |
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[You] went to work for five ''pahar''s, slept for the remaining three ''pahar''s. How will you attain salvation without chanting the names of Lord Hari for at least one ''pahar''? |
[You] went to work for five ''pahar''s, slept for the remaining three ''pahar''s. How will you attain salvation without chanting the names of [[Lord Hari]] for at least one ''pahar''? |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Culture of India]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Culture of Pakistan]] |
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[[Category:Units of time]] |
[[Category:Units of time]] |
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[[Category:Hindi words and phrases]] |
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Latest revision as of 09:45, 10 November 2024
Pahar (Bengali পহর, Hindi/Nepali: पहर, Urdu: پہر), which is more commonly pronounced peher (/pɛhɛr/) is a traditional unit of time used in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. One pahar nominally equals three hours, and there are eight pahars in a day.[1] In India, the measure is primarily used in North India and by Hindi-speaking communities throughout the Deccan in Southern India.[2]
Etymology
[edit]Pahar/pehar/peher is derived from Sanskrit word prahar which is an ancient unit of time in India.
The word pahar/peher has the same root as the Hindustani word pehra (meaning "to stand guard") and pehredar (literally "guard/watchman").[2] It literally means a "watch" (i.e. period of guard-duty).
Timing
[edit]Traditionally, night and day were each allocated four pahars, or "watches." The first pahar of the day (or din pahar) was timed to begin at sunrise, and the first pahar of the night (raat pahar) was timed to begin at sunset.[2]
This meant that in the winter the daytime pahars were shorter than the nighttime pahars, and the opposite was true in summer. The pahars were exactly equal on the equinoxes.[3] Thus, the length of the traditional pahar varied from about 2.5 hours to 3.5 hours in the Indo-Gangetic plains.[2]
Each pahar of a 24-hour day-night cycle has a specific name and number.[2] The first pahar of the day, known as pehla pahar (Hindustani: pehla, lit. 'first'), corresponds to the early morning and sunrise.[4]
The second pahar is called do-pahar (Hindustani: do, lit. 'second'). However, in the common speech of North India, Pakistan and Nepal, dopahar (दोपहर or دوپہر) has now come to be known as the generic term for afternoon or the time after midday, since it begins after completing the do-pahars.[3][5]
The third pahar is called seh pahar (Persian: seh, lit. 'three') and has generically come to mean evening, though the term is less commonly used than shaam.[6]
Literature
[edit]The poet-saint Kabir mentions pahar in one of his dohas:
पाँच पहर धंधे गया, तीन पहर गया सोय ।
एक पहर हरि नाम बिन, मुक्ति कैसे होय ॥
[You] went to work for five pahars, slept for the remaining three pahars. How will you attain salvation without chanting the names of Lord Hari for at least one pahar?
References
[edit]- ^ Susan Snow Wadley (2005), Essays on North Indian folk traditions, Orient Blackswan, ISBN 81-8028-016-0,
... pahar (period of three hours) ...
- ^ a b c d e Amir Khusro Dihlavi, Mir Amman (1882), Bāgh-o-bahār; or, Tales of the four darweshes, W.H. Allen,
... pahars, or watches, of which the second terminated at noon; hence, do-pahar-din, mid-day ... do-pahar-rat, midnight ... in the north of India, the pahar must have varied from three and a-half hours about the summer solstice, to two and a-half in winter, the pahars of the night varying inversely ...
- ^ a b J. Wilson (Settlement Officer) (1883), Final report on the revision of settlement of the Sirsa district in the Punjab,
... they vary in length at different times of the year, but at the equinox the pahars of the day and night are equal, each being three hours long. In traditional Hindu society(as in of time when Sanatan Dharma was only major religion in Indian Subcontinent), each prahar was associated with certain task or Karma, which were to be finished in that prahar only. Each varna had specified karma in which at least one prahar(mostly first or last day prahar) was dedicated to sadhna(God worship). Dopahar means midday; pahar din raha=3 PM; pahar rat gai=9 PM; pahar din charha=9 AM ...
- ^ Arvind Kumar, Kusum Kumar (2006), अरविंद सहज समांतर कोश: शब्दकोश भी-थिसारस भी (Arvind Basic Dictionary and Thesaurus), Rajkamal Prakashan Pvt Ltd, ISBN 81-267-1103-5,
... पहला पहर = प्रातःकाल ...
- ^ T. Warren, A shorter English-Nepali dictionary, Asian Educational Services, 1988, ISBN 978-81-206-0304-2,
... midday dopahar दोपहर् ...
- ^ Richard Delacy (1998), Hindi & Urdu phrasebook, Lonely Planet, ISBN 0-86442-425-6,
... kal seh pahar ko : yesterday evening ...