Prahar

Prahar or Prahara is a Sanskrit term for a unit of time, or subdivision of the day, approximately three hours long.

Definition

The day is divided into eight parts: four ''prahara''s for the day, and four for the night. The first ''prahara'' of the day begins at sunrise, and the fourth ''prahara'' of the day ends at sunset. A second round of four ''prahara''s unfolds during the night, between sunset and sunrise.

The traditional system of ''prahara''s overlaps with the traditional system of muhurtas also, which is based on precise astronomical calculations.

Thus, the day can be regarded as divided into eight ''prahara''s (of three hours each) or thirty ''muhurta''s (of 48 minutes each). In both systems, the day commences with sunrise. The timing of the two systems coincides only at sunrise and sunset (four ''prahara''s coincide with fifteen ''muhurta''s at the twelve-hour, or 720-minute, point).

History

In the ancient Puranas, the day is divided into eight ''praharas'': four for the day and four for the night. The concept still prevails today in India, particularly in connection with the performance of Indian classical music (see below).

Timing

The first ''prahara'' is commonly placed at sunrise, although some sources place it at the brahma-muhurta, a period of time before sunrise (around 4.30 am when Venus can be sighted).

The concept of ''prahar'' originated where the lengths of the day and night were based on actual, observable sunrise and sunset. The four ''prahara''s of the day start at sunrise, and the four ''prahara''s of the night at sunset. If the location is near the equator, where day and night are the same length year round, the ''prahara''s of the day and the ''prahara''s of the night will be of equal length (three hours each). In other regions, where the relative length of day and night varies according to the season, the ''prahara''s of the day will be longer or shorter than the ''prahara''s of the night.

Contemporary discussions of ''prahara'' often use 7:00 am (the time of sunrise at the equator and at the equinoxes) as a theoretical fixed point of reference for mapping out the ''prahara''s at three-hour intervals (7-10, 10-1, etc.). This scheme is a useful pedagogical tool and an efficient way of applying the concept of ''prahara'' in a technological "clock" culture. However, it's important to realize that this rigid schema most likely does not capture the original application of ''prahara.'' In a traditional, non-technological culture, the length of day and night are based on observable sunrise and sunset. The day, which starts at sunrise and ends at sunset, is divided into four ''prahara''s of equal length; and, the night, which starts at sunset and ends at sunrise, is also divided into four equal watches. During the summer, when the days are longer than the nights, the ''praharas'' of the day will be longer than the ''praharas'' of the night, and vice versa during the winter.

The question of how to handle the ''prahara''s when days and nights are unequal in length is critical for timing the performance of ragas, since each ''raga'' is ideally performed during a certain ''prahara''.

Indian classical music

Some ragas of the Indian classical music are prescribed to be performed at a particular ''prahara'' to maximize their aesthetic effects (''see'' samay). Perhaps the earliest mention of the relation between raga and time is Narada's ''Sangita Makaranda,'' written sometime between the 7th and 11th century, which warns musicians against playing ''ragas'' at the incorrect time of day. Pandit V.N. Bhatkhande (1860-1936), who formulated the modern system of Indian musical thāt, states that the correct time (or ''prahara'') to play a ''raga'' has a relation to its ''thāt'', or scale.

Modern etymology and usage

The word commonly used in India, Pakistan, Nepal is prahar (Hindi/ Nepali प्रहर, Urdu