Tell me more ×
History Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for historians and history buffs. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 13 down vote favorite

Did ancient & medieval indians have a weekly day off? Or was there even a generally recognized day as public holiday? Or did the concept get introduced with Arabs or Europeans?

share|improve this question
1  
Great question. There is a wealth of information on the internet but without any credible sources. I do know that the Mughals introduced Friday as the holiday, the British introduced the Sunday, and that in ancient India sabbath day was not practiced (sabbath day is a concept in Abrahamic religions). However, wikipedia claims that in ancient Vedic times, Saturday was a rest day --a fact I doubt highly. – Monster Truck Jun 9 '12 at 7:22
2  
In other words, please do not post [only] theories here --there are plenty on the web. Please post credible information from credible sources only. – Monster Truck Jun 9 '12 at 7:23
1  
Well the ancient indians (i.e. Hindus) followed the lunar calendar, meaning the year was divided into about 28-day months, which was divided into 14-day half months (from full moon to new moon and vice versa). So probably there was no concept of weeks till the arrival of the English, this is supported by the names of the days of the week - ravivar (Sun's day), somvar (Moon's day), shanivar (Saturn's day). The others don't correspond to the modern day english names though, and it's always possible that the names in English and Hindi were derived from a common source. – apoorv020 Jun 9 '12 at 8:20

Know someone who can answer? Share a link to this question via email, Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.