No one know when this system of Badugu months came into being, because the Badugas have been living in Neelagiri (Nilgiris) for the past more than 3000 years and only in 1968 the Badugu script was invented. So there was no keeping of written records in acient times, to mention any year of origin of months.
Through my research work i learned from the 90+ old elders, in 2015, that the Badugu months are lunar and the First day of any month is the New moon day only (on which day the ancient temples, called Bana gudi were opened, lamp lit and the ede' or prasaadh offered and then closed). The first month Koodalu was fixed based on the appearance of some nakshathras(stars) the names of which are ''sarba nakshathra'', ''aaralu''. These two groups of stars(each is a group of six stars; I have observed them and based on that prepared the first Badugu calendar in 2015-16). The sarba nakshathras are seen prominently in the early morning, at high above head but slightly to the left in December, Jan,....(by 3 to 5.30 am); those six stars appear in an inverted-S line. So we can understand that, it is the period of Koodalu month; but we have to wait for the New moon day to come so as to fix the 1st day of that month; Hence, it falls between Inglish months of mid-December and mid-January.
As ours is lunar one there appears a shortage of 10 to 11 days every year, compared to Inglish calendar. To keep pace with that Inglish calendar we Add one month, called 'Sari thinguva', once in Every 3 Years. 🥰 The last time Sarithinguvas fixed were in 2018 & 2021; this year(2024) also it has to be added, and hence this year there are 13 lunar months. And no festival was/is celebrated on New moon day; normally the festival day was/is fixed on a MONDAY WHICH COMES AFTER THE APPERARANCE OF HERE'(crescent moon) after New moon day.
The normal 12 Badugu months are as below:
Bana gudi:-
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