Vāra (astronomy)

In Indian calendrical systems, vāra (or, vāsara) denotes the week-day. It is one of the five elements that constitute the traditional almanacs called Pañcāṅga-s the other four being Nakshatra, Tithi, Karaṇa and Nityayoga. The concept of week, the unit of time consisting of seven days, is indigenous to Indian civilisation. The concept was probably borrowed by Babylonians and its use predates the use of the twelve zodiacal signs in Indian civilazation. The concept finds mention in Atharva Veda. The seven week-days are named after the seven classical planets as in the ancient Greek and Roman traditions.