The generally accepted units of time, by SI System, go down from a second to millisecond (1e-3) to microsecond (1e-6) to nanosecond (1e-9) to picosecond (1e-12) to femtosecond (1e-15) to attosecond (1e-18) and so on. Whereas in higher units, a second goes up to a minute, hour, day, year, decade, century, millennium and further. This "second" which we are referring right now, is actually the International Second, defined here as, "The second is the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom." This is the generally accepted definition today in global context. However, some cultures have developed unique time measurement systems of their own. Here is one such system used wholly in Nepalese culture before SI System was adopted in their daily schedule:
The day begins when the tiles on the roof of a house can be counted, or when the hair on the back of a man’s hand can be discerned against the sky.
A copper vessel with a small hole in the bottom is so constructed that, when put on the surface of water in a tub, it fills sixty times a day; and each time it fills and sinks, the ghari is struck. The ghari, which is a flat metal plate or gong, is struck regularly in progressive numbers from morning to noon; one, two, three, etc. If the day is twenty-four gharis in length, the striking of the ghari will give the number of gharis from morning till noon; after that, the first ghari struck will indicate the number of gharis which remain of the day till sunset. The same holds good for the night. That is to say from sunset to midnight the gharis are struck, one, two, three, etc., and from midnight the striking indicates the number of gharis still to elapse before dawn.
Here is a quick conversion:
60 bipalas = 1 pala
60 palas = 1 ghari = 24 minutes
60 gharis = 1 day of 24 hours
The day begins when the tiles on the roof of a house can be counted, or when the hair on the back of a man’s hand can be discerned against the sky.
A copper vessel with a small hole in the bottom is so constructed that, when put on the surface of water in a tub, it fills sixty times a day; and each time it fills and sinks, the ghari is struck. The ghari, which is a flat metal plate or gong, is struck regularly in progressive numbers from morning to noon; one, two, three, etc. If the day is twenty-four gharis in length, the striking of the ghari will give the number of gharis from morning till noon; after that, the first ghari struck will indicate the number of gharis which remain of the day till sunset. The same holds good for the night. That is to say from sunset to midnight the gharis are struck, one, two, three, etc., and from midnight the striking indicates the number of gharis still to elapse before dawn.
Here is a quick conversion:
60 bipalas = 1 pala
60 palas = 1 ghari = 24 minutes
60 gharis = 1 day of 24 hours
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