Exact Time of Tamil New Year?

[skrajiv]

Today is 14th Apr 2018 and is the Tamil New Year. The Tamil New year takes place when Sun transits Chithirai Maasam or when it enters into Ashwini Nakshatra in the Aries sign as per the Solar calendar in sidereal system. Different calendars are showing different date periods. Can someone please tell which is the correct time in which Chithirai Maasam starts? Also why does Vishu celebrations in Kerala happen a day later?

As per Drik Siddhantha: (Based on Jagannatha Hora)
1) Chithira Paksha - Sun enters Aries at 7:42 AM on 14th Apr
2) KP System - Sun enters Aries at 5:43 AM on 14th Apr
3) BV Raman - Sun enters Aries at 8:41 PM on 12th Apr
4) Pushya Paksha - Sun enters Aries at 4:18 AM on 13th Apr

As per Surya Siddhantha: (Based on Jagannatha Hora)
1) Surya Siddhantha - Sun enters Aries at 10:10 AM on 14th Apr

Other Options:
1) Vaakya Panchang : Sun enters Aries at 6:52 AM on 14th Apr (Manually calculated - Sun rise time on 14th is 5:57 AM and as per Panchang its given that Sun enters Aries at 2-17 Naaligai which is roughly 55 mins, so 5.57AM + 55 mins = 6:52AM)
2) Drik Panchang : Sun enters Aries at 8:28 AM on 14th Apr (Given as per site Drik Panchang dot com that Sun will be in Meena Rasi till 8:27 AM and doesn't seem to directly correspond to Chitra Paksha)

[Vivek Surya]

नमः शिवाय!

The Tamil New year takes place when Sun transits Chithirai Maasam or when it enters into Ashwini Nakshatra in the Aries sign as per the Solar calendar in sidereal system.

Rajiv, the entire concept of Tamizh new year itself is false

Different calendars are showing different date periods.

Yes!

Can someone please tell which is the correct time in which Chithirai Maasam starts?

By the way you shouldn't say It's chittrai maasam as we say in Tamizh! We are suppose to say Chaitra Maasam! They're derived Samskrutam!
Let me define Pournami Yoga, We say Pournamaasyaayam only when Sun & Moon are in mutual aspect i.e., 180° to each other. From 181° Krishna Pratipatthitau starts. Let's say Sun is in Taurus & Moon is in Scorpio. Generally 180th degree comes in Jyesta constellation. So, Pournami is coming when Moon is in Jyesta constellation. Thus we subtract 15 i.e., from the starting of waxing Moon a Maasam (a month) starts. Not from Pournami. A Maasam is defined as one cycle of Moon's Waxing to waning.

Let's come to Sun in Pisces & 180° occurs when Moon is in Chitra constellation (not necessarily every time, but mostly) i.e., Pournami comes in Chitra. But that is not the starting of Chaitra since waxing has already happened! Thus that month is defined as Chaitra Maasam!
It means people are celebrating New year after 14 or 15 days of actual new year!
The correct new year occurs in the month when Sun is in Pisces & Moon is in Chitra (Virgo Chitra) i.e., 15 days before that in this year. New year started on May 17th 2018 18:42:16 but as people celebrates after Suryodayam, Vilamba naama Samvatsaram has started from then. Not when Sun transit to Aries. This doesn't has any meaning. We need Sun & Moon together to define a month or yoga! Thus Tamizh new year is not at all a new year.
We should call a new year as Yugaadi. KaliYuga Yugaadi happened on Chaitra shukla Pratipatthitau.
Yuga means you know aadi means starting. So, starting of Yuga (Yugaadi) or an anuual year is celebrated as Yugaadi.

Rajiv, It's good that you wanted to know what is actual new year! I appreciate for your zeal.

[skrajiv]

Thanks a lot Vivek Surya,
This is quite a revelation to me. I've been wanting to know exactly how these dates get calculated and now i hear all these are wrong

So does that mean even the date of Pongal is wrong because from what I've heard, Makara Sankranthi is celebrated on the day in which Sun transits/enters Capricorn (Makara)?

Thanks
Rajiv

[Vivek Surya]

नमः शिवाय!

So does that mean even the date of Pongal is wrong because from what I've heard, Makara Sankranthi is celebrated on the day in which Sun transits/enters Capricorn (Makara)?

Yeah, Sun transit to Makaram is what we people celebrate Pongal right! Adhuku aduth dinam Kaanum pandigai Varum!

[skrajiv]

Yes Vivek, aama neenga right.
Already I had doubts in correlating this itself as different ayanamsas give different timings with regard to Sun entering Capricorn. In Raman it comes during midnight of Jan 12th itself whereas in Lahiri it is some time on 14th. As per Vakya panchang followed by most temples, it again gives a different time. Too many complications I say .