Al-MARSHAD: Jurnal Astronomi Islam dan Ilmu-Ilmu Berkaitan
Vol 12, No 1 (2026): Al-Marshad

History of the Javanese Calendar in the Era of Aji Saka and Sultan Agung

M. Saifulloh (Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Semarang,)
Ahmad Izzuddin (Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Semarang)
Eman Sulaiman (Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Semarang)



Article Info

Publish Date
20 Jul 2026

Abstract

A calendar is a system that provides daily, monthly, and yearly time by following natural phenomena, namely the apparent movement of the sun from east to west. Calendars did not simply appear; they were influenced by social culture and history. The Javanese calendar system was created by Aji Saka and later modified by Sultan Agung. An interesting aspect of both systems is that they follow Java's cultural traditions. The system used at the beginning of the Javanese calendar was the solar calendar system. However, with the introduction of new cultures and religions to Java, namely Islam and its influence, the calendar changed but continued to follow Aji Saka's annual numbers. The only changes in Sultan Agung's calendar system were the names of the months and the shift from a solar to a lunar calendar. This change followed the Islamic calendar, which had already been influenced by the arrival of Islam from India and Arabia. The number of days in a year also changed from 365 to 355 days. This research method uses qualitative literature that focuses on the historical origins, compares the two systems, and then examines their advantages and disadvantages.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

almarshad

Publisher

Subject

Astronomy Education

Description

Al-Marshad: Jurnal Astronomi Islam dan Ilmu-Ilmu Berkaitan, published by the Observatorium Ilmu Falak, University of Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU), Medan, Indonesia, which includes articles on the scientific research field of Islamic astronomy observatory and others. Al-Marshad: Jurnal ...