According to Indian ancient scriptures, Brahma, the creator, creates and destroys the universe cyclically. The life of Brahma is 120 divine years called Mahakalpa. Every day he creates 14 Manus one by one and they create and control the world. So there are fourteen Manus in one divine day called Kalpa of Brahma.

There are many calculations which depict / represent many theories though I would like to show them all in one table.

Krati = 34,000th of a second

1 Truti = 300th of a second

2 Truti = 1 Luv

2 Luv = 1 Kshana

30 Kshana = 1 Vipal

60 Vipal = 1 Pal

60 Pal = 1 Ghadi (24 minutes)

2.5 Gadhi = 1 Hora (1 hour)

24 Hora = 1 Divas (1 day)

7 Divas = 1 saptaah (1 week)

4 Saptaah = 1 Maas (1 month)

2 Maas = 1 Rutu (1 season)

6 Rutu = 1 Varsh (1 year)

100 Varsh = 1 Shataabda (1 century)

10 Shataabda = 1 sahasraabda

432 Sahasraabda = 1 Yug (Kaliyug)

2 Yug = 1 Dwaaparyug

3 Yug = 1 Tretaayug

4 Yug = 1 Krutayug

10 Yug = 1 Mahaayug (4,320,000 years)

1000 Mahaayug = 1 Kalpa

1 Kalpa = 4.32 billion years

In terms of years

SATYUG 4,32,000 YEARS X 4 = 17,28,000 YEARS

TRETA 4,32,000 YEARS X 3 = 12,96,000 YEARS

DWAPAR 4,32,000 YEARS X 2 = 8,64,000 YEARS

KALIYUG 4,32,000 YEARS X 1 = 4,32,000 YEARS

1 MAHAYUG (GRAND TOTAL OF ALL THE YUGAS) = 4,320,000 YEARS

71 MAHAYUG = 43,20,000X71 = 1 MANVANTAR

1 MANVANTAR = 30,6720,000 YEARS

14 MANVANTAR = 4,294,080,000 YEARS

Let’s see the age of our cosmos as per the Vedic System.

There are 14 Manvantaras altogether. The present period is passing through the seventh Manvantara called Vaivaswata Manvantara.

One Manvantara = 71 Mahayugs (out of which 27 Mahayugs have already passed)

The time period of Manvantara (exclusive period, when the earth is submerged in water, in the beginning and in the end) = 306,720,000 years

Multiplying these years by 6 = 30,67,20,000 x 6 = 1,8,0,300,000 years

(Because we are in the midst of 7th Manvantara, of the Svetvaaraah Kalpa and 6 Manvantaras have already passed)

The time period of Pralaya consists of 17,28,000 years since 7 Pralayas have passed, after the end of 6th Kalpa and before the beginning of 7th Kalpa, so

Total Pralaya Time = 17,28,000 x 7 = 12,096,000 years

Total Passed Years = 1,840,300,000 + 120 96 000 = 1,852,396,000 years

Therefore, after 1,85,24,16,000 years ‘VAIVASVAT MANVANTARA’ has started.

27 Mahayugs with each Mahayuga consisting of 43,20,000 years. 43,20,000 x 27 = 116,640,000 years have passed

Total Passed Years = 1,852,396,000 + 116,640,000 = 1,96,90,56,000 years

Now the time period of Kali Yuga in the 28th Yuga

Time period of Satya Yuga = 17,28,000

Time period of Treta = 12,96,000

Time period of Dwapar = 8,64,000

TOTAL = 38,88,000

Since all the above three Yugas have already passed, it means that after 38, 88,000 years, Kali Yuga came into existence.

Total Passed Years = 1,96,90,56,000 + 38, 88,000 = 1,97,29,44,000

Years Kali Yuga started on Bhadrapada, Krishnapaksha -13th day, in Vyatipaat yoga at midnight, in the Aashlesha Nakshatra and the age of the Kali Yuga has been fixed as 5111 years as till date that is Vikram Samvat 2065 = Shaka 1932 = 2000 AD.

Sum of all the three Yugs = the Sum of 27 Mahayugas and Manvantar + the time period of Kali Yuga till date.

Total Passed Years = 1,97,29,44,000 + 1,97,29,49,111

Years Kalpa consist of 4,32,00,00,000 years and out of these 1,97,29,49,101 years have passed.

Therefore, the earth’s existence, according to the calculations devised by our ancient sages, comes up to 1,97,29,49,111 years till date.

It is interesting to note that according to scientific calculations, the age of the cosmos is estimated between 15 and 20 billion years.

Sources: http://www.astrojyoti.com

Hinduism: Hinduism is the modern form of Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is a Sanskrit phrase which means eternal law. It is the world’s oldest extant religion. It is a conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions. This Dharma is not created by a founder but it combines the practice of several sages, saints and gurus.  Sanatana Dharma contains a vast range of scriptures. Puranas are one of them.18 Puranas are a collective form of the dialogs between sage Jaimini and sage Markandeya.   

Markandeya Purana: Markandeya Purana deals with the four question of sage Jaimini to sage Markandeya. The text consists 134 chapters. The chapters 50-97 contain the accounts of the 14 Manvantaras (the periods of the Manus) of which 13 chapters (ch.78-90) are together known as Devi Mahatmya (Glorification of the Great Goddess), which is embedded in this Purana.  

Formation of Ma Durga: According to the narrative from the Devi Mahatmya of the Markandeya Purana, the form of Durga was created as a warrior goddess to fight a demon. The demon’s father Rambha, king of the demons, once fell in love with a water buffalo, and Mahishasur was born out of this union. He is therefore able to change between human and buffalo form at will (mahisha means “buffalo”). Through intense prayers to Brahma, Mahishasura had the boon that he could not be defeated by any man or god. He unleashed a reign of terror on earth, heaven and the nether worlds. Eventually, since only a woman could kill him, the trinity bestowed a dazzling beam of energy upon the Goddess Trinity (Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati), transforming her into the goddess, Durga. Her form was blindingly beautiful with three lotus-like eyes, eight powerful hands, lush black hair with beautiful curls, a red-golden glow from her skin and a quarter moon on her forehead. She wore a shiny oceanic blue attire emitting fierce rays. Her ornaments were carved beautifully of gold, with ocean pearls and precious stones embedded in it. Her face was sculpted by Shiva, torso by Indra, breasts by Chandra (the moon), teeth by Brahma, bottom by the Earth, thighs and knees by Varuna (water), and her three eyes by Agni (fire). Each god also gave her their own most powerful weapons, Rudra’s trident, Vishnu’s discus, Indra’s thunderbolt, Brahma’s kamandal, Kuber’s gada, etc. Himalayas gifted her a fierce whitish golden lion. On the end of the 8th and beginning of the 9th day of waxing moon, Chanda and Munda came to fight the goddess. She turned blue with anger and goddess Chamunda leaped out of her third eye. Her form was the most powerful one with 3 red eyes, blood-filled tongue and dark skin; who finally killed the twin demons with her sword. This form of the divine goddess is worshipped during the sandhikshan of Durga Puja festival, as sandhi/chandi puja. Finally on the tenth day of waxing moon, goddess Durga killed Mahishasura with her trident. The word Shakti, meaning strength, reflects the warrior aspect of the goddess, embodying a traditional male role. She is also strikingly beautiful, and initially Mahishasura tries to marry her. Other incarnations include Annapurna and Karunamayi (karuna = kindness).  

Durga Puja: The Durga pujas are held over a ten-day period, which is traditionally viewed as the coming of the married daughter, Durga, to her father, Himalaya’s home. It is the most important festival in Bengal, and Bengalis celebrate with new clothes and other gifts, which are worn on the evenings when the family goes out to see the ‘pandals’ (temporary structures set up to venerate the goddess). Although it is a Hindu festival, religion takes a backseat on these 10 days: Durga Puja in Bengal is a carnival, where people from all backgrounds, regardless of their religious beliefs, participate and enjoy themselves to the hilt. It is one of the largest Hindu festivals and it is also celebrated in other parts of India mainly Orissa, Tripura, Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand.  During the week of Durga Puja, in the entire state of West Bengal as well as in large enclaves of Bengalis everywhere, life comes to a complete standstill. In playgrounds, traffic circles, ponds — wherever space may be available — elaborate structures called pandals ‘are set up, many with nearly a year’s worth of planning behind them. The word pandal means a temporary structure, made of bamboo and cloth, which is used as a temporary temple for the purpose of the puja. While some of the pandals are simple structures, others are often elaborate works of art with themes that rely heavily on history, current affairs and sometimes pure imagination. Somewhere inside these complex edifices is a stage on which Durga reigns, standing on her lion mount, wielding ten weapons in her ten hands. This is the religious center of the festivities, and the crowds gather to offer flower worship or pushpanjali on the mornings, of the sixth to ninth days of the waxing moon fortnight known as Devi Pakshya (lit. Devi = goddess; Pakshya = period; Devi Pakshya meaning the period of the goddess). Ritual drummers – dhaakis, carrying large leather-strung dhaakis –– show off their skills during ritual dance worships called aarati. On the tenth day, Durga the mother returns to her husband, Shiva, ritualised through her immersion into the waters –– Bishorjon also known as Bhaashan and Niranjan.  

New Form of Durga Puja: Today’s Puja, however, goes far beyond religion. In fact, visiting the pandals recent years, one can only say that Durgapuja the largest outdoor art festival on earth. In the 1990s, a preponderance of architectural models came up on the pandal exteriors, but today the art motif extends to elaborate interiors, executed by trained artists, with consistent stylistic elements, carefully executed and bearing the name of the artist. The sculpture of the idol itself has evolved. The worship always depicts Durga with her four children, and occasionally two attendant deities and some banana-tree figures. In the olden days, all five idols would be depicted in a single frame, traditionally called pata. Since the 1980s however, the trend is to depict each idol separately. At the end of six days, the idol is taken for immersion in a procession amid loud chants of ‘Bolo Durga mai-ki jai’ (glory be to Mother Durga’) and ‘aashchhe bochhor abar hobe’ (‘it will happen again next year’) and drumbeats to the river or other water body, and it is cast in the waters symbolic of the departure of the deity to her home with her husband in the Himalayas. After this, in a tradition called Vijaya Dashami, families visit each other and sweetmeats are offered to visitors (Dashami is literally “tenth day” and Vijay is “victory”). Durga Puja is also a festivity of Good (Ma Durga) winning over the evil (Maheshasoora the demon). It is a worship of power of Good which always wins over the bad.  

Durga Puja in Kolkata: In Kolkata alone more than ten thousand pandals are set up, all clamoring for the admiration and praise of the populace. The city is adorned with lights. People from all over the country visit the city at this time, and every night is one mad carnival where thousands of people go ‘pandal-hopping’ with their friends and family. Traffic becomes a nightmare, and indeed, most people abandon their vehicles to travel by foot after a point.