Vikramaditya Vedic Clock

About Vikramaditya Vedic Clock

• It is the world’s first 'Vedic Clock', designed to display time according to the ancient Indian traditional Panchang (time calculation system).
• It has been positioned on an 85-foot tower within Jantar Mantar in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
• It also provides information on planetary positions, Muhurat, astrological calculations, and predictions.
• In addition to this, it also indicates Indian Standard Time (IST) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). 
• The clock will calculate time from one sunrise to another. 
  • The period between the two sunrises will be divided into 30 parts, whose one hour consists of 48 minutes, according to ISD. 
  • The reading will start from 0:00 with the sunrise functions for 30 hours (an hour of 48 minutes).
• It has been developed by Lucknow-based Sanstha Arohan, using digital interventions, enabling it to be connected to the internet and provide a wide range of features through a mobile app named after the clock.
• Why Ujjain?
  • Ujjain's rich heritage in timekeeping dates back centuries, with the city playing a pivotal role in determining India's time zones and time difference. 
  • Ujjain is located at the precise point of interaction with zero meridian and Tropic of Cancer.
  • Before 82.5E longitude was adopted for IST, Ujjain (75.78E) was considered as Bharat’s time meridian.
  • The Vikrami Panchang and Vikram Samvat calendars are also released from Ujjain, which makes Ujjain the ideal location to have the Vaidik Clock.

Q1) What is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)?

Greenwich Mean Time or GMT is the mean (average) solar time at the Greenwich Meridian or Prime Meridian, 0 degrees longitude. The time displayed by the Shepherd Gate Clock at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, is always GMT. When the sun is at its highest point exactly above the Prime Meridian at the Royal Observatory, it is 12:00 noon at Greenwich.

Source: Vikramaditya Vedic Clock: PM Modi inaugurates world's 1st Indian ‘panchang’-based timepiece in Ujjain | 5 things to know