FASLI, or harvest em of Northern India, has been traced to the year of Akbar's accession to tho throne, or the 2d Rabi-us-Sani, 9G3 (14th February 1556), when a solar year for financial and other civil transactions was engrafted on the current lunar year of the Hijra, or subse quently adjusted to the first year of Akbar'a reign, the object of that sovereign being merely to equalize the mune or number of the year all over his vast empire, without interfering with the modes of 'subdivision practised in different localities, and from this spring the four existing harvest yews. The Faali year of the Dekhan Owes ita origin to the emperor Shah Jahan, who, after bringing his wars in Maharashtra to a close in 1636, endeavoured to settle the country, and introduce the revenue system of Todar Mull, the celebrated minister of Akbar, and thus naturally came the revenue or harvest year. It differs from the Fasli of Bengal by seven years, from the acceleration of the lunar year. The year is or ought to be sidereal, but the Madras Government have now fixed its commencement to the 12th July, and applied it solely to revenue matters.
The Bengali san, the Vilayati san, and the Tamil Fasli year, may be always considered identical with the Salta solar year, while the Fasli of the Western Provinces may in like manner be classed with the luni-solar samvat there current. The Hijra year began on the 26th November 1555 N.s. The concurrent Fasli year, A.H. 963, began on the 1st of the lunar month Asan (Aswina), which fell on the 10th September 1555 ; the Valayati year 963 on the lst of the solar month Asan, which occurred on the 8th September 1555. But the Bengali san 963 began on the lst Baisakh, fall ing within the same IIijra year, which was necessarily that of the llth April 1556. The number 592 must be added to convert the two first eras into Christian era account, if less than four of these months have transpired, and 593 years if more ; also 593 years for the first nine months of the Bengali san, and 594 for the rest. — Prinsep's Antiquities by Thonzas, p. 170 ; Elliot.