ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Shaka era

The Shaka era is a way of keeping track of time that was invented a long time ago in a place called India. It was named after a king named Shaka, who ruled a long time ago. People in India use the Shaka era to figure out what year it is.

When people talk about the Shaka era, they usually start with a year called "0." That year is the same year that King Shaka started ruling, so it's a really important year. For example, if someone says that it's the year 2021 in the Shaka era, that means it's been 2021 years since King Shaka started ruling.

To make it easier to remember which year it is in the Shaka era, people also divide time up into smaller chunks. Each chunk is 60 years long and is called a "Samvatsara". So if someone says that it's the 12th Samvatsara in the Shaka era, that means it's been 720 years since King Shaka started ruling.

Overall, the Shaka era is a way of keeping track of time that is named after a king who ruled a long time ago in India. It helps people figure out what year it is and breaks time up into smaller sections called Samvatsaras.
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