These names are the names of Hindu divinities, Maheswara being Shiva, and
constituting with Brahma and Vishnu the so-called Hindu Trinity, while Kala is
either another title of Shiva, or stands for Kali, his wife, and S’ri is a general title
of all Hindu gods^221 ; but it may be doubted whether this division of time is not
of Javanese or Malayan origin, although the importance of the number five is
also recognised by the Hindus.^222
The same mystic notions of colour and the like are attached to these divisions by
the Malays as obtain in the case of the Javanese days of the week: thus
Maheswara’s colour is yellow-white (puteh kuning): if you go out you will meet
a man of yellow-white complexion, or wearing yellow-white clothes; it is a
lucky time for asking a boon from a Raja, or for doing any kind of work; good
news then received is true, bad news is false, and so on.
Kala’s colour is a reddish black (hitam merah^223 ); if you go out you will meet a
bad man or have a quarrel; it is an unlucky time altogether: the good news one
hears turns out untrue, and the bad true; illness occurring at this time is due to a
ghost (hantu orang), and the remedy is a black fowl; in cock-fighting a black
cock will beat a white one at this time, but when setting him to fight you must
not face towards the west, etc.
Similarly S’ri’s colour is white, Brahma’s is red, Vishnu’s is green, and each
division has its respective advantages or disadvantages.^224
Another version of this system, known as the Five Moments (saʿat), is based on
a somewhat similar diagram, but has orthodox Muhammadan names for its
divisions, viz. Ahmad, Jibra’il (Gabriel), Ibrahim (Abraham), Yusuf (Joseph),
and ʿAzra’il (Azrael).
Its diagram, as will be seen, is not quite the same as that of the Katika Lima,
though the general scheme of the two systems corresponds closely.
Sunrise. Forenoon. Noon. Afternoon. Sunset.
(k’luar mata
hari)(tĕngah
naik)(tĕngah
hari)(tĕngah
turun)(waktu
maghrib)
(1st
day)Ahmad Jibra’il Ibrahim Yusuf ʿAzra’il