An 1832 book explains how to pick a lucky day to travel

An eighteen-thirty-two guidebook, highlighted by Boing Boing, laid out specific rules for travel through India. Merchants transporting diamonds across the Deccan Plateau were guided to depart on Tuesdays or Thursdays, targeting the fifth, thirteenth, or twenty-eighth day of the lunar month. The practices extended to diet: coriander seeds were eaten before Tuesday departures, and jaggery before Thursday ones. The book captures a moment when commerce and tradition intersected in the precision of travel planning.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton