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What are kalpas, mahayugas, and yugas in Hindu ideas about time?

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Fresco The Last Judgment by Michelangelo covers the west wall of the Sistine Chapel, depicting Christ at the center surrounded by angels and human figures in dramatic poses. — eschatology The Second Coming as depicted in “The Last Judgment,” fresco by Michelangelo, 1536-41, on the west wall of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Palace, Vatican City.

In Hindu cosmology, time is viewed as a vast, repeating cycle of creation and destruction. These concepts are central to understanding the Hindu perspective on the history of the universe.12

Yugas

A yuga is an age of humankind. According to traditional Puranic accounts, there are four distinct yugas that represent a progressive decline in the moral and physical state of humanity, named after the throws of an Indian dice game:12
* Krita (or Satya) Yuga: An age of perfection.1
* Treta Yuga: The second age of decline.2
* Dvapara Yuga: The third age.2
* Kali Yuga: The current, most degenerate age, which began in 3102 BCE.12

Mahayugas

A mahayuga ("great yuga") is a complete cycle consisting of all four yugas. While calculations vary—some ancient astronomers like Aryabhata proposed equal durations for each yuga—the traditional Puranic model suggests the ages become progressively shorter as they deteriorate, with a mahayuga totaling 12,000 "years of the gods," where each divine year equals 360 human years.123

Kalpas

A kalpa is a vast eon representing a complete cosmic cycle from the origination to the destruction of a world system. One kalpa is composed of 1,000 mahayugas and constitutes a single "day" in the life of the creator god Brahma. At the end of a kalpa, the universe enters a period of quiescence (pralaya) before the cycle of creation begins anew.421