Subject: Re: [HM] Indian astronomy and mathematics
From: Dinesh Maheshwari (dsm@cypress.com)
Date: Tue Feb 01 2000 - 20:55:12 EST
Dear Kim and fellow HM list members,
Thanks for the examples, I had not heard of a single of the
mathematicians/astronomers in the example before.
I cannot help but notice that in all the examples the Hindu/Jain
astronomers/mathematicians were employed by the Muslim rulers to perform
translations or compilations of work, primarily from Arabic astronomy
work to Sanskrit. Also, I can help but notice that none of the Hindu/Jain
astronomers/mathematicians employed by the Muslim rulers in these examples
stand out for their own contribution to mathematics or astronomy.
As a side note, I wonder if Aryabhata's [476-550AD] astronomy text
Siddhanta (not Aryabhatitya) which deals with a heliocentric model of the
solar system, the notion of earth rotation, the causes of solar/lunar
eclipses and the notion of elliptical planetary orbits were ever translated
to Arabic/Persian.
Best Regards,
Dinesh
PS 1: The following web site lists the prominent Hindu/Jain mathematicians
from post 1000AD India. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/mathhist/india.html
PS 2: I forgot to mention in the previous post that the re-dating of
Kalidasa's work based on astronomical observations has been verified to be
correct by the decipherment of an inscription in a cave near Ujjain in the
latter part of 1999. Kalidasa's work is now dated to be some 600 years earlier
in 2nd century BC.
--
Dinesh Maheshwari
Advanced Design Methods
Cypress Semiconductor
San Jose, CA, USA
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