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Main Characteristics and Achievements of Ancient Indian Astronomy in Historical Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Kripa Shankar Shukla
Kripa Shankar Shukla*
Affiliation:
Hussainganj Crossing, Lucknow-226 001, India

Extract

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Ancient Indian astronomy may be classified into two main categories: (1) the vedic astronomy and (2) the post vedic astronomy. The vedic astronomy is the astronomy of the vedic period i.e. the astronomy found in the vedic saṃhitas and brāhmanas and allied literature. The principal avocation of the people in the vedic times being the performance of the vedic sacrifices at the times prescribed by the śastras, it was necessary to have accurate knowledge of the science of time so that the times prescribed for performing the various vedic sacrifices could be correctly predicted well in advance. Astronomy in those times, therefore, was essentially the science of time-determination. It centred round the Sun and Moon and its aim was to study the natural divisions of time caused by the motion of the Sun and Moon, such as days, months, seasons and years, special attention being paid to the study of the times of occurrence of new moons, full moons, equinoxes and solstices.

Type
Ancient Astronomy and its Characteristics
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 91: History of Oriental Astronomy , 1987 , pp. 9 - 22
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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