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U\DEKDWD DV .HUDOD DQG PRUH SUHFLVHO\ WKH ODWLWXGH RI 1 ZKHUH WKH ZHVW
the history of Indian astronomy. An effort has been made here to examine the veracity of the legends in KerDOD RI WKH HFOLSVH REVHUYDWLRQV E\ U\DEKDW D IURP WKH VHD DQG WKH KRVWLOH UHDFWLRQ RI WKH %U KPLQ RUWKRGR[\
to the sea voyage undertaken. The annular solar eclipse on AD 519 August 11 has been identified as the one
ZKLFK PDGH U\DEKDW D WR XQGHUWDNH WKH VHD YR\DJH U\DEKDW D V DGMXVWPHQW RI WKH OHQJWK RI WKH VRODU \HDU
and the parallax correction to find the middle of the solar eclipse have been explained on the basis of the
relevant factors of the eclipse observed. Further, it has been shown that he may have utilized a period of
QHDUO\ WZR PRQWKV DW .DQ\NXPUL &DSH &RPRULQ IRU REVHUYLQJ WKH KRUL]RQ SKHQRPHQRQ WDking advantage
RI WKH HDVW DQG ZHVW VHD KRUL]RQV DYDLODEOH DW .DQ\ NXP UL 3RVVLELOLW\ RI DQ DQFLHQW REVHUYDWRU\ DW .DQ\
HISTORICAL NOTES
to travel by sea over the western sea to
08N24 and the eclipse had its maximum
obscurity a little down south of Thiruvananthapuram, 1.5 towards west in the sea.
Now let us have a look at the implications, if any, of the observation of the
above eclipse in U\Dbhat\DP.
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
U\ DEK DW D epoch
Planet
Arya
Sun
Moon
Moon_apogee
Moon_node
Table 2.
140
140
145
137
&RPSDULVRQ
Planet
Sun
Moon
Moon_apogee
Moon_node
Mars
Mercury
Jupiter
Venus
Saturn
Modern
58
58
20
35
RI
ahargan D
Bhagan D
4320000
57753336
488219
232226
2296824
17937020
364224
7022388
146564
141
140
145
137
PHDQ
RI
.DOL
140
140
140
133
Modern
58
58
30
57
HODSVHG
U\DVLGGKQWD
U\ DVLddh nta
00
28048
21542
35212
712
18560
18712
35624
4912
Surya
00
21
15
36
ORQJLWXGHV
6
U\DVLGGKQWD epoch
Modern
359:54
282:38
215:27
352:00
06:59
184:01
187:10
356:28
48:23
141
140
145
137
1
41
15
35
U\DVLGGKQWD-
U\ DVLGGK QW D
Bhagan D
00
28048
21054
34836
936
19760
18560
35248
5024
4320000
57753336
488203
232238
2296832
17937060
364220
7022376
146568
415
HISTORICAL NOTES
Table 3.
Planet
Bhagan a
ryasiddh nta
Sun
Moon
Moon_apogee
Moon_node
Mars
Mercury
Jupiter
Venus
Saturn
4320000
57753336
488219
232226
2296824
17937020
364224
7022388
146564
0 0
9442
7127
267 6
8927
517
16518
13559
330 7
U\DEKat\D
DQG
LQ
WKH
FDVH
RI
WKH
Criticism of Brahmagupta7 on
PRRQV DSRJHH LQ U\Dbhat\DP
U\DEKDWD PDGH GUDVWLF
corrections to the moons apogee and
node is evident from the criticism of
BrahmaJXSWD %HWZHHQ WKH 6U\DVLGGKQta
HSRFK RI .DOL HODSVHG DQG U\D bhatL\D RI .DOL VXFK D FRUUHction
could have been done only by eclipse observations and in this context the solar
eclipse of AD 519 August 11 must be certainly of great importance.
7KH IDFW WKDW
.
Modern
S ryasiddhanta
Bhagan a SS Col.2+
0 0
9442
6637
26329
9152
1722
164 5
13221
33119
0
0
16
+12
+8
+40
4
12
+4
00:04
94:07
71:24
267:08
89:34
03:01
165:31
135:52
329:47
HISTORICAL NOTES
Table 4. Solar eclipseparallax correction by traditional method. Location: 10N51, 75E45
Time
Udaya
Madhya
Drksepa
14:07
13:14
12:41
12:22
12:11
12:04
687.10
671.45
667.23
666.84
667.32
667.91
620.04
247.03
22.01
102.19
171.83
215.12
607.54
242.28
21.59
100.25
168.56
211.03
Table 5.
Graha
Sun
Moon
Mars
Mercury
Jupiter
Venus
Saturn
5
KX
ApogeeMoon
Drg
1708.32
1020.57
583.11
358.19
270.38
253.03
24.38
15.14
8.90
5.25
3.23
2.13
53
33
19
11
7
5
58
35
20
12
9
8
1390545
1390415
2890902
1242050
982427
1031810
2895849
13750
14621
0007
0611
0108
0007
0031
0035
Elongation
0.025
150.05
14.75
40.69
35.79
150.88
2
7
Remarks
New moon
28 August s. conjunction
is low: Node on 2 June
Node on 20 August
Sun is computed from the earthsun conjunctions, Moon is computed from its
417
HISTORICAL NOTES
Table 6.
Planetary conjunction
Lunar eclipse
MoonVenus
MoonJupiter
MoonMercury
MoonSun
MoonMars
MoonSaturn
Lunar eclipse
8
8
10
11
23
23
conjunctions with the sun and the starlike planets are computed by observing
their conjunctions with the moon.
A good illustration of the above verse
could be seen at the above date of the solar
eclipse of AD 519 August 11 and in the
sandwiching lunations as given in Table 6.
$OO WKH SKHQRPHQD WKDW U\DEKDW D
mentioned in the concluding verse of
U\DEKDW\DP without exception could
be observed on either side of the solar
eclipse that happened on the meridian of
8MMD\LQ
Perigee close
Visible in the morning
Visible in the morning
Visible in the morning
Eclipse at noon
Visible at night overhead
Visible at night overhead
Also perigee
Conclusion
,W LV DSSDUHQW IURP WKH DERYH WKDW U yabhatD ZKR KHUDOGHG WKH EHJLQQLQJ RI WKH
mature phase of Indian astronomy in the
6th century CE , had his astronomical observations in the southern state of Kerala.
Precisely his location was 10N51, 75E45,
the confluence of the river NilD LQ WKH VHD
and the point where the west coast of the
subcontinent intercepted the prime meridian of UjjayLQ
In continuation with the identification
of the place of observation, examination
of the veracity of the legends concerning
his eclipse observations from the sea leads
one to the annular solar eclipse of AD 519
August 11, the totality of which occurred