|
 On
December 17, 2006, Sunita Williams, an Indian-American astronaut, a
part of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s
three-member crew for the six-month-long International Space Station
(ISS) expedition went for a spacewalk, in a bid to rewire the ISS
and to fix a troublesome solar array. She was the first woman of
Indian descent to walk in space.
| But
then, when it comes to exploring the cosmos, Indians have
always been noted for their stargazing abilities. Ancient
Indians made remarkable observations and discoveries about
our universe. This is the story about our journey to the
stars. |
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| In India today, the science of astronomy is called
KHAGOLA-SHASTRA, which translates literally as "system of
the sphere of stars" (kha = stars, gola = sphere, shastra =
system). The famous astronomical observatory at the
University of Nalanda is also called Khagola. This is where
the great 5th century Indian astronomer Aryabhata studied
and extended the subject. |
The Vedic legacy
The earliest references to astronomy are found in the Rig Veda,
which possibly belongs to the 2nd or 3rd millennium BC. It may even
be earlier. According to recent archaeological discoveries, the
mighty Sarasvati River ceased reaching the sea before 3000 BC and
dried up in the sands of the Western desert around 1900 BC. Rig Veda
traces the route of this river from the mountains to the sea, so it
must be at least as old as that epoch.
Stargazing was a part of life in the ancient civilisations. The
different positions of the stars and constellations in different
times of the year were used in conjunction (amavasya) or in
opposition (purnima) with the Moon or Sun to fix agricultural and
religious practices, which were celebrated in a grand way. The year,
beginning with the full moon in the month Phalguna (or Chaitra), was
divided into three four-monthly (chaturmasya) sacrifices. It was
closed with rites to celebrate Indra Sunasira (Indra with plough) to
'obtain the thirteenth month' and mark the first ploughing. This
thirteenth month was interposed twice in five years to bring the
lunar year in harmony with the solar year.
Moonstruck Indus Valley
The Indus
civilisation gave greater importance to the phases of the Moon (tithi).
India then had a lunar calendar like Egypt and Mesopotamia. But
gradually, in the Vedic period Sun became more important because of
the emphasis on agriculture and seasons. The Sun was considered as
the prime supporter, controller and light-giver of the universe. The
Moon is seen as the light of the Sun (surya-rasmi). Even the
phenomenon of new- and full-moon as being related to Moon's
elongation from the Sun was correctly guessed! The motion of the sun
and the moon was tracked against the backdrop of the nakshatras.
Many scholars believe that the figures of animals in the Indus
seals, real or mythological (such as bulls, elephants, rams, tigers,
crocodiles and unicorns), and deities in human form divide the
apparent path of the Moon by asterism (pattern of stars). The sky
was divided into 12 segments (Adityas) and 27 segments (lunar
nakshatras) where the nakshatra and deity names were used
interchangeably.
Thus, the analysis of texts reveals that much of Vedic mythology is a
symbolic telling of astronomical knowledge. Yet, there was no
systematic text compiled earlier than 1400 BC or so, when Lagadha
compiled Vedanga Jyotisa. After Vedanga Jyotisa, there was Jaina
literature.
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