Kerala Astronomy query

[yanom at EARN.JPNKSUVX]

Status: RO

As one of the co-authors of the papers mentioned by Dominik, I have
a few to add.  Our papers concern mostly mathematics of Maadhava
school. K.V. Sarma's book is of course the best starting point.
Another general survery is:
K. Raja, "Astronomy and Mathematics in Kerala."_Asyar Library
Bulletin_,27 (1963), pp.118-167.
     Dominik is right when he says <the real work to be done in this
area is to scour Kerala for more manuscript material on these schools>.
But there are several edited texts which are worth careful reading.
The most important is Niilaka.n.tha's commentary on the AAryabha.iiya,
Trivandrum Sanskrit Series, 101, 110, and University of Travancore
Sanskrit Series 185.  For the problem of cosmological idea, his
commentary on the AAryabhatiya, Kaalakriyaa 17 to 25 (TSS 110, pp.
32-64) is very intresting, because Niilaka.n.tha tries to explain the
epicycle and eccentre models not only as geometrical models but
also a physical reality.  The passage is very difficult but full of
interesting ideas.
     Another works of Niilakantha (edited by K.V. Sarma) seem to be
equally important:
_Tantrasamgraha_, _Candrachaayaaga.nita_, _Siddhantadarpa.na_,
_Golasaara_, _Jyotirmiimaamsaa_ (all from V.V.B.Inst., Hoshiarpur).
 
 Michio YANO, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, (603) Japan
 YANOM at JPNKSUVX