The Gupta Age was blessed with one of the unique mathematicians and astronomers ever born in India. He was Aryabhatta, born in 476 A.D. in Pataliputra. Aryabhatta, the great mathematician and astronomer who wrote the book Aryabhatiya in 499 A.D. The book explains the occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses scientifically. He was the first to declare that the earth was spherical in shape and rotates on its own axis. According to him, the Sun and the Moon revolve around the Earth. The positions of the various planets in the planetary system were calculated in relation to their moving points. The calculations made by Aryabhatta in reference to the planets movement was believed to have been supported by an underlying heliocentric model.
He scientifically elucidated the reasons for the occurrence of the solar and lunar eclipse. Aryabhatta stated that the lunar eclipse occurs when the moon enters into the shadow of the Earth. He even calculated the sidereal rotation.
Aryabhatta calculated the sidereal year and stated that it takes around 365 days for the earth to complete one revolution around the sun. The development of astronomy in the Gupta period was a source of influence to the next generation astronomers.
Another famous man of the age was Varahamihira. His work Brihat Samhita dealt with astronomy, botany, physical geography and natural history. His work the study of Astronomy is divided into three branches each of equal importance-astronomy and mathematics and astrology. The most interesting work of Varahamihira is the Pancha Sidhantika a concise account of the five currently used schools of which two reflect a close knowledge of Greek astronomy.
There were several other astronomers who made valuable contributions to ancient knowledge. Brahmagupta, for example, declared long long before Newton that “all things fall to the earth by a law of Nature; for it is the nature of the earth to attract and keep things.”
Thus did the Gupta Age show its progress in some fundamental branches of learning. That ancient India was much advanced in the fields of astronomy stands as a fact of history. Later, the Arabs came to learn much of astronomy of the Hindus, and they, passed those knowledge to Europe.
The Gupta Age was blessed with one of the unique mathematicians and astronomers ever born in India. He was Aryabhatta, born in 476 A.D. in Pataliputra. Aryabhatta, the great mathematician and astronomer who wrote the book Aryabhatiya in 499 A.D. The book explains the occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses scientifically. He was the first to declare that the earth was spherical in shape and rotates on its own axis. According to him, the Sun and the Moon revolve around the Earth. The positions of the various planets in the planetary system were calculated in relation to their moving points. The calculations made by Aryabhatta in reference to the planets movement was believed to have been supported by an underlying heliocentric model.
He scientifically elucidated the reasons for the occurrence of the solar and lunar eclipse. Aryabhatta stated that the lunar eclipse occurs when the moon enters into the shadow of the Earth. He even calculated the sidereal rotation.
Aryabhatta calculated the sidereal year and stated that it takes around 365 days for the earth to complete one revolution around the sun. The development of astronomy in the Gupta period was a source of influence to the next generation astronomers.
Another famous man of the age was Varahamihira. His work Brihat Samhita dealt with astronomy, botany, physical geography and natural history. His work the study of Astronomy is divided into three branches each of equal importance-astronomy and mathematics and astrology. The most interesting work of Varahamihira is the Pancha Sidhantika a concise account of the five currently used schools of which two reflect a close knowledge of Greek astronomy.
There were several other astronomers who made valuable contributions to ancient knowledge. Brahmagupta, for example, declared long long before Newton that “all things fall to the earth by a law of Nature; for it is the nature of the earth to attract and keep things.”
Thus did the Gupta Age show its progress in some fundamental branches of learning. That ancient India was much advanced in the fields of astronomy stands as a fact of history. Later, the Arabs came to learn much of astronomy of the Hindus, and they, passed those knowledge to Europe.