Astronomy of India and Java

(the spelling of the sanskrit names and titles is that of the works and catalogues from which the information was taken)

[Last updated: 20 Jan. 2025.]
[Total entries: 43.]

1738

Doctrina temporum indica.
Following T. S. Bayer, Historia regni Graecorum Bactriani; 4°, Petropoli, 1738; fig.
WALTERIUS, T. = WALTER, T.

1798

Dictionarii samserdamici sectio prima, de caelo, ex tribus ineditis codicibus indicis manuscriptis, curante Paulino a Sancto Batholomaeo [J. P. Werdin].
4°, Romae, 1798.
AMARASINHA

The publisher, not having found a body of Devangari characters, had to transcribe the text into Tamil characters. This text is accompanied by an explanation in Latin. The first section of this dictionary is that which interests astronomers the most; but it forms only a very small part of the work, which has since been published in its entirety.

1779

Voyage dans les mers de l’Inde, fait à l’occasion du passage de Vénus sur le disque du Soleil en 1761 et 1769.
2 vols. 4°, Paris, 1779-81; many pl.
LEGENTIL, G. J.

Other editions:

8 vol. 8°, Paris et Heidelberg, 1782.

In this work, among many diverse observations, we find research on refractions, on the astronomy of the Indians of the Coromandel coast, on the use of the gnomon among the Brahmins and the duration that they attribute to the year, on the lunar zodiac of India, and on the resemblance of the astronomy of the Brahmins with that of the Chaldeans. These various works are in vol. I, 1779, of the 4° edition.

Translations:

Reise in den Indischen Seen.
3 vols. 8°, Hamburg, 1780-82.
This translation is abbreviated.

1784

De Indorum modo, loca et motus planetarum definiendi.
4°, Gotingae, 1784.
SCHAUBACH, J. C. = SCHAUBACH, J. K.

1787

Traité de l’astronomie indienne et orientale. Ouvrage qui peut servir de suite à l’Histoire de l’Astronomie ancienne.
4°, Paris, 1787.
BAILLY, J. S.

1790

Tamulisk Calender for n.
4°, Madras, 1790, n.
. . .


Published in 1790. The origin of the year was not that of the Gregorian calendar.

1807

The Amara-Kosha trikanda-s’esha, medini and harâvali. [Sanscrit.]
8°, Calcutta, 1807; published by H. T. Colebrooke.
AMARASINHA = AMARA-SINGHA

Amara-Kosha means Treasure of Amara. This great work, which seems to date back to the 1st century of our era, is divided into 3 books, 18 chapters and 41 sections. The subjects are classified in a methodical order. The first chapter deals with the constitution of the universe and its parts.

Translations:

Amarasinha’s dictionary (byH. T. Colebrooke). [Sanskrit-English.]
8°, Scrampore and Calcutta, 1808.

Dictionnaire (translated in Bengali by R. Vidyâlankar).
4°, Calcutta, 1831.

Amarokocha ou vocabulaire d’Amarasinha (by A. Loiseleur-Deslongchamps). [Sanskrit-French.]
2 vols. 8°, Paris, 1839-45.


Mujmua-i shumsy, or a concise view of the Copernican system of astronomy, under the superintendence of W. Hunter.
8°, Calcutta, 1807.
KHUER, MANLAWI ABUL
Text in Hindustani.

1823

A historical view of the Hindu astronomy, from the earliest dawn of that science in India, to the present time; to which are added: 1) Hindu tables of equations; 2) Remarks on the Chinese astronomy; 3) Translations of certain hieroglyphics, called the zodiacs of Dendera.
4°, Calcutta, 1823.
BENTLEY, J.

Other editions:

8°, London, 1825.

= Asiatic Journal, XXI, 1826, 205. – Calcutta Quarterly Oriental Magazine, 1826, 233. – BSm, XI, 1829, 342, 431 (by L. B. Francœur).

1825

Kâla sankalita, a collection of memoirs on the indian chronological astronomy.
4°, Madras, 1825.
WARREN, J.

A work that contains many notions on the astronomy of India, and is accompanied by tables based on Hindu data. It deals in particular with the length of the year, the movement of the Moon, the sexagesimal cycle of Jupiter, the Muslim year.
= BSm, XII, 1829, 35.

1827

Miscellaneous essays, with many tables, facsimilia of old indian manuscripts, and inscriptions.
2 vols. 8°, London, 1827.
COLEBROOKE, H. T.

Other editions:

2 vols. 8°, London, 1837.

8°, London, 1858.

The reprints lack the tables and half the articles, most of which had appeared in the Asiatic Researches of Calcutta.

1831

Untersuchungen über die Ursprünglichkeit und Alterthümlichkeit der Sternkunde unter den Chinesen und Indiern und über den Einfluß der Griechen auf den Gang ihrer Ausbildung.
8°, Berlin, 1831.
STUHR, P. F.

1834

Useful tables.
2 vols. 8°, Calcutta, 1834-36.
PRINSEP, J.

This work contains information on astronomy and particularly the modern Hindu calendar.

1835

Astronomiae et astrologiae in doctrina gnosticorum vestigia. Pars prima, Bardesanis gnostici numina astralia, commentarius historico-theologicus.
8°, Hildburghusae, 1835.
KÜHNER, C.

1836

Indian metrology: weights, measures, and coins of India.
8°, Bombay, 1836.
JERVIS, T. B.

Metrological system of modern India. It deals in several places with the astronomy of the Hindus.

1841

Ueber den griechischen Ursprung des indischen Thierkreises.
8°, Karlsruhe, 1841.
HOLTZMANN, A.

1842

The Gunitadhia, or a treatise on astronomy with a commentary entitled the Mitacshara, forming the third portion of the Siddhant Shiromuni.
8°, Calcutta, 1842; by L. Wilkinson.
BHASCARAH-ACHARYA = BHÂSKARA-ACÂRYA

This is a part of the previous work. It was translated into Latin by E. Roer, in Calcutta, JAS, XIII, 1844, 53 (Bháscarae Acháryae Siddhánta Shirómáni sic dicti operis pars tertia, Gunitadhiam, sive astronomiam continens. Latine vertit notasque adjecit).

1844

Ueber die Astrologie der Hindu.
8°, [Stuttgart], 1844.
HÜGEL, C. VON

1845

Matériaux pour servir à l’histoire comparée des sciences mathématiques chez les Grecs et les Orientaux.
2 vols. 8°, Paris, 1845-49.
SÉDILLOT, L. A.

This work contains, vol. II, p. 421, an article on the astronomy of India.

1847

Astronomie indienne, d’après la doctrine et les livres anciens et modernes des Brammes sur l’astronomie, l’astrologie et la chronologie, suivie de l’examen de l’astronomie des anciens peuples de l’Orient et de l’explication des principaux monuments astronomico-astrologiques de l’Égypte et de la Perse.
8°, Paris, 1847.
GUERIN, J. M. F.

1848

The oriental astronomer, a complete system of indian astronomy, translated from sanskrit into tamûl, with an english translation, ans copious explanatory notes. [Tamil and English.]
8°, Jafna, 1848.
HOISINGTON, H. R.

Modern treatise on Hindu astronomy.
= JdS3, 1859, 197. . . (by J. B. Biot). – J. B. BIOT, Études sur l’astronomie indienne et sur l’astronomie chinoise; 8°, Paris, 1862; p. 7-154.

1850

Graha-Iâghava.
8°, Calcutta, 1850.
GANEÇA

Composed in 1520. Published under the auspices of the School-nook society of Calcutta.
Manuscript copies of this work, which forms a complete treatise on astronomy after the Sûrya-siddhânta, are not rare; there are several in the British Museum.

1854

The Sûrya-siddhânta, an ancient system of astronomy, with Ranganâtha’s Exposition, the Gûdhârtha-Prakâśaka.
4 fasc. in 1 vol. 4°, Calcutta, 1854-59 (1859).
HALL, F.; Bāpūdeva Śāstrī

Entire Sanskrit text. This volume is part of Bibliotheca indica of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (old series, n°s 79, 105, 115, 146), and was published by F. E. Hall, with the assistance of Pandit Bâpû-Deva-Sastrin. The Sûrya-siddhânta dates from between the 4th and 8th centuries..
= Calcutta, AsR, VI, 1799, 540; repr.. 1802, 580 (by J. Bentley). – London, JAS1, XX, 1863, 345 (by W. Spottiswoode).
MSS of this work, of various ages, are common in India. The British Museum possesses a copy of a modern execution. There are four copies in the Royal Bibl. of Berlin.


Gudhârtha-prakâçaka.
Following the Sûrya-siddhânta, 8°, Calcutta, 1854.
RANGANÂTHA

It is a commentary, composed in 1603, on the Sûrya-siddhânta. There is a manuscript copy of it in a relatively modern handwriting in the British Museum.

1855

Catalogue des manuscrits orientaux en langue sanscrite, sur l’astronomie, la médecine, etc.
8°, Paris, 1855.
GUERIN, J. M. F.

1860

Sûrya siddhânta, translated into english.
8°, Calcutta, 1860.
BÁPÚ DEVA SÁSTRI

This volume is part of the Bibliotheca indica of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (new series, n° 1).


Translation of the Sûrya-Siddhânta, a textbook of hindu astronomy, with notes, and an appendix, containing additional notes and tables, calclations of eclipses, a stellar map, and indexes.
8°, New Haven, 1860.
BURGESS, E.

This work is reproduced from vol. VI of the Journal of the American Oriental Society, of which it forms the greater part.
= JdS3, 1860, 479, 596, 665, 763 (by J. B. Biot).


Die vedischen Nachrichten von den naxatra (Mondstationen).
2 vols. 4°, Berlin, 1860-62.
WEBER, A.

Reproduced in the form of Berlin, Abh, 1860, Phil, 283 and Berlin, Mbr, 1860, 491, 713; 1862, 222.

1861

Siddhánta Siromani, translated by the late L. Wilkinson, revised by Bápú Deva Sástri.
2 fasc. 8°, Calcutta, 1861.
BHÂSKARA-ACÂRYA

Part of the Bibliotheca indica published by the Asiatic Society of Bengal (new series, n° 13 et 28).


The Golandhia, a treatise on astronomy, with a commentary entitled the Mitacshara, forming the fourth and last chapter of Siddhant Shiromuni.
8°, Calcutta; by L. Wilkinson.
BHASCARAH-ACHARYA = BHÂSKARA-ACÂRYA

Another part of the Siddhânta-çiromani.

1862

Études sur l’astronomie indienne et sur l’astronomie chinoise.
8°, Paris, 1862.
BIOT, J. B.

Reprinted articles from JdS3, 1859, 197…; 1860, 479…; 1861, 284…
= ARr, V, 1867, 186. – C. FLAMMARION, Études et lectures sur l’astronomie, 9 vols. 12°, Paris; tome III, 1872, p. 238.


On ancient hindu astronomy and chronology.
4°, Oxford, 1862.
MÜLLER, M.

Offprint of the preface to vol. IV of his edition of the Rig. Veda.
= Paris, JAs6, I, 1863, 83 (by M. Breal).

1864

On the views of Biot and Weber respecting the relations of the Hindu and Chinese systems of asterisms, with additions on Müllers views respecting the same subject.
8°, Boston, 1864.
WHITNEY, W.

1865

Vrihat sanhita. [Tractatus magnus de nativitatibus.]
7 fasc. 8° en 1 vol., Calcutta, 1865; by H Kern.
VARÂHA-MIHIRA

Part of the Bibliotheca indica published by the Asiatic Society of Bengal (new series, n°s 51, 54, 63, 68, 72 et 73).

Astrology in 107 chapters. Passages from this work are quoted by Albirouni (Aboul-Rihân). Two complete manuscript copies and three incomplete copies are in the Royal Library of Berlin. An English translation has been published by H. Kern, in London, JAS2, IV, 1870-VII, 1875.
= Calcutta, AsR, IX, 1807, 358 (byH. T. Colebrooke).

1881

Siddhántatattva-viveka, treatise on astronomy.
8°, Benares, 1881-83; by Sudhákara Dúbe; published in fasc.
HAMALÂKARA, BHATTA

Citazioni, spunti, segnalazioni, immagini e articoli per stimolare la curiosità e la voglia di approfondire.