Contribution of Indian Astronomers in the field of ancient cosmology.

During the evolution of human race in the development of civilization I think the most fascinating
things would be celestial bodies in the sky. There were different customs and mythology with which
ancient human race tried to define these cosmological phenomenon on their possible way. The mystery
of these huge, weird behavioral celestial bodies they tried to bound and define in some mythological
stories.

When we search the pages of history we came forward the nascent roots of astronomical study
pointing towards the work of ancient Indian astronomers. Unfortunately not credited or as well known
as supposed to be for their tremendous significant work. At the beginning of this book I would like to
explore some actual pioneer of this study.

Aryabhata (CE 476–550) is the first in the line of great mathematician-astronomers from the classical
age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. Aryabhata's system of astronomy was called the
audAyaka system (days are reckoned from uday, dawn at lanka, equator). Some of his later writings on
astronomy, which apparently proposed a second model (ardha-rAtrikA, midnight), are lost, but can be
partly reconstructed from the discussion in Brahmagupta's khanDakhAdyaka. In some texts he seems to
ascribe the apparent motions of the heavens to the earth's rotation. Aryabhata appears to have believed
that the earth rotates about its axis. This is made clear in the statement, referring to Lanka , which
describes the movement of the stars as a relative motion caused by the rotation of the earth.

Like a man in a boat moving forward sees the stationary objects as moving backward, just so are the
stationary stars seen by the people in lankA (i.e. on the equator) as moving exactly towards the West.

But the next verse describes the motion of the stars and planets as real movements: “The cause of
their rising and setting is due to the fact the circle of the asterisms together with the planets driven by
the pro vector wind, constantly moves westwards at Lanka”.(the reason is not relevant but he was
pioneer of this new thought)

Aryabhata described a geocentric model of the solar system, in which the Sun and Moon are each
carried by epicycles which in turn revolve around the Earth. In this model, which is also found in the
Pait?mahasiddh?nta (ca. CE 425), the motions of the planets are each governed by two epicycles, a
smaller manda (slow) epicycle and a larger ?ghra (fast) cycle.

The positions and periods of the planets was calculated relative to uniformly moving points, which in
the case of Mercury and Venus, move around the Earth at the same speed as the mean Sun and in the
case of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn move around the Earth at specific speeds representing each planet's
motion through the zodiac. Most historians of astronomy consider that this two epicycle model reflects
elements of pre-Ptolemaic Greek astronomy.[12] Another element in Aryabhata's model, the ??ghrocca,
the basic planetary period in relation to the Sun, is seen by some historians as a sign of an underlying
heliocentric model.[13]v
 He states that the Moon and planets shine by reflected sunlight. Instead of the prevailing cosmogony
where eclipses were caused by pseudo-planetary nodes Rahu and Ketu, he explains eclipses in terms of
shadows cast by and falling on earth. Thus the lunar eclipse occurs when the moon enters into the
earth-shadow (verse gola.37), and discusses at length the size and extent of this earth-shadow (verses
gola.38-48), and then the computation, and the size of the eclipsed part during eclipses

Aryabhata's computation of Earth's circumference as 39,968.0582 kilometers, which was only 0.2%
smaller than the actual value of 38 630.6934 kilometers.

Considered in modern English units of time, Aryabhata calculated the sidereal rotation (the rotation
of the earth referenced the fixed stars) as 23 hours 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds; the modern value is
23:56:4.091. Similarly, his value for the length of the sidereal year at 365 days 6 hours 12 minutes 30
seconds is an error of 3 minutes 20 seconds over the length of a year. The notion of sidereal time was
known in most other astronomical systems of the time, but this computation was likely the most
accurate in the period.

Aryabhata claimed that the Earth turns on its own axis and some elements of his planetary epicyclic
models rotate at the same speed as the motion of the planet around the Sun. Thus it has been
suggested that ?ryabhata's calculations were based on an underlying heliocentric model in which the
planets orbit the Sun.

The study of astronomy in Bhaskara's works is based on a model of the solar system which is
heliocentric and whose movements are determined by gravitation. Heliocentrism had been propounded
in 499 by Aryabhata (which is supposed to be discovered by Copernicus), who argued that the planets
follow elliptical orbits around the Sun (Elliptical orbit is supposed to be discovered by Kepler]) .

A law of gravity had been described by Brahmagupta in the 7th century. Using this model, Bhaskara
accurately defined many astronomical quantities, including, for example, the length of the sidereal year,
the time that is required for the Earth to orbit the Sun, as 365.2588 days which is same as in
Suryasiddhanta. The modern accepted measurement is 365.2563 days, a difference of just 3.5 minutes.
This result was achieved using observations that had been made with only the naked eye, not any
sophisticated instrument. His mathematical astronomy text Siddhanta Shiromani is written in two parts:
the first part on mathematical astronomy and the second part on the sphere. In short we found that
much more before Copernicus and Kepler the heliocentrism, rotation of earth, explanation of eclips
,influence of gravity was precisely described by these people.I think these were the actual pioneer of
Cosmology with there strong genuine mathematical skill and excellent observations.As an Indian
everybody of us must be proud of this proporous dynasty,mustn't we?