Astronomy And

Chemistry In
India
By Mohan Raja
 Roots Of Astronomy
The practices of astronomy and astrology in
ancient India had their roots almost four
thousand years ago. Much of what we know
about Indian astronomy comes from the
Sanskrit sacred books called the Vedas. These
religious texts were a series of hymns
composed over several hundred years, and
offer intriguing insights into the way Indians of
the time viewed the sky.
 Advancement In Asrtonomy
As in most ancient cultures, events in the heavens
were believed to have direct effects on people.
The practice of astrology, of divining a person's
future based on physical phenomena, was a
driving force in the advancement of astronomy as
a science.
In the Veda texts, the gods were called Devas,
which means 'bright' and refers to the luminous
nature of the sun and stars. The Sun, comets, the
sky, dawn, and the horizon were all deified based
on their attributes.
 Astronomy In Veda
A beautiful verse from a Veda mentioning
the Indian affinity for dawn says:
'Thou art a blessing when thou art near
Raise up wealth to the worshipper, thou
mighty Dawn ;
Shine for us with thy best rays, thou bright
Dawn ;
Thou daughter of the sky, thou high-born
Dawn.'
 Early Beliefs
The earliest Veda text mentioning
astronomy is called the Rig Veda, and
was written around 2000 B.C. At that
time, the earth was considered to be a
shell supported by elephants, which
represented strength, and were
themselves supported by a tortoise,
representing infinite slowness.
 Aryabhatas Contribution
Aryabhata is the author of several
treatises on mathematics and astronomy,
some of which are lost. His major work,
Aryabhatiya, a compendium of
mathematics and astronomy, was
extensively referred to in the Indian
mathematical literature, and has survived
to modern times.
 Jantar Mantar
The Jantar Mantar is an equinoctial sundial,
consisting a gigantic triangular gnomon with
the hypotenuse parallel to the Earth's axis. On
either side of the gnomon is a quadrant of a
circle, parallel to the plane of the equator. The
instrument is intended to measure the time of
day, correct to half a second and declination of
the Sun and the other heavenly bodies.

Famous Indian Astronomers

Aryabha Varahamihira Bramhagupta

ta
 Birth Of Chemistry
The Indus valley civilization was the earliest
society, which had developed an elaborate
urban system depicted in terms of streets,
public baths, temples and granaries etc. They
also had the means of mass production of
pottery, houses of backed bricks and a script
of their own. So we can say that the story of
early chemistry in India begins from here.
How Chemistry Used In Indus Valley
Pottery: It could be regarded as the earliest
chemical process in which materials were
mixed, moulded and fired to achieve
desirable qualities.
Bricks: Burnt bricks were manufactured on a
large scale for making houses, drains,
boundary walls, public bath etc.
 Chemistry In India
It is now known that alchemy (the older form
of chemistry) had made great strides in India.
Ayurveda, which used a variety of minerals,
also played an important role in the
development of chemistry. It developed as
iatrochemistry, which was closely related to
medicine. The two main incentives for the
development of chemistry were the age-old
desires of human beings: to live forever and to
get rich.
 Rasayana
Rasyana, is a Sanskrit word, with the
literal meaning: Path (yana) of
essence (rasa). It is a term that in
early ayurvedic medicine means the science of
lengthening lifespan, and in later (post 8th-
century) works sometimes refers to Indian
alchemy.
 Mercury In Ancient India
Mercury is one of the elements which had
attracted the attention of the chemists and
physicians of ancient India and China. Among
the various metal based drugs which utilize
mercury, we became interested in the red
sulfide of mercury which is known in ancient
Indian literature as rasasindur (alias
rasasindura, rasasindoor, rasasinduram,
sindur, or sindoor) and is used extensively in
various ailments and diseases
 Atomic Theory Of Kanada
Kanada (Sanskrit: , IAST: Kada), also known
as Kashyapa, Uluka, Kananda and Kanabhuk, was
an Indian sage and philosopher who founded
the Vaisheshika school of Indian philosophy.
Estimated to have lived sometime between 6th century
to 2nd century BCE, little is known about his life. His
traditional name "Kanada" means "atom eater",and he
is known for developing the foundations of an
atomistic naturalism Indian philosophy in the Sanskrit
text Vaisheshika Sutra. His text is also known
as Kanada Sutras, or Aphorisms of Kanada.
Thank You