Short Stories Series from Eklavya Doegar

Over 1,500 years ago, much before telescopes and space agencies, Indian scholars were carefully studying the movements of the Sun, Moon and planets. Unknown scholars wrote a book that shaped astronomy for centuries.

It was called the Sūrya Siddhānta, which means The Teachings of the Sun. According to legend, the Sun god shared this knowledge with a wise sage.

This is unlikely, however, the science in the book was real and meaningful. It explained how to calculate the length of a year, the size of Earth, and the distance to the Moon and Sun. It even gave methods to predict eclipses and track planets. The Sūrya Siddhānta introduced important math ideas like trigonometry and sine tables, which were used to calculate angles and positions in the sky.

Aryabhata and Bhāskara II, took inspiration and ideas from this book and developed them further. The ideas from the book also spread to the Islamic world and beyond. Even today, Hindu calendars still use methods from the Sūrya Siddhānta. It is one of the oldest surviving scientific texts in the world, and a reminder of how people long ago explored the universe with just their eyes, minds, and math.