________________
is garbed in the religious lore. The led them to conceive the circular knowledge of astronomy was part land masses and the ocean rings as and parcel for a Jaina priest who well. Thus this notion of circular flat guided the religious life of people.4 earth was scientifically perceived to Jainas had a five years fixed calender.5 a certain extent, To facilitate certain calculations, such
The Greek philospher philolaus
of Tarenturm (480—? B.C.) first an astronomical model of the cosmos
suggested about 450 B.C. that the was constructed. probably because of the almost concentric diurnal circles
earth was a sphere.2 Such a notion of the sun they perceived the location
is not found at all in Jaina canonical of the mount Meru whose dimensio
literature whose present recension is ns also reveal out their trend towards
traditionally ascribed to the council the notion of obliquity of ecliptic.6
of valabhi which met during the Since the astronomical distances were
reign of Dhruvasena (ca AD 519 546)3
So the Jaina Canon, which contains meaured with the aid of gnomon in corresponding distances over the earth 7 much that certainly belongs to a period the increasing diameters of the diurnal
much earlier than the 5th the century circles of the sun measured partly in
A.D.4, belongs to a period, atleast
before the Greek contact. It was only Jambudvipa and the rest in Lavana
since from Vedic people that the samudra manipulated theoretically.1 notion of flat circular earth was held 4. Rose, Sen and Subarayappa Op. 4 Race Sen and Subaravanna On in esteem over a large period among Cit.
the Jainas. Because of this notion, 5. See Das, S.R. "The Jaina Calendar they could not solve the mystery of
The Jaina Antiquary, Vol. 3 No. the theory of 2 suns, 2 moons etc. 2. Jaina Siddhant Bhawan, Arrah. They may have not necessarily belieSee also Jain, Nemi Chandra, ved in the actual existence of two Jaina pancanga (In Hindi) Jaina suns etc, but this theory had served Siddhanta Bhaskara Vol. 8 No. 2 their purpose of tentative astronamical Jaina Siddhanta Bhawan, Arrah.
model of the cosmos, which fairly 6, Lishk S.S, and Sharma S.D. No.
worked well over many centuries for
the practical problems they encountered tion of Obliquity of Ecliptic InJambudivpa prajnapti, Manuscript Concept of Mandala and the no. (in press).
tion of Declination in Jaina Astro7. Ibid. See also Lishk, S.S. and
nmy' Manuscript in press) Sharma S.D. 'Post Veanga pe
Asimov, Isaac, Op. cit p. 7 Siddhantic Indian Astronomy'paper 3. pingree, David, "Mesopotamian presented at Summer School on Origin of Ancient Indian MathaHistory of Science. Vigyan Bha- matical Astronomy,' JHA (1973)
wan, INSA, New Delhi (1974) IV pp. 1-12. 1. Lishk, s.s. and Sharma S.D. "The 4. Ibid.
2.
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