Kevalaodhi Buddhist And Jaina History Of Deccan Vol 2

Author(s): Aloka Parasher Sen, B Subrahmanyam, E Siva Nagi Reddy
Publisher: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan

Page 158

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Kevala-Bodhi-Buddhist and Jaina History of the Deccan
India and the earliest dated Indian scientific instrument known". Another astrolabe with a zoomorphic created by Allahadad's grandson, Muhammad Muqim, in AD 1637 (Acc. No. 114/1/XXXV) is a unique piece. It is 199 mm. in diameter and 11 mm. in thick.
Celestial Globe
This is called Bhagola, in Arabic Al-kura, purely meant for teaching and demonstration. The Salar Jung Museum has four specimens. The celestial globe is a relatively later comer to India and was introduced by Humayun and made by Ustad Shai Allahadad of Lahore, the royal astrolabe of Emperor Humayun, (1530-1550 AD). The two Mughal celestial globes are important. The globe by Diya-al- Din (Acc.no. 113/1/XXXV) of 1074 A.H./ 1663 AD has no original Meredian ring. The other (Acc.no. 114/1/ XXXV) is mounted on a 19th century stand. It is an observational and computational instrument set on a stand. The one made for Sawai Jai Singh, presently in the Hawa Mahal Museum, Jaipur is a copper globe with zodiac signs marked in Sanskrit. These are few only while Arabic/ Persian globes produced in India are many during Mughal period. V. Mathematical Riddles in Telugu
Finally I would like to highlight on a little known Mathematical work in Telugu. It is dated to late 11th century AD-going with the name Pāvulurigaạitamu, a Telugu rendering of Mahāvīra's Gaạitasara Samgraha, by one Mallanna, who was an younger contemporary of the great Telugu poet Nannaya. The family received an agrahāra from the Eastern Chālukyan king Rāja Rāja Narēndra (1019-1061 AD). Though translated from the Sanskrit original, this is regarded as the earliest scientific text on Mathematics known to any regional language. The full text is not available and late Veturi Prabhakara Sastry published only a small portion of it in 1952.
Sreeramula Rajeswara Sarma while emphasizing the importance of the study of Mathematical literature in Telugu cites certain unique copybooks filled by one Mantri Panakala Rayudu (1883-1928), a school teacher originating from Muktinutalapadu near Ongole who served in several villages as Teacher. He had a penchant for mathematical riddles. The most remarkable find in his notes, is the solution to what is known as "Josephus” problem. Flaviks' Josephus is a Jewish historian (37-100 AD) and his problem was not known in Europe till 10th century AD and in Japan it was popular only after 12th century AD. S. R. Sarma says that he came across this problem for the first time in an Indian source. The problem runs as follows:
I quote, “15 brāhmaṇs and 15 thieves had to spend a dark night at an isolated temple of Durga. At midnight, the goddess appeared in person and wanted to devour just 15 persons because she was hungry. The thieves naturally suggested that she should consume the 15 soft-limbed brahmanas. But the brāhmaṇas proposed that all the 30 would stand in circle and that Durga should eat each ninth person. Durga and the thieves accepted the proposal. So the brāhmaṇas arranged themselves and the thieves in a circle, telling each one where to stand. Durga counted out each ninth person and devoured him. When 15 were thus eaten, she was satiated and disappeared, and only brāhmaṇas now remained in the circle. The problem is: how to arrange the brahmanas and thieves in the circle". The answer is couched in Mattebhavikridita : verse.
yuga-bāņākṣi-dharāgni-candra-sasi-bahu-dvandvarāmemdulam yugali-karņakala-dvisamkhya-gudigån ühimci yantyastha vi