Thakkura Pheru and Popularisation of Science in India in 14th Century

Author(s): Sreeramula Sarma
Publisher: Z_Bhanvarlal_Nahta_Abhinandan_Granth_012041.pdf

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At the beginning of the work, Pheru this work, Pheru states that (i) he has mentions the authorities consulted by him. studied the earlier Sanskrit texts on gemmoI list them here to indicate his vast learning. Togy, (ii) seen the ocean-like vast collection These are Haribhadra, Naracandra, Padmapra- of gems in Alauddin's treasury and (iii) bha, Jauna, Varahamihira, Lalla, Parasara and observed the gem-testing by other experts. Garga. The first three are Jainas. The Jainas To put it differently, Pheru (i) acquired held jyotisa ( i.e. astronomy, astrology and theoretical knowledge from the existing mathematics ) in high esteem and wrote a literature, (ii) had the practical experience large number of works on this subject. The of handling gems in the royal treasury, and influence of these Jaina writers on Pheru is (iii) underwent a period of apprenticeship considerable. Haribhadra ( ninth century ) under experts. One would call this a truly wrote an astrological work called Lagnakun- modern scientific approach Pheru was dalika.' Pheru apparently followed him in indeed well placed to fulfil all the three naming the chapters of his work dvaras conditions. His wide learning and good (doorways). Padmaprabha Suri's Bhuvana- command of Sanskrit enabled him to read dipika or Grahabhavaprakasa, written in Sanskrit manuals on gemmology by Buddha1164, was an immensely popular text. There bhatta, Agastya, Brhaspati and others. Seare several commentaries on it, and about condly, Alauddin amassed enormous quanthree hundred manuscripts of this work are tities of gems and precious metals during his extant today.10 Naracandra Suri (d. ca. 24 campaigns, and his treasury must indeed August 1230 ) was a teacher of the famous have resembled an ocean full of gems. There Vastupala and the author of the Jyotisasara, can be no doubt that many of the gems also known as Naracandra or Naracandra- were of a rare quality. An exquisite diamond paddhati. This was also a very popular work,
said to have been acquired by Alauddin for there are some two hundred and odd reached the hands of the Mughal emperor manuscripts available today.11 Pheru's aim
Babur in 1523. Babur states that it is so seems to be to present the teachings of
valuable that a judge of diamonds valued it these Sanskrit works in simple Prakrit.
at half the daily expense of the whole 2.3 The Ratnapariksa on gemmology was world"12 Thirdly, Alauddin's court bosted also written in 1315. At the beginning of of Muslim experts also who were well versed
9 Cf. Ambalal P. Shah, Jaina Sahitya ka Brhad Itihas, Vol. V, Varanasi 1969, p. 168. 19 Cf. David Pingree, Census of the Exact Science in Sanskrit, Series A, Vol. 4, Philadel
phia 1981, pp. 173-179. 11. Ibid., Vol. 3, Philadelphia 1976, pp. 132-36.
Memoirs of Zehir-ed-Din Muhammad Babur, tr. John Leyden and William Erskins, London 1921, Vol. II, pp. 191-92. Many historians and gemmologists thought this diamond to be indentical with the famous Koh-i-Nur, but this view is no more favoured
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