ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



CEYLON BRANCH. 



HINDU ASTRONOMY: 

 AS COMPARED WITH THE EUROPEAN SCIENCE* 



By S. Mervin. 

 {Read April 7tk, 1881.) 



Astronomy was discovered and cultivated in the early period 

 of the world. It spread from one country to another, and seems 

 to have come from Chaldea to India and China. 



The Eev. H. Hoisington, of the American Mission at Jaffna, in 

 his work entitled The Oriental Astronomer, says : — " Chaldea 

 may be considered as the cradle of astronomy, A series of 

 observations was made at Babylon during a period of 1,903 

 years preceding the capture of that city by Alexander. This 

 would carry back the origin of astronomy in Chaldea to at least 

 2,234 years before Christ." 



" The Chinese possess the oldest authentic records of astro- 

 nomical observations. They invented their cycle of 60 years 

 as early as 2,900 years B.C., and they were able to predict (or 

 calculate) the eclipses as early as 2,128 years B.C." 



" The early part of Hindu astronomy is involved in great 

 obscurity. The lunar mansions, or Nadchattirams, are the 

 most ancient part of Hindu astronomy found on record. They 

 date somewhere between the years 1528 and 1371 B.C." 



* The Society decline to be responsible for the statements of [the author. 

 The Paper is printed (in resume) having been read at a General Meeting. 



