PROJECT ON METEOROLOGY IN ANCIENT INDIA
Objectives:
- To study the concept of meteorology mentioned in the ancient Sanskrit literature in its proper perspective.
- To present these concepts to make a comparative and views in an understandable language to facilitate modern readers and scientists to make a comparative study of these concepts with modern concepts relating to meteorology.
- To attempt a study of the theories advanced by the meteorologists of ancient India on scientific basis.
- To examine whether these ideas and concepts could be useful in forecasting weather perfectly and accurately which is much demanded in various fields such as in agriculture, industries, satellite and public life.
- To establish India’s contribution to the field of meteorology on the basis of the information to be derived from this study.
Background & Justification
Meteorology i.e. the science of the atmosphere has been one of the topics on which there has been a continuous research work all over the world from tomes immemorial. The state or condition of the atmosphere with respect to the atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, rainfall, snowfall, velocity and direction of winds are popularly called weather, the subjects of meteorology or study of climate. The health and happiness of men have mostly been dependent on the outside weather and they have been compelled to think and work and react according to weather conditions.
During the period of about 1000 years between 500 BC and AD, a number of authors wrote treatises covering of subjects in which meteorology had been dealt with. They were the saints and seers like Narada, Kasyapa, Garga, Parasara, vasistha, Druhina, Brhaspati, Devala, Vajra, Sahadeva and Rshiputra.
Varahamihira wrote Brhatsamhita around 500 AD that dealt with meteorology in some of its chapters and he also referred to many earlier works on the subject. Another important work that deals with agricultural meteorology is krishi parasara which is believed to be compiled in the present from sometime during 10th century AD. The Meghamala Manjari is also an important work on Meteorology. Panini's Astadhyayi is one of the earliest post-Vedic works which gives important information on rainfall-measurement and droughts. Kautilya's Arthasatra of the 4th century B.C., gives some information and indication on the rainfall - distribution in the country as well as the modes of measurements of rainfall. Some meteorological information relating to the origin of rainfall and its different types as well as different types of clouds are available in Puranas also
The concepts of metrology and its application procedure recorded by Vedic Risis in their compositions are the starting 1point for the post-Vedic Risis to work upon. The Garva concept of the Vedic seers according to which the rays of the sun hold the waters of the oceans for about six months - after which they come down as rain when the sun attains extreme northward position.
The Matsya Puranam and Vayupuranm deal with the role of Sun in the occurrence of rainfall. The Vayupuranam makes special mention of rainfall-cycle which speaks that the same water that goes up cpmes down as rain. The 4Vishnu4 Puranam describes the Gardha conception lasting for eight months. The 5 Samhita 5 writers are concerned with symptoms of garbha of the atmosphere,its nourishment and its delivery as rainfall which takes 195 days from the date of fornation of rain -foetuses in the atmosphere.
The Puranas say that the water form oceans are lifted up by the rays of the sun and goes to enrich the some content (i.e. water vapor) of the atmosphere.
