Astronomy and Astrology in Ancient Mithila University

<Ancient Mithila University

Astronomy and astrology were also flourishing fields of study in ancient Mithila. There were many astronomers and astrologers who composed works on the movements of planets, stars, and constellations, and their influence on human life.

Uddalaka Aruni, who lived around the 8th century BCE. He discovered the theory of three elements of life: fire, water, and earth. He also proposed that the sun and the moon are not the same size, and that the moon reflects the light of the sun.

Yajnavalkya was the great astronomer of the university who studied the motions the Sun, the Moon and the Earth. He also explained the different relationships between them. On the basis of these relationships he explained many natural phenomena like day, night, seasons etc. He wrote his astronomical treatise "Shatapatha Brahmana".

During mediaeval period some of the notable names were Varunci, who wrote Bhargavamuhurta in the 11th century, Harinatha, who wrote Sanketakakaumudi and Phalita-Jyotisa in the 13th century, and Vidyapati, who was a poet and scholar in the 14th century.

One of the most notable astronomers in mediaeval period of the Ancient Mithila University was Hemangada Thakura, who was also the king of Mithila from 1571 to 1590 CE. He wrote an astronomical treatise called Grahan Mala, which predicted the dates of eclipses for 1088 years from 1620 to 2708 CE. He also gave accurate calculations of the lunar and solar motions, the planetary periods, and the precession of the equinoxes. He was influenced by the works of Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, and Bhaskara.