Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c6.16

v1.c6.16

Foreign astronomy made frequent inroads during the long history of India. Yet in spite of absorbing several foreign elements, the indigenous Vedic astronomy preserved itself and continued to flourish. With the spread of Buddhism in the east, this Vedic astronomy was also introduced into China. Transmission of Vedic astronomical knowledge can be found scattered in translated Buddhist classics and in various other kinds of historical texts of China. It covered the following areas: i) cosmology ii) constellation system iii) movements of the sun, moon, solar and lunar eclipses iv) seasons and calendars and v) planetary motion and ephemeris.