The Astronomical Observatories of Jai Singh c15.7

c15.7

For purposes of exposition it is convenient here to speak of the influence of three schools of astronomy: (i) Hindu, (ii) Muslim and (iii) European.¹ Jai Singh was, to some extent, in contact with all three, and it is a matter of considerable interest to determine the quality and quantity of their influence on him. Although he actually lived in the eighteenth century of our era, the influences that directed his activities were mediæval: little advance had been made by the Hindu and Muslim schools for centuries, and the advances in Europe were too recent to be fully appreciated.