The Astronomical Observatories of Jai Singh c5.86

c5.86

In 1902 Garrett wrote of the Zij Muḥammad Shāhī: "I have been unable to procure the Sanskrit original or even a vernacular copy" and "up to the present time the only copy of Jai Singh's astronomical tables, or Zeech Mahommed Shahi, which has been obtained is a book in Persian characters........ Unfortunately most of the figures are written in a kind of cypher, and although the key to this has been found, the thorough examination of this work will necessarily prove a long and laborious task" (pp. 18n. and 74). The British Museum Persian MS. is in excellent condition and although the tables are, of course, in the abjad notation, there would be no difficulty in translating them.