A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (in Perspective) c10.s4.1

c10.s4.1

Ravi Varma, the 9th century ruler of the Cera dynasty of Kerala had as his chief court astronomer Śaṅkaranārāyaṇa disciple of Govindasvāmin. Śaṅkaranārāyaṇa was a native of Kollapuri on the Arabian coast. The only known work of his is a commentary on the *Laghubhāskarīya* which he wrote in A. D. 869.⁴ Besides being highly elucidatory with regard to the subject treated therein, the work throws light on the keen interest evinced by the royalty in the promotion of the study of astronomy, the presence of an astronomical observatory at the capital city Mahodayapuram (modern Koṭuṅgalloor near Cochin), the construction of buildings with due reference to mathematical principles, arrangements made in the city for announcing the times of the day—which all point to the conditions that greatly favoured the flowering of astronomical studies in that part of India.⁵