A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (in Perspective) c4.8

c4.8

The magnificent Manuscripts Library of the Kerala University, which is the largest repository of Kerala manuscripts, has, naturally, been the prime source of my basic materials. I am indebted to the successive Directors of that Library, to wit, Prof. V.A. Ramaswami Sastri, Dr. P.K. Narayana Pillai and Dr. K. Raghavan Pillai, and to Dr. L.A. Ravi Varma, who was in charge of the Maharaja's Palace Library, Trivandrum, for the facilities they afforded towards my studying the materials available at these centres. Thanks are due, for similar facilities, also to the authorities of certain other manuscript repositories, especially the Govt. Oriental Mss. Library, and the Adyar Library, Madras, the Sanskrit College Library, Trippunithura, the S.V. Oriental Institute, Tirupati, and our own Vishveshvaranand Institute, Hoshiarpur. Among the private collections which I could make use of, a mention might be made of those at the Azhvāñceri Tamprākkaḷ Mana, Kāṇippayyūr Mana, Elamprakkoṭṭu Mana and Vayaskara Illam, to the custodians of all of which I am thankful. I am obliged to Shri Rama Varma Maru Thampuran of Cochin, Chalakkudi, for providing me with the details about several astronomical tracts and to Shri P. Ramanathan, Ulloor Publishers, Trivandrum, for placing at my disposal the rich library of his father Ulloor S. Parameswara Aiyar, the veteran historian of Kerala literature. Among modern scholars on mathematics, I am particularly grateful to Prof. T.S. Kuppanna Sastri, Sanskrit College, Madras, and Prof. C.T. Rajagopal, lately of the Ramanujan Institute of Mathematics, University of Madras, for the inspiration they gave me in my investigations. I also wish to put on record the help that I received from Shri Raj Kumar and Shri K. Sundareswaran of our Institute in the matter of reading the proofs and allied work relating to the present publication. The credit for the neat and expeditious execution of the printing of this volume goes to the V.V.R.I. Press, Hoshiarpur.