2024, Vol. 10, Issue 4, Part A

There was an unbroken continuity in the succession of the Kerala astronomers by the guru shisya parampara. There is a record of the line of tradition which extends from the 13 to 17 centuries after Christ like Govinda Bhattatiri (1237-95) grandfather of parameshwara (13 -14 century) Nilakantha somayaji (1444-1545). Jyeshtadevi (1500-1600), Acyutha pisarati (1550-1621).

The list can be given up to prince Rajaraja Varma (vidwan Karindran cerunni Koyittampuran kilimanur) 1812-46. Şarma points out rightly that importance of the continuity of tradition in a practical demonstrative discipline like astronomy at a time when there was not a proliferation of printed books and was self-evident.

The astronomers of Kerala were adherents of the Aryabhata system. But on course of time they recognized variations between the computed and observed positions of planets as also in the timings of eclipses. This widening difference, between computations and observations, necessitated corrections in the erstwhile followed elements of the Aryabhata school. The efforts of the Kerala mathematicians have generally been directed towards the revision supplementation and correction of Aryabhata astronomy and mathematics to yield richer and more accurate results.