Parilekhana: The geometry of celestial events in classical Indian astronomy

Abstract

The discussion relevant for explaining any celestial event, was a crucial aspect of all Classical Indian astronomical texts. Each text contained a chapter titled Parilekhana, provided instructions for creating these diagrams. This paper presents examples from different manuscripts, to illustrate the techniques used. The diagrams vividly demonstrate the perceptual differences between the East─West directions. Śṛṅgonnati, the section for depicting the orientation of the cusps of the Moon, also features pertinent diagrams.