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"Aryabhatta is said to have been born in 476 A.D. at a town called Ashmaka in today's Indian state of Kerala. When he was still a young boy he had been sent to the University of Nalanda to study astronomy. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy. Aryabhatta's magnum opus, the Aryabhattiya, was translated into Latin in the 13th century.

"Aryabhatta's methods of astronomical calculation expounded in his Aryabhatta-siddhanta were reliable for the practical purposes of fixing the Panchanga (Hindu calendar). Thus in ancient India, eclipses were also forecast and their true nature was perceived at least by the astronomers."

Excerpts from Ch. 4 of "India's Contribution to World Culture" by Sudheer Birodkar

http://www.hindubooks.org/sudheer_birodkar/india_contribution/astro.html

  

"This fascmile is from the Pancha-siddhantika (Five Principles) dated around the 5th century. This text graphically shows how eclipses are to be calculated. Thus this text foreshadows what Western astronomers propounded nearly one thousand years later. "
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