Varahamihira (505 – 587) was an Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer born in Ujjain. Varahamihira's book Pancasiddhantika (or Pancha-Siddhantika, The Five Astronomical Canons) dated 575 AD gives us information about older Indian texts which are now lost. The work is a treatise on mathematical astronomy and it summarises five earlier astronomical treatises, namely the Surya Siddhanta, Romaka Siddhanta, Paulisa Siddhanta, Vasishtha Siddhanta and Paitamaha Siddhantas. His other most important contribution is the encyclopedic Brihat-Samhita. Events Births Belisarius, Byzantine general (+ 565) Deaths Categories: 505 ... Events End of the Nan Liang Dynasty in China. ... An astronomer or astrophysicist is a person whose area of interest is astronomy or astrophysics. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An astrologer, in modern times, is a person who practices a form or forms of astrology; in earlier times, they were observer of the stars. ... Ujjain   (Hindi:उज्जैन) (also known as Ujain, Ujjayini, Avanti) is an ancient city of central India, in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River. ... Events June 2 - Benedict succeeds John III as Pope The Kingdom of East Anglia founded by the Angle groups North Folk and South Folk, naming the places of Norfolk and Suffolk, respectively. ... A treatise is a formal, systematic written analysis of a certain subject, more lengthy than an essay. ... The Surya Siddhanta is the first Indian astronomical treatise where rules were laid down to determine the true motions of the luminaries, which conforms to their actual positions in the sky. ... Vasishtha Siddhanta is one of the earliest astronomical systems in use in India, which is summarized in Varahamihiras Pancha-Siddhantika. ... Paitamaha Siddhanta is one of the earliest astronomical systems in use in India, which is summarized in Varahamihiras Pancha-Siddhantika. ... This volume of Varahamihira is an encyclopedia of wide ranging subjects of human interest, including astrology, planetary movements, eclipses, rainfall, clouds, architecture, growth of crops, manufacture of perfume, matrimony, domestic relations, gems, pearls, and rituals. ...

Varahamihira is said to have been a Maga Brahmin. Varahamihira's picture may be found in the Indian Parliament alongside Aryabhata's. Statue of Aryabhata on the grounds of IUCAA, Pune. ...

Varahamihira made important contributions to mathematics. He was also an astrologer. He is the only author who has written treatises on all the three main branches of Jyotisha astrology. He has gifted us with the following treatises on astrology : Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, known today as the father of geometry; shown here in a detail of The School of Athens by Raphael. ... Jyotisha (, in Hindi and English usage Jyotish) is the Hindu system of astrology, one of the six disciplines of Vedanga, and regarded as one of the oldest schools of ancient astrology to have had an independent origin, affecting all other schools in and around India. ...

• Brihat Jaatak - is considered as one the five main treatises on Hindu astrology on horoscopy.
• Daivaigya Vallabha
• Laghu Jaatak
• Yoga Yatra
• Pancha-Siddhantika
• Vivaha Patal
• His son Prithuyasas also contributed in the Hindu astrology; his book "Hora Saara" is a famous book on horoscopy.

Some important trigonometric results attributed Varahimira

He not only presented his own observations, but embelished them in attractive poetic and metrical styles. The usage of a large variety of meters is especially evident in his Brihat Jatak and Brihat-Samhita. This volume of Varahamihira is an encyclopedia of wide ranging subjects of human interest, including astrology, planetary movements, eclipses, rainfall, clouds, architecture, growth of crops, manufacture of perfume, matrimony, domestic relations, gems, pearls, and rituals. ...

External links

• Math Encyclopedia article