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Drigganita - Wikipedia
Drigganita - Wikipedia
ದೃಗ್ಗನಿತಾ
Drigganita of Ragoonatha
Chary
Chintamani Ragoonathachary, a native
astronomer took the initiative to modify
and publish a new almanac and thereby
introduced a change in the calendrical
system followed in the Tamil region. It
was clear during the middle of the
nineteenth century that the traditional
calendars were way off the mark. Not
only were there errors in the position of
stars, the old system predicted eclipses
when there would be none. As the
traditional almanac was seen to be quite
inaccurate, Chatre and Khetkar in
Bombay, Venkatakrishna Raya and
Ragoonathachari in Madras proposed
Drigganitha Panchang to replace the
traditional Panchang computations
based on the Vakya Panchang.
Ragoonathachari had to face the
criticism of the traditionalists who
argued against such improvements and
criticized him for his scientific zeal.
Ragoonathachary’s Drigganitha
Panchang not only provided the
traditional five calendarical elements but
also provided concordance with English
months and dates. Therefore, this
Panchang was of more practical utility;
native officials working in government
establishments or those dealing with
government found it handy. At the end of
a lot of, often acrimonious, Drig vs. Vakya
debate, a meeting was called at Sankara
Mutt at Kumbakonam and the meeting
arrived at the conclusion that the Drig
system needs to be followed and a new
almanac to be prepared on those lines.
Accordingly, the head of the Mutt, issued
a srimugam (message of blessing) in
1877 affirming support for the Drig
system. From then on a Drig almanac
began to be published under the
auspices of Kanchi Sankaracharya Matt
in the name of 'Sri Kanchi Math
almanac'.[4]
See also
Parahita
References
1. K. V. Sarma (1972). A History of the
Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (http
s://translate.google.com/website?sl=en&t
l=kn&hl=kn&client=srp&u=https://archive.
org/download/KeralaSchoolOfAstronom
y/Kerala%2520School%2520of%2520Astr
onomy.pdf) (PDF). Vishveshvarananda
Institute of Sanskrit and indological
Studies, Panjab University, Hoshiarpur.
pp. 9–10. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
4. Venkateswaran T. V. "Chinthamani
Ragoonathachary and Secularization of
Time During the Late Nineteenth Century
Madras Presidency" (https://translate.goo
gle.com/website?sl=en&tl=kn&hl=kn&clie
nt=srp&u=http://cvs.gnowledge.org/epist
eme3/pro_pdfs/04-tvv.pdf) (PDF).
Proceeding No 521 of March 26, 1878, Fr
St George. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
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