Context: IIT Jodhpur researchers documented tribal astronomical knowledge in western Rajasthan, linking traditional celestial observations with agriculture, biodiversity conservation and the Indian Knowledge System (IKS).
Key Findings
- Communities studied: Bhil, Meena, Banjara, Gond, Kolam and Korku.
- Astronomical knowledge:
- Time reckoning: Based on lunar cycles.
- Seasonal prediction: Through observation of stars.
- Agriculture: Sowing and harvesting according to celestial cycles.
- Rituals: Practices associated with eclipses and celestial phenomena.
- Traditional cosmology: Comets symbolise heavenly cleaners; meteors represent ancestral souls; Milky Way is viewed as a cosmic river.
- Knowledge preservation: Primarily through oral traditions, rituals and environmental observations.
- Research significance: Developed a systematic glossary of tribal astronomical knowledge to facilitate comparison with classical Sanskrit astronomy, including its mathematical and computational traditions.
Nakshatra Vatika, Nandiya Kalan (Rajasthan)
- Developed by IIT Jodhpur researchers with community participation on degraded community land.
- About 1,000 trees planted for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration.
- Plant-star associations: Jamun, gular, peepal, khejri, jasmine and banyan associated with constellations and zodiac signs.
- Focuses on conservation of medicinal plants, biodiversity and fragile ecosystems.
Institutional Linkage
- Research submitted to the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) Division, Ministry of Education.
- Promotes integration of indigenous knowledge with contemporary scientific research.
Additional Prelims Facts
- Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS): Initiative under the Ministry of Education to promote interdisciplinary research, documentation and dissemination of India's traditional knowledge.
- Nakshatra: Sanskrit term for lunar mansions; the traditional Indian system broadly divides the ecliptic into 27 nakshatras, used in calendrical and astronomical calculations.
