India’s Astral Sciences Before Āryabhaṭa: Internal Developments and External Echoes
The Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, Chanakya University, in collaboration with Poorna Prajna Samshodhana Mandiram, and ICPR is organising featuring a lecture followed by a focused panel discussion on early Indian astral sciences. The programme begins with a scholarly lecture that introduces key historiographical and textual questions concerning India’s astral traditions. It sets the intellectual framework for a deeper and more critical engagement with early sources and their contexts. The central highlight of the event is the panel discussion on “India’s Astral Sciences Before Āryabhaṭa: Internal Developments and External Echoes.” Distinguished scholars will examine the indigenous growth of astronomical knowledge, its conceptual foundations, and its wider intellectual interactions. The discussion seeks to reassess prevailing narratives and situate early Indian scientific thought within broader global and philosophical perspectives. Through rigorous dialogue and interdisciplinary reflection, the programme aims to strengthen scholarship and inspire renewed inquiry into India’s scientific heritage.
Event details
Date: Thursday, 26 February 2026
Time: 3:30 – 6:30 PM
Venue: Poorna Prajna Samshodhana Mandiram, Bengaluru.
Talk: 3.30 to 4.30 PM
Topic: Reassessing the Date and Character of Sphujidhvaja’s Yavanajātaka
Topic: Reassessing the Date and Character of Sphujidhvaja’s Yavanajātaka
Speaker: Bill M. Mak, University of Science and Technology of China, Needham Research Institute, Cambridge
Chair: Acharya Veeranarayana Pandurangi
India’s Astral Sciences Before Āryabhaṭa: Internal Developments and External Echoes
Tea-break
Panel Discussion: 4.45 to 6.15 PM
Topic: India’s Astral Sciences Before Āryabhaṭa: Internal Developments and External Echoes
Panellists
Prof. M. D. Srinivas, Padma Shri awardee, Chairman, Centre for Policy Studies, Chennai
Prof. R. N. Iyengar, Distinguished Professor and Mentor of Centre for Ancient History and Culture, Jain University, Bengaluru
Prof. Bill M. Mak, University of Science and Technology of China, Needham Research Institute, Cambridge
Moderator
Prof. Ramakrishna Pejathaya, Director, Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, Chanakya University, Bengaluru
Organizers
Speakers and Panellists
Moderator
