Indian Astrolabe The Royal Collection Trust, UK. |
Indian. Astrolabe alaintruong.com |
Indian. Astrolabe alaintruong.com |
Travelling Iranian scholars introduced Astrolabes into South Asia The Tughluq Sultans (1320–1410) in Delhi and the Mughal Emperors started making Astrolabes.
Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur facebook.com/ |
Above image: Maharajah Jai singh II was the one who evinced keen interest in the the production of Astrolabes for maritime navigation purpose. The sailors found them to be useful................
EDWARD, Prince of Wales agefotostock.com |
Above image: EDWARD (S/O of Queen Victoria), the Prince of Wales, (subsequently king Edward VII) in his ceremonial regalia as Grand Master of English Freemasons, a position he held from 1875 to 1901; He was on an official visit to India in 1875 -76.and met many Princely states' head. photo credit: agefotostock.com ..........
The astrolabe was also patronised by Hindu rulers notably Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur (1688–1743) (present day Rajasthan). During his reign (1699–1743), Jaipur became a prominent centre for the production for astrolabes. His flair for astronomy led him to the construction of five astronomical observatories in Jaipur, Delhi, Mathura, Ujjain and Benares (now Varanasi).
This silver astrolabe has a tubular eyepiece commonly seen in astrolabes produced in Jaipur. The reverse of the top section is inscribed with the co-ordinates for Greenwich, the British centre of timekeeping. Astrolabes are used to measure the position of stars and planets. In Sanskrit, the astrolabe is referred to as the yantraraja which translates to the 'king of instruments'
The Silver Astrolabe was presented to King Edward VII, when he on a long tour of India in 1875-76 as the Prince of Wales. Ram Singh II, Maharajah of Jaipur presente the navigational instrument as a token of his gesture and friendship with England when the future legal heir to the throne made a personal visit to his palace.
https://www.rct.uk/collection/11209/astrolabe
http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2017/12/17/35965101.html