सामन्तचन्द्रशेखरः

जीवधारा

Mahamahopadhyaya Chandrasekhara Singha Harichandana Mahapatra Samanta, better known as Pathani Samanta, was an Indian astronomer and scholar who measured the distance from the Earth to the Sun with a bamboo pipe, and traditional instruments. He was born on 13 December 1835 in Purnimanta Pousha Krishna Ashtami, and died on 11 June 1904 in Purnimanta Adhika Jyeshtha Krishna Trayodashi. He was born into a royal family in the Princely state of Khandapada, in the Nayagarh district of the Indian state of Odisha. Samanta suffered from insomnia throughout his life and died on June 11, 1904, from fever & infection.

साधनानि

Samanta was a self-taught astronomer, and learnt by reading the books available at the Royal Library until the age of 15. During his youth, Samanta measured the length of the shadows throughout the day by using bamboo and wood to create measuring instruments, which he called mana yantra. He also measured time by using his version of a sundial. He was the only Indian astronomer who discovered all three irregularities of the moon independently of European astronomers, which were unknown to ancient Indian astronomers. After studying mathematics and traditional astronomy he used his knowledge to match predictions made by ancient Indian mathematicians and astronomers such as Aryabhata, Varahamihira, and Brahmagupta. His findings were recorded in his book titled Siddhanta Darpana and were mentioned in the European and American press in 1899. Samanta’s calculations were eventually used in the preparation of almanacs in Odisha.