Astronomy
T1
One of the five canonical astronomy schools of 505 CE India is called Romaka — "the Roman." Varāhamihira's Pañcasiddhāntikā ranks it among the top three for accuracy, and its parameters give the game away: a calendar cycle of 2,850 years — exactly 150 Greek Metonic cycles of 19 years — with days reckoned from sunset at Yavanapura: Alexandria. Indian astronomers didn't hide their Greco-Roman sources; they cited them, tested them, and ranked them.
From the source
“The luni-solar yuga of the Romaka comprises 2850 years ; (in these) there are 1050 adhimasas and 16547 omitted lunar days. ”
Well-supported
Featured in 4 articles
- The oldest layer: a Vedic five-year calendar preserved inside a 505 CE review
Published July 5, 2026
- Astronomy without arithmetic: Varāhamihira's diagram computer (505 CE)
Published July 5, 2026
- The solstice has moved: Varāhamihira reads precession out of the archives (505 CE)
Published July 5, 2026
- The Roman Siddhānta: Greek astronomy inside the Indian canon (505 CE)
Published July 5, 2026