Pathani Samanta[a] better known as Mahamahopadhyaya Chandrasekhara Singha Harichandana Mahapatra Samanta,[b] was an Indian astronomer, mathematician 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.
His research and observations were compiled into a book called Siddhanta Darpana, which was written in both Sanskrit and the Odia script. He earned the Mahamahopadhyaya Award in 1893, for his usage of traditional instruments for astronomical observations.[1]
Samanta was born in the princely state of Khandpara, in the Nayagarh district of the Indian state of Odisha.[2] He was the son of Samanta Syamabandhu Singha and Bishnumali Devi. He was born into a royal family.
Why the "Pathani Samanta" ?
The legend depicted on the walls of the Pathani Samanta Planetarium in Bhubaneswar states that he was born to a royal couple the loss of many children, leaving them yearning for a healthy child. Hence, soon after his birth, he was given away in adoption to a Muslim fakir to ward off the evil eye, a belief that was strongly prevalent at the time. In remembrance of the fakir and to ward off bad omens, the couple nicknamed their son 'Pathani'.
He went on to study Sanskrit, and later researched traditional Indian astronomy.
During his youth time, 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.[3]
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.[4] He continued to teach and attracted pupils worldwide despite his persistent health problems and insomnia. On June 11, 1904, he died suddenly from fever and infection.[3]
Education
He was home-schooled by his father, who introduced him to the joys of night star-gazing, and later by a Brahmin teacher, who gave him a basic education in both Odia and Sanskrit.
By the age of 15, he had become a self-learner, referring to the books available in the royal library. Samanta was a voracious reader and devoured classical treatises like Lilavati, Bijaganita, Jyotisha, Siddhanta, Vyakarana, and Kavya. It was during this time that he pursued mathematics and traditional astronomy, and started matching predictions made by ancient Indian mathematician-astronomers such as Aryabhatta - 1(476 CE), Varahamihira (503 CE), Brahmagupta (598 CE) and Bhaskara – II (1114 CE) and others, with real observations of celestial objects in the night sky.
Although traditional Indian astronomy had veered more toward astrology, focusing more on future predictions based on planetary positions and the preparation of auspicious almanacs for rituals, Samanta focused minutely on the mathematical calculations and observational facts that went into these predictions. When he found discrepancies, he designed his own instruments to measure the phenomena, using everyday materials such as wood and bamboo!
Instrument maker
Samanta was a self-taught astronomer and learned by reading the books available at the Royal Library until age 15. During his research, Samanta designed many of his instruments by using everyday materials such as wooden sticks and bamboo.[4] 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.
He carried out research in measurements using only a bamboo pipe and two wooden sticks.[5] 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.
Working With Wood & Bamboo
The treatises Samanta was referring to had only clues to the observational devices used, so he decided to make his own measuring instruments made of locally available bamboo and wood. They used basic geometry and trigonometry to calculate distance, height, and time. There are many local tales of Samanta measuring the height at which birds fly, finding the height of trees, and persons using the length of shadows and calculating the distance and height of mountains from his fixed location using an instrument he invented called mana yantra.
He used his own versions of the sundial and imprsundialater clocks to measure time. Here are a few sketches of these instruments from the article published by Prof P.C. Naik and Prof. L Satpathy in the Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India (1998).
Awards & Recognition
Samanta received the title "Harichandan Mahapatra" from the Gajapati King of Puri in 1870, and the revered Jagannath Temple in Puri still adheres to the calendar rules he suggested for carrying out its ceremonies.
The British government, which ruled India during Samanta's lifetime, conferred upon him the title of 'Mahamahopadhyay' in 1893 and awarded him a pension of Rs 50 per month for his contributions to astronomy after he correctly predicted the time and place of a solar eclipse that was visible only in Britain.
Personal life and legacy
Samanta married Sita Devi, the daughter of King Anugul, in 1857 in a rather dramatic way after the bride's family rejected the alliance on the couple's wedding day because Samanta didn't look princely enough, according to his family history, which was written by his grandson Raghunath Singh Samanta and published in the book "Pathani Samanta Jeebani Darpana". He reportedly won over the bride's family at the wedding with his faultless sloka recitation.
Odisha has kept his legacy relevant by displaying his work in the state museum, naming the planetarium in Bhubaneswar after him; and dedicating educational institutions, scholarships, and amateur astronomy clubs to his memory. Astronomers and astrophysicists both in India and beyond have praised his work, earning him the moniker "Indian Tycho."
However, the general public is mostly unaware of this brilliant astronomer who observed the universe with only the naked eye, as well as of the incredible scientific advances he accomplished with only a few pieces of bamboo and wood and the sheer force of his brilliance. He deserves to be celebrated just like Aryabhatta, Bhaskara, and others - probably as the last torch bearer of the Indian traditional astronomy.
