| Name: | Alok Mandavgane |
| Affiliation: | Aryabhat Foundation |
| Conference ID : | ASI2024_849 |
| Title : | Shanku Yantra |
| Authors : | Alok Mandavgane1, Sanjay Gupta1
|
| Authors Affiliation: | 1 Alok Mandavgane, Sanjay Gupta Affiliation (Aryabhat Foundation, Bhopal-462039, India) |
| Mode of Presentation: | Poster |
| Abstract Category : | Education, Outreach and Heritage |
| Abstract : | Shanku Yantra
A shanku is a term used for vertical gnomon. Shanku Yantra is one of the simplest Yantras in Jantar Mantar. It simply comprises of a vertical pole and simple markings tracing the path of the shadow on the ground next to it. The markings are for special dates, Equinoxes and solstices. It is a very simple way of finding out the declination of the sun by just looking at the shadow. If one knows whether the sun is going northwards or southwards in the sky, one can deduce the time of the year with some accuracy.
The markings on the yantra are for each of the 12 months. The 12 month correspond to the movement of Sun in the Tropical Zodiac, or equivalently 12 division of the ecliptic.These 12 months are the months of solar Indian National Calendar, which starts with the March Equinox. These 12 solar months also correspond to the traditional 6 vedic ritus, or seasons, with each season spanning 2 months.
The shanku yantra for any location depends on the latitude. We present a simple online tool to generate the marking base of the yantra for any location, and demonstrate a smaller working version of the yantra. The yantra can be scaled by according to the size of the gnomon used. A large enough yantra can even tell the day of the year. |
