Time Measuring Instruments Atharvaveda states that in ancient India some instrument for measuring time were used . Suryasiddhanta also gives description of the devices used in ancient period for knowing the hour (prahara) of the day, and time taken for certain processes in daily life. Such description are also found in Varahmihir’s Panchsiddhantik a, Brahmagupta, Brahmahasphutas iddhanta and astronomer Lalacharya’s writing . Those instruments were mostly different from of Sundials, water clocks, hourglasses using sand, incense sticks and candles. Sundial uses the principle of change in the length of the shadows of some vertically situated object with change in hour during a day. For this purpose the instrument consisted of a flat horizontal disc at the middle part of it was provided a vertical pillar or rod. The shadow of the pillar or rod used to fall on the horizontal disc which was calibrated to the hour. The position of the shadow used to mark in local time. Water clock or clepsydra was the device in ancient India to measure small time intervals required for various events. It could be used even at night. It used to be small utensil generally tapered at the bottom, and had small hole on the side. It was made to float on water bigger vessels. Water used to enter in the small vessel through the hole, and hence in the prescribed time the small vessel could sink in the water in the bigger vessel and this the prescribed time could be known. Smaller time could also be measured by the regulated flow of water into the smaller vessel by measuring the amount of water entered. These earlier water clocks were calibrated with a sundial discussed above. Some pots excavated from Mohenjodaro suggest that in ancient period water clocks were in use. Similar vessels were used as hourglass in which fine sand was kept in the vessel. Outflow of sand was used to measure the flow of time. Burning time of certain incense sticks or candles was used to measure time especially in temples in ancient India. Time in One Day According to our scriptures, the time taken to tear apart the softest of the petals of a lotus is called TRUTI 100 Truti = 1 Lav 30 Lav = 1 Nimesh 27 Nimesh = 1 Guru Akshar 10 Guru Akshar = 1 Pran 6 Pran Vighatikaa = 1 Ghatikaa or Dand 60 Ghatee = 1 day and night That means, in a day and night, there are 17,496,000,000 Truti altogether. We may just wonder about the genius of our ancient sages and Rishi.Thus, according to Western science, there are 86,400 seconds in a day and night, whereas in Indian science, a day and night consists of 17,496,000,000 (17,496 million) Truti.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 10:53:00 +0000
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