OoC-IISc invites you to a talk on “Celestial Geometry: Sun-facing Monuments in South India”; @ 4 pm, Golden Jubilee Seminar Hall, ECE Department

Paraspar, an initiative of the Office of Communications (OoC) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), is a platform for conversations about knowledge systems, particularly science.

PARASPAR
Invites you to a talk on

Celestial Geometry: Sun-facing Monuments in South India

Abstract: Ancient monuments were often oriented to align with astronomically significant directions on the local horizon – such as the extreme rise or set points of the sun or the moon. Though it seems highly plausible that ancient humans would orient their architectural creations so, it is a different matter to prove the same, especially in the case of prehistoric structures. This talk will present three instances of monuments that were intentionally aligned with the solar cycle. One of them is a prehistoric stone alignment, and the other two are rock-cut and structural temples from the start and end of the Karnata Dravida architectural tradition, thereby suggesting a preoccupation with astronomical alignments throughout this unbroken tradition of nearly seven centuries. The talk will present the methods used to arrive at these conclusions and invite discussion on the same.
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Speaker: Srikumar M. Menon
Associate Professor
Heritage Science and Society
National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore

Venue: Golden Jubilee Seminar Hall
Department of Electrical Communication, IISc

Date: 24 January 2025 (Friday)

Time: 4 pm