THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASTRONOMICAL AND ASTROLOGICAL LITERATURE DURING THE DELHI SULTANATE

The present paper explores the development of astronomical and astrological literature during the Delhi Sultanate period. It highlights the amalgamation of Islamic, Hindu, and Jain scientific traditions. It examines how the religious imperatives of Islam, particularly accurate timekeeping for rituals, propelled the assimilation and innovation of astronomical knowledge. A considerable amount of zīj literature was compiled, and astronomical tables were prepared, which contributed significantly to the scientific development of the period, with the compilation of Zīj-i-Nāsiri by al-Razi. It became the earliest known Indian astronomical work. An attempt is being made in this paper to analyse the contributions of Amir Khusrau for his Persian poetry with astrological concepts; Thakkura Pheru for bridging elite and vernacular scientific discourse through writing astronomical texts in vernacular languages; and Mahendra Suri’s first Sanskrit treatise on the Islamic astrolabe. It exemplifies the cross-cultural synthesis of Islamic and Indian astronomical traditions. Further, this paper also highlights the patronage and contribution of Sultan Fīrūz Shāh Tughlaq for patronising the translations of Sanskrit astronomical works into Persian and inventing the astronomical instruments like the astrolabe. Based upon various textual, mathematical, and material sources, this research concludes that there was a vibrant intellectual milieu in the Delhi Sultanate where the sciences like astronomy and astrology grew, nurtured, flourished and were popularised for practical utility and royal prestige.