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BornVijjayapura (Bījāpur, Karnātaka, India), 1114

DiedUjjain, (Madhya Pradesh, India), 1185

Bhāskara II was an Indian (Hindu) astronomer of the 12th century. The number “II” is added by modern historians to differentiate him from his namesake (Bhāskara I) of the 7th century. Bhāskara II is frequently called Bhāskarācārya (Master Bhāskara). He probably lived in Vijjayapura; his father was Maheśvara who was also an astronomer. Bhāskara II composed several works on astronomy, most notably the Siddhāntaśiromaṇi (1150), along with his own commentary, the Vāsanābhāṣya or Mitākṣarā, the Kara akutūhala (1183), and the Vivaraṇa on the Śiṣyadh īv rddhidatantra of Lalla.

Bhāskara II's grandson, Can‐gadeva, founded an institution for the study of the Siddhāntaśiromaṇi that received an endowment in 1207 from the king, Soïdeva the Nikumbha. Bhāskara II's lineage produced several noted astronomers and astrologers who promoted these teachings.

Bhāskara II was a follower of the Brāhma School of Brahmagupta...

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Selected References

  • Arka Somayaji, Dhulipala (trans.) (2000). Siddhantasiromanih. 2nd rev. ed. Tirupati, India: Rāstriyasamśkrtvidyapitham.

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  • Pingree, David (1970). “Bhāskara II.” In Dictionary of Scientific Biography, edited by Charles Coulston Gillispie. Vol. 2, pp. 115–120. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.

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  • ——— (1978). “History of Mathematical Astronomy in India.” In Dictionary of Scientific Biography, edited by Charles Coulston Gillispie. Vol. 15 (Suppl. 1), pp. 533–633. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.

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(2007). Bhāskara II. In: Hockey, T., et al. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30400-7_149

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