Jai Singh, or Jai Singh Sawai (Jaya Siṃha Savā'ī), the eighteenth century statesman–astronomer of India, was born on November 3, 1688 to the royal house of Amber, in the present state of Rajasthan, India. His ancestors were semiautonomous rulers of their princely state under the Mughals and occupied important posts at the Mughal court. Jai Singh lived his life during one of the most troubled, uncertain, and critical periods of Indian history, and he was involved directly or indirectly in just about every political or military conflict of his time. With his diplomacy and political maneuverings, he acquired a great deal of authority and influence throughout the Mughal empire. Making full use of his prestige and power, Jai Singh embarked upon a program of reviving astronomy in his country.
Jai Singh displayed an early inclination toward astronomy and mathematics and soon acquired mastery over these two subjects. He realized that the astronomical predictions based on the Hindu, Islamic, or...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bhatnagar, V. A. Life and Times of Sawai Jai Singh. Delhi: Impex India, 1974.
Garrett, A. and Chandradhar Guleri. The Jaipur Observatory and Its Builder. Allahabad: Pioneer Press, 1902.
Kaye, G. R. The Astronomical Observatories of Jai Singh. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India, Rpt., 1982.
Pingree, David. An Astronomer's Progress. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 143 (1999): 73–85.
Sarma, Sreeramula Rajeswara. Yantraprakāra of Sawai Jai Singh. Supplement to Studies in History of Medicine and Science. Vols. X and XI. 1986, 1987.
Sharma, Virendra Nath. Sawai Jai Singh and His Astronomy. New Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass, 1995.
‐‐‐. Sawai Jai Singh and His Observatories. Jaipur: Publication Scheme, 1997.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Sharma, V.N. (2008). Jai Singh. In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9382
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9382
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4559-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4425-0
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law