Figure 4.1: The famed rust-less iron pillar installed in Delhi in about 1233 CE was originally erected as a
gnomon in Udaigiri, central India, located on tropic of Cancer. The gnomon, built about 400 CE
was designed to cast shadow in the direction of the passage to temples, on summer solstice day.
(Photo courtesy R. Balasubramaniam)

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4. Astronomical Heritage: Towards a Global Perspective
and Action

Rajesh Kochhar, International Astronomical Union (IAU)

This international symposium is taking place in the
400th year of the chance invention of telescope. The
accidental discovery in 1608 of a combination of lenses
by the Dutch optician Hans Lippershey may belong to
the realm of romance of history. But the next year when
Galileo made the world’s first designer telescope and
turned it skywards, he initiated a revolution the impact
of which has gone beyond astronomy and science.
Homo Sapiens is an astronomical species. Ever since

humans learnt to walk upright they have looked at the
sky and wondered. The sky has remained the same
but its meaning as well as significance has continually
changed. To begin with, the sky was a divinity to be
feared and appeased. It then became a phenomenon
to be observed and utilized. And finally now it has
been reduced to be an object of study and a labora-
tory for testing our scientific theories. In the course of
time as the human intellect gradually gained sophistica-
tion, humankind also reworked its equation with nature.
From estimating angles to measuring distances our un-
derstanding of the skies has indeed deepened, literally
and figuratively.
Astronomy today is at the cutting edge of intellec-

tual enquiry and, at its most glamorous, a child of high
technology. But it is more than a branch of modern sci-
ence. It is a symbol of the collectivity and continuity of
humankind’s cultural heritage. This mixture of science
and culture is astronomy’s strength as well as dilemma.
Strength, because support for astronomy transcends all
boundaries; dilemma, because this support transcends
science also.
As is well known it is very difficult to define things. It

has been said that definition should emerge from actual
practice. This is largely true. But there are times when
concepts need to be defined properly so that future ac-
tions can be given a direction. When we were in school
we were told in the English class that the word his-
tory has no plural. Now I realize that we were wrongly
taught. I am inclined to go to the other extreme and
assert that there is no history only histories.

That is why today the trend is to use the term heritage
as in the title for this symposium. Heritage can be seen
as the sum total of histories. And yet for the sake of
developing a global perspective and planning combined
action we must try to develop a universal history.
Elsewhere I have used the term Cultural Copernican-

ism. Just as Copernican principle in cosmology tells
that the universe does not have a preferred location or
direction, Cultural Copernicanism would imply that no
cultural or geographical area or ethnic or social group
can be deemed to constitute a benchmark for judging
and evaluating others. Within this framework how do
we deal with the past? Past should not be pitted against
the present. It must be conceded that modern astron-
omy is the terminus of an evolutional track. Astronomy
(as well as science in general) should be seen as a multi-
stage civilizational cumulus where each stage builds on
the knowledge gained in the previous stages and in turn
leads to the next. In various stages there are invariably
deed ends which should be handled with sensitivity. In
this context it would be useful to keep in mind a wise
statement by Henry David Thoreau: “A man is wise
with the wisdom of his time only, and ignorant with its
ignorance.”
History is an exercise in reconstructing the past that

is carried out in the present with an eye on the fu-
ture. Thus paradoxical as it may seem history is an
instrument that converts the past into a bridge between
the present and the future. More specifically, history
of astronomy is an enquiry into how human perception
of their cosmic environment has evolved with time. It
is relatively an easy matter to discuss the history of
modern astronomy as western astronomy. But if we
wish to advance the cause of astronomy, if we wish
to see world-wide development of astronomy, we must
place post-Galilean developments in a wider spatial and
temporal context. Some relevant details of the activities
planned by the International Astronomical Union and
the United Nations in commemoration of International
Year of Astronomy 2009 will be provided.

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