Ritual

Astronomical diagram used to
ascertain the mean position of a
planet. Rajasthan, c. 18th century.
Ink and colour on paper.
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pair (eyes, hands, etc.); zero by the sky, void, etc. This method was
predominantly used to connote large numbers in astronomical
works. For greater concision, the use of chronograms was later
replaced by an alphabetical system of notation which was
sometimes applied to descriptive astronomy.
Indian mathematicians have long worked with number of the
order of billions, even conceiving of infinity as a unit. The smallest
measure of time mentioned by the Indian astronomers is the truti,
1/33750 second. The unit of time required for the passage of the sun
over an atomic object is mathematically calculated in the
Siddhdnta-'siromani to be 17,496,000,000 paramanus; paramanus,