The armillary sphere was an important instrument used by Indian astronomers for demonstrational and observational purposes. In an age when satellite-aided observatories or even the telescope did not exist, the study of planetary positions was possible only with the aid of working models, which in turn depended on the little that naked eyes could observe of planetary and sidereal positions. The armillary sphere was one such model. It was known in India as golayantra (globe machine) or golabandha (globe band).
The Sūryasiddhānta gives a description of the construction of an armillary sphere. Āryabhaṭa describes it briefly in his Āryabhaṭīya. Its construction is treated at different lengths in Varāhamihira’s Pañcasiddhāntikā, Brahmagupta’s Brahmasphuṭasiddhānta, Lalla’s Śiṣyadhīvṛddhida, Śrīpati’s Siddhāntaśekhara, Bhāskara II’s Siddhāntaśiromaṇi, and Vaṭaśśeri Parameśvaran’s Goladīpikā.
We do not know when the armillary sphere was introduced in India, nor are we in a position to say...
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References
Ohashi, Y. (1994). Astronomical instruments in classical siddhāntas. Indian Journal of History of Science, 29(2), 155–313.
Rai, R. N. (1985). Astronomical instruments. Indian Journal of History of Science, 20(1–4), 308–336.
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Devadevan, M.V. (2014). Armillary Spheres in India. In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3934-5_10284-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3934-5_10284-1
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