Khandapara: The museum which was opened in memory of Samanta Chandrasekhar (also popularly called as Pathani Samanta) has attracted a good number of visitors these days, a report said.
According to sources, the state government had opened this museum at his birthplace Khandapara in Nayagarh district in 2016 December 21. Researchers, scholars and students from across the world come here round the year to gain in-depth knowledge about his achievements and hear discourses of this eminent astronomer.
“Due to lack of adequate publicity on the enormous treasure house of astronomy available here, footfalls at this museum were limited to 18,026 visitors in 2019”, curator Sraddhanjali Pradhan informed.
Notably, developing the museum at native place of Pathani Samanta was aimed at popularising astronomy, astrophysics and space science among common people. The museum contains exclusive exhibits on his life and works, including rare articles used by the astronomer.
Pathani Samanta was a god-gifted astronomer and scholar who measured distances of celestial bodies from earth with the help of bamboo pipes and many other traditional instruments that he built.
Observations, research and calculations of Pathani Samanta were compiled into ‘Siddhanta Darpana’, which has verses written in Sanskrit. His knowledge of astronomy ensured, the traditional instruments which he used had a great accuracy. His treatises found mentions in the European and American press and received admirations from contemporary astronomers the world over.
