possibly made in North India

Astrolabe (front)

An astrolabe is an instrument used by early astronomers to measure the altitude of stars and planets and also as a navigational aid. This brass example, made in North India in 1643, is one of the earliest known Indian astrolabes in a public collection.

The front of the astrolabe is inscribed in Sanskrit by the suspension bracket: 'Caused to be made by Manirama on the 11th day of the dark half of the month Caitra [March-April] samvat 1900 [=1643 AD]'.

Astrolabe construction in the Middle East has a longer and more continuous history than in Europe. The earliest instruments which survive are from the 9th century and were made by Syro-Egyptian astrolabists working in Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo.

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Online ID:	000-100-102-830-C
Image Rights Holder:	National Museums Scotland
Project:	0098: National Museums Scotland Project description \| View all records in project
Ref:	National Museums Scotland T.1986.20
Date:	1643
Material:	Brass. Inscription: Caused to be made by Manirama on the eleventh day of the dark half of the month Caita samrat 1900 [in Sanskrit]
Dimensions:
What:	Astrolabe
Subject:	3. ASTRONOMY, Astrolabes (Departmental Classification)
Who:	Manirama, Lahore (Maker)
Where:	Pakistan, Punjab, Lahore
Event:
Description:	Astrolabe of brass, made by Manirama of Lahore, 1643
References:	For astrolabes generally, and then in use, see North, J.R., 'The Astrolabe', Scientific American 230 (1974), pp 96-106; and [Waters, D. W.] The Plainspheric Astrolabe. London: 1976
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