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History, astronomy, and a monument

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: As the country celebrates the 150th anniversary of the First War of Independence, there exists a monument on the Capital's Northern Ridge that is special not only because it was associated with the historic revolt but also because of its astronomical significance.

Built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, the monument came to be known as Pir Ghaib after a Sufi saint "disappeared mysteriously" from the monument.

According to Nehru Planetarium Director N. Rathnasree, the monument was the centre of action during the siege of Delhi in 1857. "From May 11, 1857, to early June, the Ridge was under the control of Dilliwalas and the sepoys. However the ridge was abandoned and later occupied as a strategic position by the British. Pir Ghaib was one of the places occupied by them and used as an outpost," says Dr. Rathnasree.

Now the Nehru Planetarium is investigating the exact nature of the astronomical structures in the monument. Stating that there was a need to investigate and document the vast astronomical heritage hidden in many of our monuments and bring this heritage alive, Dr. Rathnasree says one very identifiable structure in the monument is a cylindrical pillar emerging vertically out of the roof. "The upper surface of the cylindrical pillar could have been used as a dial for measuring the azimuth of the sun or the moon, by inserting a vertical pole into the small hole at the centre of the circular disk covering the topmost surface of the pillar. Used in this way, this structure would have been a primitive analogue of the Ram Yantra built and perfected later by Jai Singh," adds the Planetarium Director.

Pointing out that the cylindrical structure on the roof was hollow and the hole looks down on to the floor in an apartment inside the monument, Dr. Rathnasree notes that from this room, looking up into the hole in the cylindrical tube on the roof, one could observe the passing of stars that are overhead at any given moment.

Dr. Rathnasree along with Anurag Garg, Educator at Nehru Planetarium, is currently investigating the astronomical usage of the Pir Ghaib.

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