Mentions of dhruva in indian astronomical treatises – a possible pole star?

Abstract

The pole star is one of the most prominent features of the night sky. It is known that the star that occupies the pole changes over the centuries owing to the precession of equinoxes. Despite this, several texts in the Indian tradition mention in clear words a pole star, usually called dhruva (which means ‘fixed’) or dhruvatārā (tārā meaning ‘star’). Researchers have proposed candidate stars for mentions in the Vedas and Purāṇas in the past. However, a large number of mentions, which are purely astronomical in nature, are also found in the siddhāntas of Indian astronomers. They have not been discussed comprehensively until now. This work presents these together and discusses the implications of these mentions.