Question

Fill in the blanks:
(a) ______ was a great astronomer.
(b) Stories about gods and goddesses are found in the _______.
(c) ________ is recognised as the author of the Sanskrit Ramayana.
(d) ______ and ______ are two Tamil epics.

Answer 1

Hint: The great astronomer of Ancient India was the person who invented the digit "zero". Stories about gods and goddesses are mentioned in texts which means "old". Ramayana was written by a great Sanskrit poet known as Adi Kavi.

Complete Answer:
a. Aryabhatta was a great astronomer. He was an ancient mathematician who explained how eclipses happen.
-Aryabhatta was born in 476BC in Kusumapura in Pataliputra (now modern-day Patna) in the state of Bihar.
-The name “Arya” in Sanskrit means great honor or nobility whereas the name “Bhatta” (or Bhatt) is a typical north Indian surname which means “a learned person”. He was also known as Aryabhatta I or Aryabhatta the Elder.
Correct answer: Aryabhatta was a great astronomer.

b. Puranas are the ancient texts which have stories about god and goddess. Purana, (Sanskrit: "Antiquated") in the sacrosanct writing of Hinduism, any of various well known exhaustive assortments of myths, legend, and lineage, differing enormously as to date and birthplace.
Correct answer: Stories about gods and goddesses are found in the Puranas.

c. Maharishi Valmiki wrote the Sanskrit Ramayana when Sanskrit was the regular tongue of the Aryans. Ramayana is an old story passed on informal exchange till Valmki recorded it around the fifth century BC.
Correct answer: Maharishi Valmiki is recognised as the author of the Sanskrit Ramayana.

d. Silappathikaram is one epic name composed by Elango.
-The subsequent epic is Manimegalai composed by Chithalai chathanar. This epic is a continuation of the preceding one.
Correct answer: Silappathikaram and Manimegalai are two Tamil epics.

Additional Information:
-Aryabhatta flourished under the reign of Chandragupta II.
-In Puranas, there are 18 Mahapuranas and 18 Upapuranas.
-There are 5 Tamil epics in total.

Note: Aryabhatta was the great astronomer and mathematician who wrote two books Arya Siddhanta and Aryabhattiya.
-One of the famous Mahapurana is Bhagavatham which is about Lord Krishna.
-There is Ramayana written in other languages as well. One example is Ramayana written in Tamil by Kambar.
-Silappadikaram is a love story about two lovers Kovalan and Kannagi.