HYDERABAD: An early representation of the Great Bear constellation dating back to around 500 B.C. has been discovered on a piece of rock at Mudumula village of Mahabubnagar district by the University of Hyderabad.
The University's History department dated the find to the megalithic period and suggested the sky map as being the earliest physical representation of the sky discovered in the country. "This probably could even be the earliest such representation in the entire South Asia," Reader in department of History K.P.Rao who led the team, claimed at a media conference here on Monday.
The representation of the group of stars was found on a square table-like rock with a flat slanting top. "This appears to have been deliberately planted by the megalithic people to plot the Great Bear constellation, also known as `Ursa Major' and referred to as `Saptarshi Mandala' in Indian astronomy," Dr.Rao said.
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