Bhopal: World’s first ‘Vedic clock’, billed as a testament to the fusion of technology and tradition, is all set to be unveiled in the holy city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on March one this year.
Sources said efforts are being made to get the clock inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually.
“The Vedic clock, scheduled to be installed at the historic Jantar-Mantar in Ujjain, aims to reintroduce the ancient Indian system of timekeeping to the contemporary world”, Dr Sri Ram Tiwari, director, Ujjain-based Maharaja Vikramaditya Research Institute, told this newspaper on Wednesday.
The institute has developed the concept of the clock, Dr Tiwari said.
Arohan, a software unit run by Lucknow-based engineer Aroh Srivastav, designed the clock with research data shared by the institute, he added.
A huge LED screen which will be installed at the 85-ft high tower at Jantar-Mantar, located in the campus of the 300-year-old Jiwaji Observatory in Ujjain, will serve as the unique Vedic clock.
According to him, the clock will display Indian Standard Time (IST), Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and Vedic time, simultaneously.
The clock will be fixed on the basis of the principles of Vedic time calculation.
Changes in the timings of sunrise and sunset in different places in the country and the world will also be synchronised in the clock.
The clock is designed to display time in 30 ‘Muhurats’, a unit of time in the Vedic system that divides day into 30 equal parts.
In addition to displaying hours, minutes and seconds, the clock will provide a view of celestial ballet, including movements of planets and stars, solar and lunar eclipses, and the precise positioning of celestial bodies.
The clock will be synchronised with the Sun's position for accurate representation of time, as calculated by the ancient Vedic scholars, he added.
Operated through the Vikram Samvat App, the clock will provide information from the ‘Vikram Panchang’ such as sunrise and sunset timings, planetary positions, and auspicious timings.
The Vedic clock can be viewed in any part of the world by uploading the App in smartphones, TVs and other electronic gadgets.
“The clock marks a significant milestone in the journey of Vedic timekeeping from ancient scripts to the digital era”, Dr Tiwari said.
The clock is a blending of ancient Indian traditional knowledge and modern technology which makes it a unique cultural and scientific artefact, he added.
