The Indian medieval astronomy is deeply influenced by the Hellenic astronomy seen from the aspect of contents. However, it is carefully packaged by Āryabhaṭa and Bhāskara as one of the Indian traditional sciences: (1) following the formalities the astronomical work has the benediction to the Brahma; (2) astronomical knowledge is considered to be from the Brahma, and the “āgama” is the only mean of acquiring knowledge; (3) the importance of the astronomy to the Vedic ritual is discussed; (4) most importantly, the ultimate goal of astronomy is set to achieve emancipation. All of these thoughts are deeply related to Indian religion and philosophy, and the origin and development of them are discussed here in this paper. Moreover, after its introduction into and acception in India, the Hellenic astronomy quickly replaced the original Vedic astronomy after the above process, and became rooted in the mainstream tradition of Vedic Brahmanism.
