111 set up the grommon and watch for the shadow to reach the stipulated length and perform the rite at the right moment. This process of computing the shadow for any specific Time is called Kal72-chaya, Direct (process of) Shadow (computation) (process of) Shadow (computation)', according to which Time is calculated from the length of the Shadow, was, equally, if not more, important in everyday life, in that it enabled the accurate ascertainment of the time of abrupt, nonplammed occurrences like m10ments of birth and death, unexpected arrivals, untoward happenings and the like Popularity of Chayagapita in Kerala advantage of this 17atural phenomenon and devised highly intricate calculations to get the exact times corresponding to the measures of the shadow, taking into consideration also the factors that affected the shadow, such as the latitude and longitude of the place, time of the year, precession of the equinoxes, etc. Practically every one of the numerous astronomical manuals (Kara10-3ra11tlas) produced in Kerala contain sections devoted to Claygarita, b0th of the Sun and of different texts have been identified and documented, C7aya is one of the five subjects dealt with, the others being yoatipata, Gral474, Sigondati and Mau4lya. Several texts which are devoted solely to computations based on shadow have also come to be composed. What is more interesting, c011putatio1s concerning the Moon's shadow being more important, several manuals exclusively devoted to Carldrarchy4 have also come to be comip0sed, though the calculations 1. See K.V. Sarm1a, history of the Kerala Scl001 0f Hiradlt 4ऽtror107], (Hoshiarpur, 1972), SIn. on 'Bibliography of Kerala Jyotisa', pp. 134-37 2. See , for instance, Chayaga10ाrdstaka, Clayag4 tit, I-III, Chayast८ka of Acyuta Pisarati (op.cit., p. 118), Sryac८rdra०chayagapita (p. 176), Suryachayadiguita, I-II (p. 17
