Punarvasu (पुनर्वसु)

Punarvasu, in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).

Punarvasu, 7th Nakshatra, mapped to the Stellarium star chart.

Punarvasu (पुनर्वसु), "the twin-restorers of goods", is an Indian name, used by the Indian Vedic tradition. Most of these names are roughly 3000 years old. They pre-date Hinduism but were taken over by it. It is an asterism consisting of four stars, the brightest ones being alpha and beta Geminorum.

Etymology and History

Name Variants

• Punarvasu (the two restorers),
• Yamakau ("the two chariots")
• Aditerbha

Origin of Constellation

The name of the constellations is grammatically a dual, so it points to two similar stars/ asterisms. This way, it equals the idea of the Greco-Roman and Mesopotamian Twin-constellation where two bright stars head two similar, parallel chains of stars.

4 stars: α, β Geminorum are certain; the other two might be ε, ζ Gem

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

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  Punarvasu, 10th century CE

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  Display of all 28th nakshatras in silver arch with candles in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).

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  Display of all 28th nakshatras in a door frame in Tirupperunthurai (Athmanathaswamy temple) near Aranthangi, India, 10th century CE. (SMH 2025).

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  Punarvasu, Tibetean

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  Punarvasu, Chinese

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  Punarvasu as reconstructed by Jones (1720).

Mythology

mnemonic tales and cultural significance

References

• References (general)