Dhanishta
... 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.
Etymology and History
Origin of Constellation
The term "dhanishta" literally means "most famous" which may refer to the recognizable shape of stars of Delphinus that are identified here. An laternative name is Shravishthā, "swiftest".
Its depiction in temples displays a huge jar containing exactly 100 small stars, likely symbolizing the stream of the Milky Way next to the asterism in Delphinus with which the jar-like form perfectly and recognizably matches. For whatever reason (not given here) here are exactly 100 stars in the jar (neighbouring the "100 physicians"-asterism Shatabhisa in the sky) and they are only inside the jar. This contrasts the depiction of Revati which is a jar with fewer star among which two are outside of the jar.
Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation
Mythology
mnemonic tales and cultural significance
Weblinks
References
- References (general)
