Mrigashira

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

The animated GIF shows thepositions of the Nakshatras on the Stellarium map.

Mṛgaśira (मृगशिर) 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. The asterism has three stars and, thus, refers to the group φ_1,2 and λ Orionis.

Etymology and History

Name Variants

• Mrigashira,
• Mṛgaśira,
• Somya,
• Āgrahāyaṇī

Origin of Constellation

Mṛgaśira, Somya means "the deer's head"; it is a composite of two Sanskrit words, mṛga (मृग), deer, and śira (शिर), top of the head. The depiction in temples is here mapped to the three stars in Orion, but it may also be possible that The Deer as a constelllation had originally been larger and the three stars just formed a pattern on the top of its head (like they indicate the head of the Greek hero who is drawn in a larger star pattern).

Also known as āgrahāyaṇī.

The asterism is described in a Treatise on the Sun (Surya Siddhānta) that dates between the 4th and 9th century CE, but also (with all other nakshatras) in the Athavaveda from the early first millennium BCE. Yet, images are preserved in temples only from the past millennium.

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

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  Mrgashira 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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  Mrgashira, Tibetean

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  Mrgashira, Chinese

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  male red deer

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  Mrgashira as reconstructed by Jones (1720)

Mythology

mnemonic tales and cultural significance

References

• References (general)