Bhubaneswar, Jan. 4: The life and work of Pathani Samanta, the author of Siddhanta Darpan, an astronomical treatise of elegant Sanskrit verses, has been made into a documentary by city-based film-maker Deba Ranjan.

The 60-minute film, Shesha Siddhantee, covers the mathematical works of Samanta, including the history of astronomy in India. The film also captures how Samanta composed Dhumpa verses, the popular folk song of Khandapara, where he was born, now in Nayagarh district of Odisha.

Born as Samanta Chandra Sekhar Harichandan Mohapatra in 1835, the scientist studied astronomy, observed the movements of planets through the naked eye and was able to reach the approximate reality as ascertained by scientists with the aid of modern equipment.

Chandrasekhar is considered the last in the long order of great Hindu astronomers such as Aryabhatta, Varahamihira, Brahma Gupta and Bhaskara scaling a time span of nearly 1,500 years.

What attracted the filmmaker to Samanta was the way in which the astronomer had managed to measure the distance from the earth to the moon with a bamboo pipe and other instruments that he himself built.

"He was well known in India and abroad for his accurate astronomical calculations, new theories about the planets and their movements. My elder sister did a lot of research on him and told me interesting stories about his life. All that thrilled me and I decided to present his contributions to the world through my art," said Deba Ranjan. It took the film-maker around two years to make the film.

The film also has a section where the use of the instruments prepared by Samanta such as the Manayantra (measuring instrument), Golyantra (spherical instrument) and Surya-ghadi (sundial) has been demonstrated by a group of students of the mathematics department of Ravenshaw University.

The film was screened at the Institute of Physics on January 2 on the occasion of the 181st birth anniversary of the scientist at an event organised by Odisha Bigyanee Samaj.

"We have plans to screen the film at various educational institutions across the state. The young generations must know about the great man that the state had produced. That apart, we will also send the film to various science film festivals," said Deba Ranjan.

The 47-year-old filmmaker is planning to make films on the Buddhist tradition in the state and Mahima Dharma in future.

The other films Ranjan has made are From Hindu to Hindutwa, The Conflict and At the Crossroads.