बोलते पत्थर

Hoysala telescope carving, Halebidu

A man with a telescope, carved 900 years ago

The carving
The carving

Books say the telescope was invented in 1608. Yet the Hoysala temple at Halebidu, built about 900 years ago, has a carving of a man looking through something very like a modern telescope, with one eye closed just as we do.

The author reads this as evidence that lens technology existed in India 900 years ago.

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