Neelakantha (Hindu astrologer)

Neelakantha, the 16th century author of Tajika Neelakanthi and Prasna Tantra, and the son of Anantadeva, hailed from Kashmir; his brother, Ramchandra, wrote Muhurta Chintamani, the famous treatise on Electional Astrology. Neelakantha was the court astrologer of the Moghul Emperor, Jalaluddin Akbar. According to Deepak Kapoor, Neelakantha was born in the year 1556 The Tajika system of prognostication depends on the Varshaphala, Neelakantha wrote his famous book on Varshaphala, Tajika Neelakanthi, in the year 1587. However, B V Raman in the introduction to Prasna Tantra states that in the last part of his Varshatantra (of Tajika Neelakanthi), Neelakantha records that he composed this book on the eighth day of the bright half of Aswija of Saka year 1509 which means 1567 AD. There is also evidence that he hailed from Vidarbha and that he was 43 or 44 years old when he wrote this book.