De sphaera mundi (Latin title meaning On the Sphere of the World, sometimes rendered The Sphere of the Cosmos; the Latin title is also given as Tractatus de sphaera, Textus de sphaera, or simply De sphaera) is a medieval introduction to the basic elements of astronomy written by Johannes de Sacrobosco (John of Holywood) c. 1230. Based heavily on Ptolemy's Almagest, and drawing additional ideas from Islamic astronomy, it was one of the most influential works of pre-Copernican astronomy in Europe.
Sacrobosco's De sphaera mundi was the most successful of several competing thirteenth-century textbooks on this topic. It was used in universities for hundreds of years and the manuscript copied many times before the invention of the printing press; hundreds of manuscript copies have survived. The first printed edition appeared in 1472 in Ferrara, and at least 84 editions were printed in the next two hundred years. The work was frequently supplemented with commentaries on the original text. The number of copies and commentaries reflects its importance as a university text.
Mundi is a town under Khandwa district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is a thousand years old town. It is surrounded by significant forest area which belongs to Narmada River Valley. It is 120 km from Indore, the commercial capital of the state.
As of 2012 India census, Mundi had a population of 30,000. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Mundi has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 70%, and female literacy is 52%. In Mundi, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.
"Mundi" is located at 22°04′N 76°30′E / 22.07°N 76.5°E. It has an average elevation of 300 metres (1000 feet)."Mundi" is located on the Main Road's & Highway's, with daily connections to Khandwa, Indore, Bhopal, Dewas etc.
The name of the city is derived from "Mundari" (meaning ring or circle shape). During the rise of Buddhism, the East Nimar region was included in the Avanti Kingdom under Chand Pradyota Mahesana, which was later added to the growing empire of Magadha by Shishunaga. From the early 2nd century BC to the late 15th century AD, the Nimar Region (earlier a part of Khandesh) was ruled by many emperors from many dynasties, which include Mauryas, Shungas, Satvahanas, Kardamakas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Imperial Guptas, Kalchuris, Vardhanas (of Harsha Vardhana fame), Chalukyas, Kanungos, Rashtrakutas, Paramaras, Faruki etc. A Well is situated at ‘’’Koteshwer’’’ or ‘’’Loteshwer’’’, created by Pandhawas. ‘’’Renuka Dham’’’ is another ancient temple. Since the mid-16th century to the early 18th century, the Nimar region, was under the rule of Aurangzeb, Bahadur Shah, Peshwas, Sindhia, Bawaniya, Holkar, Pawar, (Marathas), Pindaris etc. Later from early part of the mid-18th century, the management of the Nimar region came under the British.