In the popular perception, India's contribution to the development of science and technology often appears limited to those achieved over the last century or so. However, the wealth of Sanskrit texts provides evidence that such contributions have existed over the millennia–the earliest textual source being the Rigveda (believed to pre-date 3100 BC). Yet, an awareness of the precise nature of the contributions has not percolated through our now westernized education system. This is partly due to a lack of wider cultivation of Sanskrit, and access to the ancient texts. Nevertheless, attempts are being made in several academic institutions in India, including IIT Bombay, to bridge this rift with our heritage by archiving, translating, and digitizing manuscripts for easier access.

Indian Science over the Ages
Archaeological evidence shows that the first 'industrial' revolution had begun as far back as the Mohenjo Daro and Harappan civilizations. The Svetasvatara Upanishad recounts the earliest conflict between religion and science, which ushered in a new intellectual climate during the Second Urbanization (c.600 BC)–a period that allowed for the first time, the emergence of the 'scientist'. Contrary to the belief that science originated in Europe pioneered by the Greek sage Thales (76 BC), historian D P Chattopadhyaya demonstrated that it was actually Uddalaka Aruni from the Indian subcontinent who possibly was the first in human history to claim the need for arriving at knowledge through experimentation. As is well known today, the rationalist medicine of ancient India was rich in its empirical content. Its founders made use of knowledge not only of anatomy, physiology and pharmacology, but also digressed into other disciplines that later evolved into physics, chemistry, biology, climatology and mineralogy. Also, scholars have acknowledged that Panini's grammar (5th century BC) with its 4000 rules is one of the greatest intellectual achievements of all time. It represents a universal grammatical and computing system, which anticipated the logical framework of modern computing languages.

The period between 4th & 12th centuries AD saw remarkable progress made in the realms of astronomy, mathematics, medicine, metallurgy and architecture. The oldest mathematical works essentially dealing with geometry were the Sulvasutras. Mathematics itself developed more as an offshoot of an enduring preoccupation with astronomy. Some of the astronomer-mathematicians like Aryabhatta (born 476AD), Brahmagupta (born 598AD), Bhaskaracharya (1114AD), Madhavacharya (c.1340-1425) and Nilakantha Somayaji (c. 1444-1545) had developed methods far ahead of their European contemporaries. Bhaskaracharya was the author of Siddhanta Shiromani, a compendium comprising: Lilavati on arithmetic, Bijaganita on algebra, Ganitadhyaya, and Goladhyaya on astronomy. His "epicyclic-eccentric" theories of planetary motions were more developed than in the earlier siddhantas. The Chakravala (quadratic equations with two unknowns) contained in the Bijaganita gained popularity in 17th century Europe.....more on next page

Home | Top | Next Page