Indian Civilization 36,000 km comes close to actual

circumference known. He said that gravity

Introduction: that “Bodies fall towards the earth as it
is in the nature of earth attract bodies,
The civilization emerged in the river just as the nature of water flow”. He
valleys it supports a flourishing civilized also made calculations of eclipse of sun
that extends hundreds of miles from the and moon.
Himalayas to the coast of the Arabian sea.
In 1984, Rakesh Sharma become the
Ancient India was well known as first Indian to go to outer space.Hindu
land of sages and seers as well as a land of uses system of 27 or 28 Nakshatras (lunar
scholars and scientists. India was actively constellations) to calculate month. Each
contributing to the field of science and month divided into 30 lunar tiths (days).
technology centuries long before modern There are 360 or 366 days in a year.
laboratories were set up.
Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is one of six
Science and Technology Development: major built by the Maharajah.Jaipur not
only follows the movements of the sun
There are two major cities which is and moon to determine auspicious dates or
Harappa and Mohejo-Daro. At its events, also it helps map out the position
height, Harappa had 35,000 inhabitants of the stars in the sky.
while Mohenjo-Daro hade perhaps
35,000-40,000 inhabitants. Both cities Here are some contributions of science
were planned, mostly buildings and technology in the field of science
constructed of mud bricks baked in oven and mathematics in India:
and were shaped, forming a grid pattern.

Indus valley civilization public wells

provided with regular supply of water
for all the inhabitants and sanitation.
All houses had own private toilets and
there are also evident that there is public
and private baths, sewage and
sophisticated water management system.

In 500 AD, Aryabhata presented

astronomical and mathematical system
that took the earth to spin on its axis and
considered the motions of the planets with
respect to the sun (helocentric) are
elliptical. He also made accurate
approximation of the earth’s
circumference and diameter and also
discovered lunar eclipse and solar eclipse
happen for the first time. He propounded
the Heliocentric theory of gravitation.

Brahmagupta (598-668) - was the

head of astronomical and mathematical at
Ujjain. In 7th century the circumference of
the earth was 5000 yojanas or estimated
1. The Idea of Zero- Mathematician
Aryabhata was the first person to create a
symbol for zero and it was through his
efforts that mathematical operations like
addition and subtraction started using the
digit, zero.
2. The Decimal System - India gave the
ingenious method of expressing all
numbers by means of ten symbols – In the
decimal system each symbol received a
value of position as well as an absolute
value.
3. Numeral Notations - Early as 500 4. Fibbonacci Numbers - Their sequence
BCE, had devised a system of different first appear in Indian mathematics as
symbols for every number from one to mātrāmeru, mentioned by Pingala in
nine. This notation system was adopted by connection with the Sanskrit tradition of
the Arabs who called it the hind numerals. prosody.

5. Binary
Numbers -
The basic
language in
which
computer
programs are
written.
Binary
basically
refers to a set
of two
numbers, 1
and 0, the
combinations
of which are called bits and bytes. The
binary number system was first described
by the Vedic scholar Pingala, in his book
Chandahśāstra, which is the earliest
known Sanskrit treatise on prosody.

6. Chakravala method of Algorithms -

To solve indeterminate quadratic
equations, including the Pell’s equation.
This method for obtaining integer
solutions was developed by Brahmagupta,
one of the well known mathematicians of
the 7th century CE.
7. Ruler Measurements - Excavations at
Harappans sites have yielded rulers or
linear measures made from ivory and
shell. Marked out in minute subdivisions
with amazing accuracy, the calibrations
correspond closely with the hasta
increments of 1 3/8 inches, traditionally
used in the ancient architecture of South
India. Ancient bricks found at the
excavation sites have dimensions that
correspond to the units on these rulers.
8. A Theory of Atom - One of the notable
scientists of the ancient India was Kanad
who is said to have devised the atomic
theory centuries before John Dalton was
born. He speculated the existence of anu
or a small indestructible particles, much
like an atom. He also stated that anu can
have two states — absolute rest and a state
of motion. He further held that atoms of represented the pinnacle of astronomical
same substance combined with each other knowledge at the time. He correctly
in a specific and synchronized manner to propounded that the Earth is round, rotates
produce dvyanuka (diatomic molecules) on its own axis and revolves around the
and tryanuka (triatomic molecules). Sun i.e the heliocentric theory. He also
made predictions about the solar and lunar

eclipses, duration of the day as well as the

distance between the Earth and the Moon.
9. The Heliocentric Theory-
Mathematicians of ancient India often
applied their mathematical knowledge to
make accurate astronomical predictions.
The most significant among them was
Aryabhatta whose book, Aryabhatiya,
10. Wootz Steel - Is a crucible steel
characterized by a pattern of bands that
was known in the ancient world by many
different names such as Ukku, Hindwani
and Seric Iron. This steel was used to
make the famed Damascus swords of yore
that could cleave a free-falling silk scarf
or a block of wood with the same ease.
Produced by Tamils of Chera Dynasty, the
steel of the ancient world was made by
heating black magnetite ore in the
presence of carbon in a sealed clay
crucible kept inside a charcoal furnace.

11. Smelting of Zinc - India was the first

to smelt zinc by the distillation process, an
advanced technique derived from a long
experience of ancient alchemy. The
ancient Persians had also attempted to seamless celestial globe was made by Ali
reduce zinc oxide in an open furnace but Kashmiri ibn Luqman in the reign of the
had failed. Zawar in the Tiri valley of Emperor Akbar. In a major feat in
Rajasthan is the world’s first known metallurgy, Mughal metallurgists
ancient zinc smelting site. pioneered the method of lost-wax casting
to make twenty other globe masterpieces

in the reign of the Mughal Empire. Before

these globes were rediscovered in the
12. Seamless Metal Globe - The first 1980s, modern metallurgists believed that
it was technically impossible to produce
metal globes
without any
seams, even with
modern
technology.

13. Plastic
Surgery - In 6th
Century BC,
Sushruta Samhita
most well-known
contribution to
plastic surgery is
the reconstruction
of the nose,
known also as rhinoplasty.Considered to
be one of the most comprehensive
textbooks on ancient surgery. The text
mentions various illnesses, plants,
preparations and cures along with
complex techniques of plastic surgery.

14. Cataract Surgery - Sushruta, way

back in 6th century BCE. To remove the
cataract from the eyes, he used a curved
needle, Jabamukhi Salaka, to loosen the
lens and push the cataract out of the field
of vision. The eye would then be
bandaged for a few days till it healed
completely.
15. Ayurveda - Referred to as the Father
of Indian Medicine, Charaka
“Charakasamhita,”was was the first
physician to present the concept of
digestion, metabolism and immunity in his
book. Charaka’s ancient manual on
preventive medicine remained a standard
work on the subject for two millennia and
was translated into many foreign
languages, including Arabic and Latin.
16. Iron-Cased Rockets - In1780s by
Tipu Sultan of Mysore who successfully
used these rockets against the larger forces
of the British East India Company during
the Anglo-Mysore Wars. He crafted long
iron tubes, filled them with gunpowder
and fastened them to bamboo poles to
create the predecessor of the modern
rocket.

There are also some other Indian

inventions and discoveries accepted
universally and that is the following:

1. Natural Fibers - The varied natural

fibers like wool and cotton originated in
India. They invented the art of cotton
spinning and later it was converted to
fabric. cased and metal-cylinder rockets during
the war before.
2. Medical treatments - Indians were the
first to identify leprosy and many 7. First flush - 5,000 years ago,revealed
remedies for this disease were found in the how India at that time had created highly
Atharva Veda. The treatment ofof advanced canals, along with the irrigation,
removing stones or the lithiasis treatment. water management and sewage systems
called toilets.
3. Radio/wireless communication- In
1990, Guglielmo Marconi received the 8. Systematic organized education system-
Nobel Prize in Physics, for his efforts in Residential schooling or schools with
the development of wireless telegraphy hostels or in ancient terminology
originated by Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose in “Gurukul” there where a single teacher
1895. taught several students at that time. They
are the influencers of Chess, snakes and
4. Shampoo - The Nawabs of Bengal ladders, basmati rice, yoga, sanskrit,
around 1762 during the Mughal rule, used ayurveda, water on the moon, plastic
head massage oil which was refered as surgery, binary system, ink, Fibonacci
champo. numbers, fiber optics and many more..

5. Diamonds - In 18th century, India was Reference:

the only country where diamonds were https://www.thebetterindia.com/62565/em
found and later on these sparking stones powerment-through-education-tamil-nadu/
were found in the mines of Brazil.
https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-
6. Rockets In 1780s, Tipu Sultan, Ruler of india/india/interesting-indian-inventions-
the South Indian Kingdom of Mysore, and and-discoveries-that-are-universally-
his father Hyder Ali first made use of iron- accepted