Ancient Indian Inventions & Discoveries That Benefited The World

Gaurav
Brahma
Published in
8 min readMay 29, 2020

There are a lot of discoveries and inventions that happened in Ancient India which most of the people don’t know . Also India has never been given credit for their inventions and discoveries.

Here is a list of 15 contributions, made via historic Indians to the arena of technological era.

  1. The Idea of Zero

Little desires to be written approximately the mathematical digit ‘0’, one of the maximum crucial inventions of all time. Mathematician Aryabhata become the first man or woman to create a symbol for 0 and it became through his efforts that mathematical operations like addition and subtraction commenced the use of the digit, 0. The idea of 0 and its integration into the place-cost system also enabled one to jot down numbers, regardless of how large, by way of the usage of simplest ten symbols.

2. The Decimal System

India gave the ingenious technique of expressing all numbers by way of ten symbols — the decimal device. In this device, each symbol obtained a price of position in addition to an absolute value. Due to the simplicity of the decimal notation, which facilitated calculation, this device made the makes use of of mathematics in realistic inventions much faster and easier.

3. Numeral Notations

Indians, as early as 500 BCE, had devised a device of various symbols for every range from one to nine. This notation gadget became adopted by means of the Arabs who known as it the hind numerals. Centuries later, this notation machine changed into adopted by the western global who referred to as them the Arabic numerals because it reached them via the Arab traders.

4. Fibbonacci Numbers

The Fibonacci numbers and their collection first appear in Indian arithmetic as mātrāmeru, stated by Pingala in connection with the Sanskrit culture of prosody. Later on, the techniques for the formation of those numbers had been given with the aid of mathematicians Virahanka, Gopala and Hemacandra , much earlier than the Italian mathematician Fibonacci introduced the fascinating sequence to Western European arithmetic.

5. Binary Numbers

Binary numbers is the simple language in which pc packages are written. Binary essentially refers to a hard and fast of numbers, 1 and 0, the combinations of which are known as bits and bytes. The binary quantity system turned into first defined with the aid of the Vedic scholar Pingala, in his book Chandahśāstra, which is the earliest recognized Sanskrit treatise on prosody ( the study of poetic metres and verse).

6. Chakravala approach of Algorithms

The chakravala method is a cyclic set of rules to remedy indeterminate quadratic equations, including the Pell’s equation. This method for acquiring integer answers was developed by means of Brahmagupta, one of the well known mathematicians of the seventh century CE. Another mathematician, Jayadeva later generalized this technique for a wider range of equations, which turned into similarly refined by means of Bhāskara II in his Bijaganita treatise.

7. Ruler Measurements

Excavations at Harappans sites have yielded rulers or linear measures crafted from ivory and shell. Marked out in minute subdivisions with top notch accuracy, the calibrations correspond intently with the hasta increments of 1 3/8 inches, traditionally used within the historical architecture of South India. Ancient bricks located on the excavation sites have dimensions that correspond to the gadgets on these rulers.

8. A Theory of Atom

One of the amazing scientists of the historic India was Kanad who is stated to have devised the atomic concept centuries before John Dalton turned into born. He speculated the lifestyles of anu or a small indestructible particles, much like an atom. He additionally said that anu may have two states — absolute rest and a state of motion. He in addition held that atoms of equal substance blended with every different in a specific and synchronized way to provide dvyanuka (diatomic molecules) and tryanuka (triatomic molecules).

9. The Heliocentric Theory

Mathematicians of historical India often implemented their mathematical information to make correct astronomical predictions. The maximum enormous amongst them become Aryabhatta whose ebook, Aryabhatiya, represented the pinnacle of astronomical expertise at the time. He effectively propounded that the Earth is round, rotates on its own axis and revolves across the Sun i.E the heliocentric principle. He also made predictions approximately the sun and lunar eclipses, duration of the day as well as the space between the Earth and the Moon.

10. Wootz Steel

A pioneering metal alloy matrix developed in India, Wootz steel is a crucible metal characterized by using a sample of bands that changed into acknowledged in the ancient world by many specific names such as Ukku, Hindwani and Seric Iron. This metal become used to make the famed Damascus swords of yore that could cleave a free-falling silk scarf or a block of wooden with the identical ease. Produced by the Tamils of the Chera Dynasty, the greatest metallic of the ancient global become made by means of heating black magnetite ore in the presence of carbon in a sealed clay crucible kept inside a charcoal furnace.

11. Smelting of Zinc

India became the primary to smelt zinc by way of the distillation process, an advanced technique derived from a long experience of historic alchemy. The historical Persians had also attempted to lessen zinc oxide in an open furnace but had failed. Zawar within the Tiri valley of Rajasthan is the sector’s first acknowledged historic zinc smelting site. The distillation technique of zinc production goes lower back to the 12th Century AD and is an essential contribution of India to the sector of science.

12. Aircraft

India had many ancient Sanskrit texts on aeronautics.The Yantra Sarvaswa of Maharshi Bharadwaja, Vimaana Chandrika of Maharshi Narayan, Vyoma Yaana Tantra of Sounaka, and Vyoma Yaanarka of Dandi Natha are some of them. They contained subjects like Maargadhi Karana (Navigation and manipulate of speed in the course of flight), Lohaadhi

Karana (alloys used for numerous components of the aircraft) and Saktyaadhi Karana (manufacturing and usage of numerous fuels used in aircrafts). Para Sabda Grahakata is a subject of monitoring the flight tracks of aircrafts, navigatory verbal exchange gadget, and tracking the communication of the pilots within the aircrafts. Maharshi Gouthama noted 32 models of aircrafts used in Treta Yuga; simplest one model among them, known as Pushpaka Vimaanam, have become popular inside the Ramayana. The Vaimaanika Sastra describes Tripura Vimaanam that uses solar powered engine to tour at three levels — at the land, beneath the floor of water,and within the air. Sakuna Vimaanam is a cross among an plane and a rocket — a space shuttle. The British have robbed maximum of our Sanskrit manuscripts at some stage in their rule in India. In 1895, Sivasankar Thalpad of Bombay had built an aircraft with an engine which flew to an altitude of 1500 feet. He changed into a Vedic scholar and used to teach at the J.J. School of Arts. He obtained the technology from some rare Sanskrit manuscripts. He also wrote a e book in Marathi named Praacheena Vimaana Vidye Chaasodha. Lalaji Rayanji Maharaja of Baroda, changed into one of the many witnesses who had visible the flying of that plane. After the premature demise of Prof.Thalpad, his criminal heirs offered all his scripts and substances to the British. (You can take a look at the year of flying of Wright Brothers).

13. Plastic Surgery

Written with the aid of Sushruta in 6th Century BC, Sushruta Samhita is considered to be one of the most complete textbooks on ancient surgical treatment. The text mentions diverse illnesses, plants, preparations and treatments alongside with complicated strategies of plastic surgical procedure. The Sushruta Samhita ’s most well-known contribution to plastic surgical operation is the reconstruction of the nose, acknowledged additionally as rhinoplasty.

14. Cataract Surgery

The first cataract surgery is said to have been achieved through the historical Indian medical doctor Sushruta, manner lower back in sixth century BCE. To eliminate the cataract from the eyes, he used a curved needle, Jabamukhi Salaka, to loosen the lens and push the cataract out of the sphere of vision. The eye would then be bandaged for some days until it healed completely. Sushruta’s surgical works have been later translated to Arabic language and thru the Arabs, his works were introduced to the West.

15. Ayurveda

Long before the delivery of Hippocrates, Charaka authored a foundational text, Charakasamhita, at the ancient science of Ayurveda. Referred to as the Father of Indian Medicine, Charaka was turned into the first physician to present the concept of digestion, metabolism and immunity in his book. Charaka’s historic guide on preventive remedy remained a preferred work on the situation for 2 millennia and turned into translated into many overseas languages, along with Arabic and Latin.

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Gaurav
Brahma
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