KOLKATA, INDIA, October 27, 2002: Mathematics in its early stages developed mainly along two broad overlapping traditions, geometric/arithmetic and algebra. Among the Pre-Greek civilizations, it is in India that we see a strong emphasis on both these great streams of mathematics. The oldest known mathematics texts in existence are the Sulba Sutras of Baudhayana, Apastamba and Katyana, which form part of the literature of the sutra period of later Vedic age. It is estimated to have been composed around 800 bce but the mathematical knowledge recorded in these sutras is much more ancient. Seidenberg, an eminent algebraist and historian of mathematics, traced the origin of the sophisticated mathematics to the originators of the Rig Vedic rituals in the paper available at “source.” In the Sulba sutras, an explicit statement of the Pythagorean Theorem and its applications in various geometric constructions is recorded. Seidenberg discovered that the Pythagorean theorem described in the sutra has depth in both the numerical and the geometrical aspect, unlike the other ancient civilizations. The priceless gift from India to the world is the none other than the decimal system. This profound anonymous Indian innovation is unsurpassed for sheer brilliance of abstract thought and utility as a practical invention.
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