Mathematics in Ancient and Medieval India c4.s3.1

c4.s3.1

Several modern historians of mathematics namely, Kaye¹, Cajori², Smith³, etc. are almost unanimous in presuming that the revival in Hindu mathematics is due to the Greek contact. From a thorough discussion of all those matters, Burgess⁴, concluded that the transmitting knowledge was pre-Ptolemian Greek astronomy of Hipparchus and it took place in the 5th and 6th centuries of the Christian era. Biot followed by Thibaut⁵ is of opinion that the Greek astronomy was not transmitted to India through scientific treatises but through manuals used by Greek astrologers and calendar makers. P.C. Sengupta has thoroughly re-examined the whole subject and rejected the hypothesis that Indian astronomy was derived from the Greek sources. He says, "if Indian astronomy is to be held indebted to any foreign system of astronomy, that system of astronomy was the Babylonian astronomy—the fountain head from which both the systems took their rise"¹. The specific instances of the influence of the Babylonian astronomy on the Indian have been given by Neugebauer² and Sen³. My intention in referring to this complex situation is not to dispute the hypothesis of the Greek contact with Hindu astronomy. Indeed, there is incontrovertible evidence of foreign contact. In the opinion of Datta⁴ however the renaissance in the Hindu astronomy is entirely indigenous.