A Concise History of Science in India c2.2

c2.2

Growing interest in Indological research from the end of the eighteenth century saw new approaches to oriental studies. Anquetil du Perron and Sir William Jones, among several others, were pioneers in this field. The search for and the discovery of manuscripts, their patient study, attempts at correlation with the relics of antiquity brought to light by the archaeologist's spade and efforts to understand developments in one culture area in the light of those of other culture areas in contemporary periods characterized this orientation. The linguists, the philologists and the general historians trained in the liberal arts, who led the way, were naturally attracted to the vast sacerdotal and canonical texts, law books, epics, drama and literature. These were more than sufficient to absorb their energies. The study of ancient and medieval Indian technology and science which involved the methods of the linguist and the philologist and the knowledge of scientific disciplines had at first to be slow and halting. Nevertheless, such studies were developing and making important contributions to the understanding of the progress of science in ancient and medieval India. The history of Indian science, however, was a far cry until after World War II.