A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (in Perspective) c8.s1.1

c8.s1.1

In the light of the trends that developed in the study and practice in Kerala of the twin sciences of astronomy and mathematics, as indicated in the last chapter, it need not be surprising that some of the significant findings of modern mathematics are found anticipated in the astronomical works produced during the mediaeval times in that region. In their endeavour to make the results obtained by computation accord with observation, the Āryabhaṭan school of astronomers of this corner of India made substantial advancement in their computational skill. Working on the basic principles of algebra, geometry and limiting values, they produced, by dint of shrewd thinking and logical reasoning, coupled with a fund of intuition, significant results on such matters as the reduction to the ecliptic, summations and associated integrations leading up to the value of π etc. Especially, the achievements connected with π were brought to the notice of scholars by Charles M. Whish who presented a paper on the subject before the Royal Asiatic Society in 1832.¹ Among other things, Whish set out in this paper the several formulae enunciated in four Keralite works on astronomy and mathematics, viz., *Tantrasaṅgraha*, *Yuktibhāṣa*, *Karaṇapaddhati* and *Sadratnamālā*, for the circumference of a circle in terms of its diameter and transformations of the infinite series for π associated with the name of Leibnitz.