Kevalaodhi Buddhist And Jaina History Of Deccan Vol 2

Author(s): Aloka Parasher Sen, B Subrahmanyam, E Siva Nagi Reddy
Publisher: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan

Page 155

MORE EVIDENCE ON ANCIENT INDIAN MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY
I.K. SARMA
Data relating to ancient Astronomy, Mathematics, Metallurgy and agricultural practices recorded at the Harappan towns of Lothal' and Dholavira in Gujarat open up new channels of research on the scientific advancements and achievements in proto-historic India. More recently Dholavira, in Kutch, revealed a large city consisting of a formidable stone fortification (11 meters wide at the base), an acropolis, middle and lower town with impressive gateways and guardrooms and beautifully polished stone blocks and pillars. This exemplified the technological excellence not only in planning but also building great regal architectural edifices without a parallel at any other Harappan site so far. A big wooden board inlaid with ten large Indus letters (each 37 colonial modernity height, 25 to 27 colonial modernity width) in front of a gateway of a palace is noteworthy. This is the oldest signboard of the world datable to the 3rd millennium BC.
Though mathematical instruments are very few, it can be stated that the Harappan civilization has attained great maturity. Graded scales one each from Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Lothal form the basis of linear measures in the Indus civilization. A truncated ivory scale 6 mm. thick and 15 mm. broad has been found. A shell scale from Mohenjodaro 6.62 cm length shows nine graduations apart from a shell ring of 12- slits from Dholavira facilitated measuring in angle of 30° and its multiples. The last one could have been symbolic of the division of the Zodiac into 12- divisions almost two thousand years before the Greeks thought of a eight-fold or twelve-fold division of the sky and horizon.
Astronomical allusions to the events of the remote past are available in Vedic literature. The Rgvēdic Sapta-sindhava is the region where scientific traditions have been established. S.P. Gupta taking stock of the entire evidence has named it as “Indus-Sarasvati Civilization". But more appropriately it should be titled as “Sarasvati-Sindhu" civilization. Nearly, 931 Pre Harappan and Late Harappan sites are located on the “Sarasvati-Dhrishadvati" zone itself out of a total of 1100 sites of this civilization so far known both in India and Pakistan. Undoubtedly, the Sarasvati was a major river on whose banks the Harappans perhaps originated and lived in large numbers. (721 sites of Mature to Late Harappan sites are found).
The ancient “Sarasvati-Dhrishadvati" rivers were the bread basket of early civilizations. Subhash Kak' has stated that the Harappans had developed specialization not only in materialistic life but also in religious and scientific techniques. More particularly, the fire altars both inside the houses (Kalibangan, Lothal) and in public on open platforms (Kalibangan, Lothal), or apsidal temples with fire altar (Banawali, Surkotda), reveal worship of Fire God and sacrifice of animals, etc., to appease the Gods of Thunder,