1. The document discusses various aspects of science and technology in ancient and medieval India, including astronomy, mathematics, agriculture, medicine, metallurgy, textiles, and water management.
2. Key contributions from ancient India include the development of the decimal system, place value notation using zero, Fibonacci numbers, and advances in metallurgy, astronomy, surgery, and water management by the Indus Valley civilization.
3. Traditional Indian knowledge systems such as Ayurveda and texts like the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita made significant contributions to fields like medicine and surgery.
1. The document discusses various aspects of science and technology in ancient and medieval India, including astronomy, mathematics, agriculture, medicine, metallurgy, textiles, and water management.
2. Key contributions from ancient India include the development of the decimal system, place value notation using zero, Fibonacci numbers, and advances in metallurgy, astronomy, surgery, and water management by the Indus Valley civilization.
3. Traditional Indian knowledge systems such as Ayurveda and texts like the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita made significant contributions to fields like medicine and surgery.
1. The document discusses various aspects of science and technology in ancient and medieval India, including astronomy, mathematics, agriculture, medicine, metallurgy, textiles, and water management.
2. Key contributions from ancient India include the development of the decimal system, place value notation using zero, Fibonacci numbers, and advances in metallurgy, astronomy, surgery, and water management by the Indus Valley civilization.
3. Traditional Indian knowledge systems such as Ayurveda and texts like the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita made significant contributions to fields like medicine and surgery.
SCIENCE MANAGEMENT AND INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM Astronomy In India: 1. Indian astronomy has a long history stretching from pre historic to modern times.
2. 12000 years ago – 1st astronomical object found in
the Andam and Nicobar.(Palaeolithic era).
3.Waxing: Increasing of moon.
4. wanning: decreasing of moon.
Pattern of rock art: Found in Kashmir: double sun ( Supernova) or concentric circles (meteor).(7000 yrs ago.)
Ring stones- Mohen-jo-daro(2600-1900
BCE), Kept track of the sunrise at different times of year. Rig Veda-Year 360 days with 12 equal parts, yajur veda-Lunar year 354 days. Solar year -365 days.
Divided into 6 ritus of two months each.
Gave 27 nakshatra. Calendrical Astronomy: It grew more in late vedic period because of rituals and festivals.
Representative text = Jyotish vedang or
Lagadha. Chemistry in India: Indus valley civilization was the first one to develop it, they had means of mass production- Pottery, houses of baked bricks, script of their own.
Others were glass making, jewellery
making, pottery, dying of clothes, tanning of leather- major chemical of arts. Major chemical products: Glass –glass factory at Kopia, basti, U.P.
Glass furnaces found at Mysore.
Paper- main centre in medieval India, Mysore Ahemdabad. Soap-Used plants like amla, shikakai, Ritha. Dyeing- Atharva veda mentions this. Ink : Ink Pot excavation at Taxila.
Alchohlic liquor- Somarasa-mentioned in
Vedas and Kautilaya Arthshastra. Mathematics in India:1.) Town planning of Harrappa shows people having knowledge of measurement and geometry.
2.)Maths supposed to originated from
sulvasutras.
Apastamba-Practical geometry: acute , obtuse
and right angle. 3 main contributions: Decimal, notation, Zero. Arya Bhatta discovered- Algebra, formulated area of triangle.
Surya Siddhanta, Brihatsamhita- Famous
works Gave foundation for future. Ancient India’s contribution to Physics. From Vedic times; Indians classified world in 5 elements: earth, fire, air water, ether.
2. Indian Philosphers believed except Akash can be
touched hence matter particles available in them. Last particle of matter that can’t be devided is Parmanu. Imagination of splitting of atom is amazing. In vashesika showed 9 types of substances: (1-5)- five elements. 6-Time: Kala 7- Space or direction. 8- mind (manas) 9- spirit (atman) Substances have 24 qualities (gunas): Fluidity, viscosity, gravity, elasticity. Characteristics of sound , heat, light were also discussed.
Lack of mathematical apparatus, no
evolution of scientific theories. Agriculture in India: 1. History of agriculture in India dates back to Indus valley civilization. 2. Practice before Harrapans. 3.Most extensive agricultural land in India before whole world. 4.India’s monsoon nature’s abundant irrigating system. Blessed with large number of perineal rivers. Has been agricultural economy & civilization.
In medieval India pattern of agricultural
practices same as today. 3.)Important Changes: Foreigners- new crops, trees, horticulture. 4.)Principle crops- wheat ,rice, barley, pulse, cotton, sugarcane.
Introduction in 16th & 17TH
Centuries- tobacco, chillies, potato, apple, cashew, pineapple. Imposed horticulture of great success. In field of irrigation- Well, tanks, canals, Rahat, charas, dhankali.
System of land measurement and land
classification was also there. Medicine In In ancient India: Atharva veda- Fever, Cough, Diorrhea, sores, leprosy, dropsy.
Takshila, Varansi: centre of medicine and
learning.
Important Texts Charaksanhita by charak
and sushrut Sanhita by sushrut. Surgery- Sushrut-121 surgerical instruments, methods of operation, bone setting, cataract.
Sarangdhara Samhita- Use of Opium for
medicines.
Rashchikitsa system- mineral medicines.
Unani Tibb important system in medivial
periods. Technology in relation to humanity in early stages: 1. Humanity early stages: Technology means any made modification of natural environment. From a stone tool to woven piece of clothing. Harrapan technologies of ancient India: Mainstay of India or Harrappa was agriculture. Ceramic technology also developed were pots, fine fired bricks. Other Technologies:
1.Pots: carry water, stoves, seeds and grain,
cook food.
2.Wheel turned pots, various shapes &
sizes, painted.
3. Floral, animals or geometrical designs in
pots. Bricks: Proportion was 1:2:4:: w:h:l strong walls with less bricks used. Apart from the baked/mud bricks, stone was also used.
Design od sanitation system, used water of
bathroom to drain.
Bead making: The bead making was gone to
high level. Polishing of beads, glazing, colouring, carpet making, inlaid woodwork. Bangles.
Favourite semi-precious stones were
camelian, agate and jasper.
Weavers used wheel spun thread- cotton
and silk. Textile technology In India: Vedas tell about types of garments & fabrics- wool, silk,weaving, buddhist literature- weaving skills.
Ajanta paintings of clothes worn 2000 years
ago.
India majorly used to export cotton and silk and
other textiles, this time the trade with roman empire reached its peak. India used to export cotton to China and silk to Indonesia. It was the major source of India’s wealth.
The main speciality in the field of textiles
were: Muslin, calico, chintz.
Textile important technology- Weaving
Technology and Dyeing Technology. Dyeing Technology: The dyes were extracted from the natural sources example are:
Blue from Indigo.
Red: madder Yellow: Turmeric
Mango and pomegranate were also used for
the dyeing. Writing Technology:.1.) The original manuscripts were written on the birch bark and palm leaves. 2.)Soot from oil lamp.
3.)Palm leaves: sharp tool, paste of
charcoal powder mixed with oil. It preserve manuscripts from fungi and insects. Paper making: 11th century CE. Earliest extent Indian paper, fibres of manuscript plants. Later half 15th-century- Kashmir paper of attractive quality lime a centre of paper and soda to whiten paper. Mysore was the centre of paper production alongwith Patna, Ahemdabad and Aurangabad. 19 th century paper mills took over the hand made papers. Pyrotechnics in India: 1. Firework appears in 13 th or 14th century in India, Gunpowder- 16 centu.ry. th
Indian craftsmen explosive compositions.
2. Sanskrit treaties- 16th and 17th century
descriptions of preparations. 3.) 16th century, India used rockets of gunpowder in wars, saltpetre, sulpur, charcoal.
4.)Not very accurate- damage to troops &
panic also created.
5.) British- England for studies and it also
boosted rocket technology. Dominance of India up –to pre colonial times: The ancient India has given many discoveries: The discovery of Zero: It was the most important inventions of all times. Mathematician Aryabhata was first person to create a symbol for zero and it was through his efforts that mathematical operations like addition and subtraction started using the digit, zero. The concept of zero and its integration into the place value system also enabled one to write numbers, no matter how large by using only 10 symbols. The decimal numbers: The India has given the indigenous method of expressing all the numbers by the mean of of decimals. It facilitated the calculations, this system uses the the arithmetic in practical inventions much faster and easier. Numeral Notation: Indian’s in as early as 500 BCE, had devised a system was adopted by the Arabs who called it as the hind numeral. Centuries later this notation system was adopted by the western world , who call it as Arabic numerals, as it reached to them through the Arab traders. Fibonacci numbers: The Fabbonacci numbers are the series of numbers that that appear in Indian mathematics. The series consist of the numbers after adding the before numbers together. Metallurgy in ancient India: The copper- bronze metallurgy in the Harrappan civilization was widespread and had a high variety and quality. The early use of iron may have developed due to the smelting of the the copper.
The iron ore and iron items are found in the
the Indus valley civilisation site some dating to before2600 BCE. One of the most important sources of history in the in the Indian subcontinent are the royal records of grant engraved on copper plate grant(tamra patra). Because of the reason that copper does not rust or decay, they can survive indefinitely. The earliest known copper plate known as the souhgoura copper plate is the Maurya record that mentions famine relief efforts. These are considered to be one Biology in Ancient India: Vedic period: Hindus believed that Bramha created the world. Vedic medicine was very primitive and archaic. Not much of the cleanliness proved the ground for breeding of the diseases such as malaria and cholera. Ayurveda: Reserpine used emetics, purgatives, enemas, and diets to treat ills. Sterilized surgical instruments with steam and fumigation.
Ayurveda prescribed many medicines, the
cure for many diseases. By the help of the natural plants and trees. Brahminical period: Medicine was a balance between medical and surgical knowledge. In the 6th century B.C. two universities were established. Atreya is a physian taught at the western school of Takshila. He was the grand teacher of Sushrut. Scapels and knives can not be used for dissecting. Bodies were placed in water for two weeks and the putrefied bodies were dissected by pulling it apart. Charak and Sushrut the famous Brahmin surgeon. May have lived recently as 500 AD. may have been composite of many men. They catalogued Indian scientific information – trying to bring order from the chaos to the vedic literature. Later then we would call it as scholasticism. Water management in India: Ancient time: Various archeological evidences bear witness to this fact that rain water conservation and harvesting was an important part of infrastructure details and ruling. The ruins of the indus- valley civilisation in Lothal, in Gujrat and the grand Anicut built in the 2nd century by the early chola dynasty are sime great examples. From the storage engineering to drainage pipelines, step wells, tanks, irrigation set ups, canals and many more such ingenious constructions that works towards collecting, holding and storing of the rainwater and diverting the mountain glaciers and rivers run offs. Baolis and khadins of Rajasthan, Ahar pynesof Bihar, Zing in Laddakh, Zabo of Nagaland, Kuhls in Himachal Pradesh and Panam keni in waynad, are just some examples of the regionallydiverse and rich history of water conservation in India in ancient times. Geography in Ancient India: The Harrappan civilisation developed alongside the river valley. The indus river valley is located in a small area of land in what is now Pakistan and India. The river provided the fertile soil for growing of the crops of rice and wheat,, various fruits and vegetables, and cotton. In addition the indus valley contained many natural resources that became an important part of Indian civilisation. These resources included timber for building, along with gold,silver and other precious stones. Flood supported farming led to the large agricultural surpluses, which in turn supported the development of the cities Harrapa and Mohen-jo-Daro. Each likely to grew to contain between 30,000 and 60,000 individuals and were the centre of trade. One of the major challenges for the Harrapan civilisation was the monsoons. Each year, from October to February winter monsoons blow westward from the northeast carrying dry air. From mid June through October summer monsoon blow eastwards from the southwest carrying moisture from the ocean in great rain clouds and often causes flooding. Monsoon patters were unpredictable. Too less rain caused food shortages, while too much rain caused the floods. Harrapan Technologies:- The Harrappan Is one of the oldest civilisation in ancient India also known as the indus valley civilisation. It has some major technologies present like: Cities were very well ,planned, baked brick houses, detailed drainage system, water supply system, and large non residential buildings. In Harrappan civilisation , people used to have new techniques in handicrafts, Karelian products, seal carving and metallurgy such as copper, bronze, lead and tin. The archaeological remains tells us about the various technologies present in the ancient times. The cities of the Harrapn civilisation were planned very beautifully with baked bricks and buildings in rows on both the sides of the road. Some houses wete also built in the streets. Their buildings also had two rooms houses. The bathrooms were provided with the proper drainage system. Transportation Technology: There were also many transportation technologies were present at that time. There were bullock, boats, flat bottomed craft, probably powered by sails, which required separate sorting management. Archaeologist have discovered a huge, dry canal as the docking facility in the coastal city of lothal. weight, measurement: The people of indus valley civilisation had a great accuracy in measuring length, mass and time. They were among first to develop a system of equal weights and measurement. A comparison of the available items indicate large scale variation in the indus region. Harrapan engineers followed the decimal division of measurements for all the practical purposes including measurement of the mass using hexahedron weighs. They also had weighing stone Batkhara to weigh in the ratio of 5:2:1 with 0.05, 0.1, 0.2,0.5,1,2,5,10,20,50,100 and 500 units. each. They were having the modern day technology that we get to know after seeing the archaeological remains of indus valley civilisation.
Ancient India: A Captivating Guide to Ancient Indian History, Starting from the Beginning of the Indus Valley Civilization Through the Invasion of Alexander the Great to the Mauryan Empire