ganita

Ganita is the Sanskrit term for computation or mathematics within Indian civilization. The classical period of Indian mathematics, beginning around the mid-1st millennium CE, saw the survival of more complete mathematical treatises compared to earlier periods.123

Ganita was intellectually situated within jyotisa, a system of Sanskrit mathematical astronomy and astrology, which was considered one of the six Vedangas, or "limbs of the Veda". This connection meant that much of our knowledge of classical Indian mathematics comes from astronomical texts, though ganita also had practical applications in timekeeping, calendrics, and astrology.2

Key works from this era include the Aryabhatiya by Aryabhata (c. 500 CE) and the Brahma-sphuta-siddhanta by Brahmagupta (628 CE). The Aryabhatiya's Ganita section covered topics like square and cube roots, geometry, proportions, sine tables, series summation, and quadratic equations. Brahmagupta's work included rules for basic operations, algebra, and indeterminate equations. These Indian mathematical concepts, including decimal numerals and arithmetic techniques, significantly influenced Islamic and later Western mathematics.24