history\ancient

Today we have very few scattered sources to know and study the extent of scientific contributions made by our predecessors. Biographical Dictionary of Indian Scientists tells the story of Indian science through the lives and achievements of men from earliest times to the present day. Biographical details of ancient and medieval scientists are collected from books, commentaries, translations, bibliographies and classical documents on history of Indian science.

· Ancient
Aryabhata I (Astronomer)
Aryabhata was a great astronomer who wrote Aryabhatiya in 499 A.D. It was translated into Arabic in about 800 A.D. under the title Zil-al-Arjabhar. He stated that the earth is a sphere and it rotates on its axis. He described the true theory of the cause of the lunar and solar eclipses and said that eclipses were not caused by 'Rahu' but by the shadow of earth and moon. He also laid the foundation of algebra and made many new observations in geometry.

Asvin Kumars (Physician)
Twin sons of Vivaswat and Saranyu, Asvins were celebrated as 'divine physicians' of Vedic period. Rig Veda abounds in citations of their medical skill and benevolent deeds. Their skill in therapeutics and surgery is the theme of more than 50 hymns of Rig Veda. They were celebrated for the skill of restoring youth to old, curing the sick, weak, blind and the lepers.They were probably the actual human physicians, who became deified because of their extraordinary skill and unfailing kindness. In addition to Ayurveda they learnt 'Madhuvidya' the science of restoring the dead to life from sage Dadhichi.

Baudhayana (Mathematician - Geometrician)
Baudhayana was the first great geometrician of the Vedic altars. The science of geometry originated in India in connection with the construction of the altars of the Vedic sacrifices. These sacrifices were performed at certain precalculated time, and were of particular sizes and shapes. The expert of sacrifices needed knowledge of astronomy to calculate the time, and the knowledge of geometry to measure distance, area and volume to make altars. Strict texts and scriptures in the form of manuals known as Sulba Sutras were followed for performing such sacrifices. Bandhayana's Sulba Sutra was the biggest and oldest among many Sulbas followed during olden times.Which gave proof of many geometrical formulae including Pythagorean theorem.

Brahmagupta (Mathematician)
According to Al-beruni, Brahmagupta was the most distinguished mathematician of India who gave zero its status. He composed Brahma-Sphuta-Siddhanta, which dealt with algebra, arithmetic, geometry and astronomy. In the chapter Kutakadhyay (on algebra) Brahmagupta for the fist time dealt with zero and its operation. He was the first mathematician to frame the rules of operation for zero. He not only expressed his own views on these subjects but also compared them with those of the earlier mathematicians. So his works have a lot of historical interest in these fields.

Charaka (Physician)
There is absolute lack of information about the parentage, place and time of birth of Charaka. According to some scholars Charaka may be placed between the 3rd and 2nd century B.C. Charaka is regarded as the principal exponent of the medical system known as 'Kayachikitsa'. He composed Charaka Samhita, which is the earliest medical treatise recognized in India. The work reveals the author's extensive knowledge of plant, mineral, and animal resources for treatment of diseases.

Dhanwantari (Physician)
According to Hindu mythological stories, Dhanwantari was the son of Gulvana and Virbhadra and disciple of Bhaskara. He is also considered as an incarnation of Vishnu and worshipped as such even today. Dhanwantari taught surgery to Sustruta. He was the god of classical Indian medicine and is still held in high esteem.

Medhatithi (Mathematician)
Medhatithi's name is associated with 313 verses of Rig Vedic hymns. Reference of his name is also found in Athar Veda and Yajur Veda. Numerals are essentially of Indian origin. His greatest contribution to the science of numerals is the concept of powers of ten in enumeration. He propounded concept of numerals in Rig Veda and Yajur Veda as: 'Mithuna' for two, 'Tri' for three, 'Turiya' fourth or one-fourth, 'Panca' for five…… 'Sata' for hundred, 'Sahasra' for thousand, 'Ayuta' for ten thousand, 'Nityuta' for hundred thousand and 'Paradha' for a billion.

Nimi (Ophthalmologist)
Nimi was said to have identified 76 eye diseases. His valuable details concerning eye diseases are mentioned in several standard medical treatises. While no work of his individual authority is available now, he was said to be a master of curing eye aliments including cataract. His views on tastes and development of foetus are considered valuable.

Sushruta (Surgeon)
Sustruta was the son of Visvamitra and belonged to the Himalayan region. He is considered as the 'Father of Indian Surgery' and the compiler of the first classical book of Indian surgery 'Sushruta-Samhita'. He is said to have learnt the art and science of surgery from Dhanwantari in the Himalayan retreat, along with other sages. His book gives details of 101 types of surgical instruments and their handling techniques. The science of transplanting sensible skin flap is entirely an Indin method, which is evident from 'Sushruta-Samhita' (Sutrasthanam Ch.XVI). His practice to give medicated wine to patients before surgery in order to numb his senses makes him an expert in anaesthesia. Sushruta described a novel method of stitching the wound after operation,by using ant-heads as stitching material. 'Sushruta-Samhita' was translated in to Arabic as Kitab-Shaw Shoon-a-Hindi and Kitab-I-Susrud.

Varahamihira (Astronomer & Astrologer)
Varahamihira was the best known and the most respected astrologer of India. He was a resident of Ujjain or Avanti, near Ujjain. He was an authority on the Brahama-Sphuta Siddhanta of Brahmagupta. He contributed many important works namely Panchasiddhantika, Brhat Samhita, Sama Samhita etc. Among all these treatises, Panchasiddhantika is the one of great repute. The Brhat Samhita described four types of earthquakes as 'Vayumandal', 'Agnimandal', 'Indramandal', and 'Varunamandal', he also gave 'Bhukamp Lakshan' for these four types of earthquakes.