India's Contribution to Science and Technology | Dodiscover and Develop

     Advancements in Science and Technology have been the sole major reason for the development of human civilization. India has been the land that has been continuously contributing to the fields of science and technology. 

     Even today, what we term as 'traditional knowledge' is actually based on very scientific basics. Rather, such knowledge has led to the more modern form of knowledge, thereby supplementing the present-day know-how.

PRE-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD

    The history of scientific discoveries and development in Indian dates back to the Vedic era. Aryabhatta, the famous mathematician of the Vedic era invented 'zero'. It is believed that ancient Indian scholars had developed geometric theorems before Pythagoras made them popular. The concept of squares, rectangles, circles, triangles, fractions, and the ability to express the number ten to the 12th power, algebraic formulas, and astronomy have all their origins in Vedic literature; some are as early as 1500 B.C. The decimal system was already in use during the Harappan civilization. This is evident in their use of weights and measures. Moreover, the concepts of astronomy and metaphysics are all described in the Rig Veda, an ancient Hindu text of the Vedic era. 

    From complex Harappan towns to Delhi's Iron Pillar, India's indigenous technologies were very sophisticated. They included the design and planning of water supply, traffic flow, natural air conditioning, complex stonework, and construction engineering. The Indus Valley Civilization was the world's first to build planned towns with underground drainage, civil sanitation, hydraulic engineering, and air-cooling architecture. While the other ancient civilizations of the world were small towns with one central complex, this civilization had the distinction of being spread across many towns, covering a region of about half the size of Europe. Weights and linguistic symbols were standardized across this vast geography, for a period of over 1000 years, from around 3000 BCE to 1500 BCE.

Water Management

    Water has been a crucial factor in setting up any civilization. Indians have been started developing water management techniques even before the Harappan time. Wells, ponds, lakes, dams, and canals have been constructed with advancing technologies in whatever time and dynasty we consider. The water has been used for storage, drinking, and irrigation purpose. It is estimated that even today, there are more than a million man-made ponds and lakes in India.

Iron and Steel

    The role of iron and steel have literally been the pillars of modern civilization. Ancient India began developing the technology of producing rust-free iron. Such metal from India was famous in contemporary Europe for sword making. The famous iron pillar of Delhi is a testimony to that technology that is almost rust-free even today. 

Farming Techniques and Fertilizers

    Indian Farming technology was mostly indigenously developed and was ahead of its time. It included soil testing techniques, crop rotation methods, irrigation plans, application eco-friendly pesticides and fertilizers, storage methods for crops, etc.

Physics

    The concept of an atom can be traced to the Vedic times. The material world was divided into five elements namely, earth (Prithvi), water (Jal), fire (Agni/Tejah), air (Vayu), Ether (Akasha). Paramanu (beyond atom) was considered to be the smallest particle. Nuclear energy is produced by dividing the atom today. 

Medicine and Surgery

    Ayurveda ( Ayur means life whereas Veda means knowledge) is probably the oldest and most structured system of medical science in the world. Proper knowledge about various ailments, diseases, symptoms, diagnoses, and cure is the basis of Ayurveda. Many scholars like Charaka and Sushruta have been prominent in contributing more knowledge in Ayurveda. 

Shipping and Shipbuilding

    Shipbuilding was one of India's major export industries till the Britishdismantled it and formally banned it. Medieval Arab sailors purchased their boats from India. The Portuguese also continued to get their boats from India and not from Europe. Some of the largest and most sophisticated ships in the world were built in India and China.

    

    The compass and other navigation tools were already in use in the Indian ocean long before in Europe. By using their expertise in the science of seafaring, Indians participated in the earliest-known ocean-based trading system.

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