The Ganitasarakaumudi was composed in the early fourteenth century at Delhi by the Jain polymath Thakkura Pheru who held a high position at the treasury of 'Ala al-Din Khalji, and contributed to the popularization of science by producing six treatises in Apabhramsa verse on diverse scientific subjects. The Ganitasarakaumudi extends the range of mathematics far beyond the traditional framework. the first three chapters are structured like the earlier mathematical texs in Sanskrit and treat traditional topics like fundamental operations, fractions, series, proportion, plane and solid geometry and so on. The remaining two chapters contain supplementary material derived from diverse areas of contemporary life where numbers play a role such as mathematical riddles, conversion of dates from Vikrama era to Hijri era, magic squares, and, most remarkable, average yield per bigha of several kinds of grains and pulses - topics that were not touched upon in any mathematical text before. The present volume offers, besides an introduction, a critically emended text, an English translation, and a detailed mathematical commentary where efforts were made to interpret Pheru's formulas and algorithms in modern motion. |
