Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics Contributions and Contemporary Relevance The Kerala School of Astronomy represents the unbroken lineage of astronomical works from Kerala India between the 4th century CE and the 20th century CE The tradition was introduced in Kerala by Vararuchi in the 4th century CE through his Chandravakyas These vakyas enable us to directly compute the true longitudes of the moon on any day using simple mathematical calculations without resorting to the more involved procedures outlined in the siddhantic texts The vakya system of computing longitudes is simply ingenious The Ganitanirnaya of Puliyoor Purusottaman Nambutiri published in 1940is widely considered as the final major work from this school During the span of its 1600year history intellectual activity in this field waxed and waned reaching its low ebb in the 5th and 6th centuries CE The tradition reached its zenith in the 14th and 15th centuries Some of the major personalities who arose during that fruitful period include Madhava of Sangmagrama c 13401425 CE Paramesvara of Vatasseri c 13601460 CE and Nilakantha Somayaji of Kelallur c 14431560 CE About 350 works by over 115 authors have been identified related to the Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics The available manuscripts cover subjects like the mean and true position of planets the computation of eclipses and the timing of moonrises and sunrises etc The scope of subjects covered in these documents is surprising There is at least one work for example which explains the construction and working principle of the clock The hallmarks of the Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics can be summarized as follows 1 gave high importance to correcting the theoretical values ascribed to observed data 2 adhered to Aryabhatas system 3 enjoyed royal patronage 4 used the Malayalam language 5 provided proofs for theorems and formulae 6 dealt with the epistemology of astronomy 7 and employed a traditional system of teaching and learning In the inaugural session Chairperson Amrita Darshanam welcomed the gathering and introduced the dignitaries The benedictory speech was delivered by Swami Sivamrita Chaitanya Felicitation Addresses were given by Brahmachari Sudeep Director Amritapuri Campus and Principal Amrita School of Arts and Science Amritapuri Campus Sri Pratapanand Jha from Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts IGNCA highlighted the scope of the Vedic Heritage Portal project of the IGNCA under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture Government of India The highlight of the inaugural session was the keynote address by Prof Ramasubramanian IIT Mumbai Setting a perfect stage for the two days National Seminar Prof Ramasubramanian gave a scholarly introductory exposition of the subjects of astronomy and mathematics He highlighted the following points illustrating contributions by astronomers and mathematicians from Kerala Introduction of Vakya System of computation of planetary longitudes by Vararuchi in 4th century which enormously simplified the calculations involved Madhava in 14th century enunciated the verses that present infinite series expansion for pi and other trigonometric functions like sine and cosine Nilakantha Somayaji in 15th century introduced a planetary model wherein there was a clear recognition of the fact that the 5 planets mercury venus mars jupiter and saturn move around the sun and the sun in turn moves around the earth The second day of the national seminar commenced with the presentation of Prof M S Sriram Madras University He spoke on Karanapaddhati A theoretical Guidebook for Preparing Karana and Vakya Texts Prof Sriram stressed the importance of Karanapaddhati composed by the great Kerala astronomer Putumana Somayāji as a unique work Prof M D Sreenivas Centre for Policy Studies Chennai presented his paper on the Work of Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics A Scientific Revolution Prior to European Renaissance8221 Prof TG Sarachandran Deputy Director Retd Collegiate Education Kottayam focused on the fascination of geometry in Indian Mathematics with special reference to Kerala Mathematics Dr Vanishri Bhat a scholar from Bengaluru presented a paper on 8220Proof for an Infinite Series by Śaṅkara in his Kriyākramakarī8221 In the postlunch session Prof Ramasubramanian IIT Mumbai Prof Ramasubramanian demonstrated with examples explaining how the true longitude of sun could be determined on any given day The two day national seminar concluded with a panel discussion about the contributions and contemporary relevance of the Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics Prof Ramasubramanian Prof M S Sriram Sh Pratapanand Jha shared their views under the Chairmanship of Prof M D Srinivas The points highlighted by the panel were Though there is greater awareness in the past 2025 years regarding the contribution of the Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics there is a lack of resource materials which can be accessed by students and researchers Semischolarly material highlighting the contributions of Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics and articles on research in this area should be published and made available to students and researchers There are revived manuscripts which are yet to be studied Research opportunities in this area are plenty The syllabi in schools and colleges can incorporate Indian system of mathematics and astronomy Indian system of mathematics can enhance creativity and intuition in students as there could be several methods to arrive at the solutions Indian medical education system should make indigenous systems mandatory More research should be taken up in the areas of mathematics and astronomy Research should be linked to education Sanskrit could be made mandatory in schools Most of the mathematics taught in schools are of Indian origin This should be made clear to the students so that they could feel proud about their tradition Ancient Indian texts in mathematics and astronomy could be translated and made accessible to students Math phobia in students can be addressed by making available simplified methods in local languages Scholars should write text books involving creative usage of verses Mathematical solutions could be memorized easily if they are in verses Universities should be flexible to include subjects like astrology and astronomy and make them at par with other popular subjects Researchers should demand access to manuscripts Demand for manuscripts could bring about policy matters which help revive and preserve ancient manuscripts Topic View Download View 01 The Work of Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics 8211 A Scientific Revolution Prior to European Renaissance by Prof M D Sreenivas CPS Chennai Abstract Video 02 An Appraisal of the Poetic Features of Karaṇapaddhati by Prof Ramasubramanian IIT Bombay Mumbai Abstract Video  part 01 Video  part 02 03 Karanapaddhati A Theoretical Guidebook for Preparing Karaṇa and Vākya texts Prof MS Sriram Madras University Chennai Abstract Video  part 01 Video  part 02 04 The Fascination of Geometry in Indian Mathematics with Special Reference to Kerala Mathematics by Prof TG Sarachandran Deputy Director Retd Collegiate Education Abstract Video 05 Significance of Moon Sentences in Indian Astronomy by Prof SGopalakrishnan Unnithan Principal Retd Sree Ayyappa College Chengannur Bengaluru Abstract Video 06 Proof for an Infinite Series by Śaṅkara in his Kriyākramakarī Dr Vanishri Bhat Abstract Video 07 Exposition on Planetary Models by Bhāskara Mādhava and Nīlakaṇṭha Somayājī by Dr Upadyayula KV Sarma Amrita University Abstract Video 08 Encoding Systems in Vedic Mathematics by Lakshmipriya K Amrita School ofArts and Sciences Kochi Abstract Video 09 A Comparison between Geometric Constructions as Described in Baudhāyana Śulbasūtra and the Elements by Sindhurani PJ Cochin University of Science and Technology Cochin Abstract Video 10 Astounding Indian Intellectual Tradition of Vedic Mathematics as a Febrifuge for Mathematics Anxiety 8211 Application of Antyayordashakepi Sūtra by Dr Smitha S Sree Narayana Training College Thiruvananthapuram Abstract Video 11 Kerala School of Mathematics with Special Reference to the Work of Saṅgamagrāma Mādhava by Prof VPNNampoori Inter University Centre for Studies on Kerala Legacy of Astronomy and Mathematics CUSAT Abstract 12 Ᾱryabhaṭīya Bhāṣa of Nīlakaṇṭha Somayājī 8211 Salient Features by Dr NK Sundareswaran Calicut University Kottayam Abstract 13 Understanding Vākyas through Karaṇapaddhati by Dr Venkateswara Pai IISER Pune Abstract 14 Interpolation and Inverse Interpolation Keralas Golden Contributions by Prof V Madhukar Mallayya Mohandas College of Engineering and Technology Trivandrum Abstract 15 The Śulba Literature in Kerala Vedic Tradition 8211 A Study by DSSivanandan Amrita University Abstract 16 The Study of Lunar Motion in Indian Astronomy by Prof Madhavan Thiruvananthapuram Abstract times A Scientific Revolution Prior to European Renaissance times An Appraisal of the Poetic Features of Karaṇapaddhati Part1 times An Appraisal of the Poetic Features of Karaṇapaddhati Part2 times Karanapaddhati A Theoretical Guidebook for Preparing Karaṇa Part1 times Karanapaddhati A Theoretical Guidebook for Preparing Karaṇa Part2 times The Fascination of Geometry in Indian Mathematics times Significance of Moon Sentences in Indian Astronomy times Proof for an Infinite Series times Exposition on Planetary Models times Encoding Systems in Vedic Mathematics times A Comparison between Geometric Constructions times Astounding Indian Intellectual Tradition of Vedic Mathematics