Geometry of Vedic Altars

George Gheverghese Joseph ()
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George Gheverghese Joseph: University of Manchester

Chapter Chapter 10 in Architecture and Mathematics from Antiquity to the Future, 2015, pp 149-162 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The earliest material evidence of Indian mathematics is found among the ruins of the Harappa civilization, including an elaborate system of weights and measures related to binary and decimal series. The Harappa culture’s use of kiln-fired bricks provides a link between the “frozen” geometry unearthed by archaeologists and the earliest written geometry, a guide to constructing Vedic brick altars. The Sulbasutras and the Sathapatha Brahmana contain valuable information about the geometry of ancient India, including instructions for constructing sacrificial altars and locating sacred fires. The procedures described for constructing the altars used during Agnicayana involve methods for approximating the values for the square roots of 2 and 5. One theory of the origins of geometry in India suggests that it must have come into being when there was already an advanced form of brick technology with a long tradition behind it.

Keywords: Pythagorean Theorem; Indian Mathematics; Fire Altar; West Line; Vedic Ritual (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-319-00137-1_10

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-00137-1_10

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