Journey Through Baudhayana’s Theorem: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Application
Keywords:
Sulbasutra, Diophantine, Hypotenuse, Semi-CircleAbstract
In this universe, when three lines join from their end, it makes different types of figures. Some figures are bounded and some are unbounded. Bounded figures form a triangle. A triangle with one angle equal to 90°called right angle triangle. Because of this relationship, it’s an indispensable tool in geometry, trigonometry, and measurement. The ratio of the three sides of a right-angled triangle is the basis of some important mathematical theorems. Baudhayana, an Indian mathematician and scholar (c. 800–c. 1100) belonging to the Dharmaśāstra tradition, and he lived in the 8th century BC, possibly earlier. He is most famous for deriving the connection between the sides of a right triangle many years prior to Pythagoras, which is now called the Pythagorean theorem in the Western world. His teachings are contained within the Baudhayana Sulba Sutra, an ancient handbook detailing construction methods for altars of varying forms, dealing specifically with rules for mathematically creating altars of various sizes and shapes. My research is based on the ancient Indian Mathematics and mainly focused on Baudhayana’s theorem. With regards to the mathematical as well as the cultural context of the Śulba Sūtras, this paper proposes to provide a better understanding of early Indian contributions made to the global history of mathematics and reaffirms the originality found in Baudhayana’s construction, as far as fundamental geometric concepts are concerned.
How to cite this article:
Kaushik R, Purwar K, Keval R, Journey Through
Baudhayana’s Theorem: From Ancient Wisdom
to Modern Application Vol 11, Issue 1&2 2026:
Pg. No. 19-28.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2455.7021.202602
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