Science, art and technology of ancient India

Architecture

By science we mean, in general, imaginative and emotionless, that is, standardized disciplines tested or proved by reason, argument, judgment, method, in which the general authority or standard of the past authority is always present, or by which theories and information derived are universally accepted.

What we usually mean by science is the whole world, the ecological entities of the world, energy and action and their interrelationships.

As the scope of human knowledge is infinite, so is the subject of knowledge and multifaceted so it is called-"Universe of knowledge" and "Universe of subject".

The major branches of Indian science,art and technology are -as like- 

1.Medical science-Ayurveda spread widely in ancient India. In this scripture as well as in other scriptures, we find expert scholars, among them - Atreya, Agnivesh, Harit, Dhanvantari, Bharadwaj, Vel, etc., we get the names of Acharyas. Many anthologies were written in later times to preserve this valuable information of the ancient Acharyas.Notable among these are - 

1. Charak Samhita -wrote by Charaka probable 1st century AD.

2. Sushruta Sanhita - wrote by Maharsi Sushruta 5-6th century AD.

Ayurveda

It is spread over the eight main organs of Ayurveda, viz. 1. Major Surgery

2. Minor surgery

3. Therapeutics

4. Demonology

5. Paediatrics

6. Toxicology

7. Elixir

8. Aphrodisiacs

Regarding all the above mentioned branches, the Acharyas have referred to the rules of diagnosis, remediation and alleviation of disease by their own knowledge. But sadly, their original compositions are now extinct.Notable among these acharyas are -Dhanvantari- "Cikitsa-tattvvigyan","Kashiraj-Cikitsa-koumudi" ect.

Ayurveda

In Charaka's text, he has mentioned the medicines for different types of diseases and the rules for diagnosing them. Maharshi Sushruta was one of the leading surgeons of ancient India. He was the first to invent and use various surgical instruments. He was the one who introduced plastic surgery and brain surgery. That is why he is called the father of plastic surgery.

2.Astronomy-The contribution of astrology in ancient India is considerable. Notable contributions to astronomy include the position of planets and stars, the division of day and night, the new moon-full moon, the motion of the sun and moon, the solstice-southward division, the division of seasons, the month-side-date, diagnosis, solar eclipse-lunar eclipse, etc. 

Among the Acharyas who have made valuable contributions to Jyoti Shastra, the names of Aryabhata, Brahmihir, Brahmagupta, Bhaskaracharya, etc. are particularly noteworthy.

3.Astrology-This scripture has been widely practiced since ancient times. The main theme of this scripture is the discussion of the effect of human life and the earth and its remedies according to the position of the different planets and stars. In ancient times its circulation was limited to the royal and upper class people.

The ancient Acharyas of this scripture are Vishnu Gupta, Devaswamy, Jivasharma, Satyacharya, Prithu, Shaktipurva, Siddhasena etc. Many books on applied astrology are now available. Brahmihir is one of the teachers of this scripture.

4. Mathematics-

The scope of mathematics was wide in ancient India. What is the application of the word mathematics? The word mass means sum, so it can be said that mathematics is the method of determining sum and sum. Mathematics is divided into two parts - number mathematics (e.g. arithmetic and algebra) and shape mathematics or geometry. The use of arithmetic and geometry was widespread in ancient times, and geometry was used extensively in the construction of altars. The first method of ancient mathematics can be seen in the Shulba Sutras of Vedic literature. Valuable contributions to mathematics in ancient India are- integer numbers, decimal methods, theories of other mathematical methods, use of zeros, etc. are notable.

 Mathematics

5. Alchemist-People have been attracted to gold since ancient times, so alchemy appeared. It is basically the process of turning gold into mercury and other metals by chemical means. Albiruni's account mentions two ancient texts on the subject - Kakchandeshwarimat and Subarnatantra.

Gold

6. Chemistry-Chemistry was also widely used in ancient India. At that time, chemistry probably originated from the practice of alchemy and ayurveda. Notable among the Acharyas of this Vidya are Patanjali, Damodar Basudev, Harit, Charak, Sushruta etc.

Chemistry

7Metallurgy-The use of metal has been very common in India since ancient times. Proof of this can be said to be metal weapons, bronze statues, coins, ornaments, etc. worth mentioning.

Metallurgy

8. Distillation of liqueur-Even in ancient times in India we find in various places in Sanskrit literature about the subject of alcohol. Such as naming alcohol, the advantages and disadvantages of drinking alcohol, etc. Maharshi Charak has also mentioned the names of 64 types of liquor and their categories in his book Charak Sanhita.

Distillation of liqueur

9. Science of Gems-The use of gems has been observed in our India since ancient times. An example of this is its use in gods, kingdoms, and aristocratic societies.

Gems

10. zoology-No specific information is available on this subject but a book of that period has been found which was written by Hansadev in the 13th century. The title of the book is "Mrigapaksisastra (Ornithology)".

 zoology

11. Geography-In various myths, the descriptions of different years in the geography section are the main elements of that time.

12. Agriculture and Horticulture-It was not possible to know much about agricultural science and horticulture in ancient times. However, some books have been acquired - such as-Krishiparasara, krishisaṁgraha etc.

Agriculture and Horticulture

13. Musicology-India has been rich in music since ancient times. This science has been practiced as a very popular teaching science since Vedic times.Music originated in India from the Samveda. There were 6 vowels applied.So gradually the scope of its teaching continues to expand.Many ancient and medieval books were written.

 Art and Architecture

14. Art and Architecture-Notable examples of ancient Indian architecture and sculpture are the ancient temples built at that time. Such as gods and goddesses, nymphs, human beings, animals, landscapes, etc.The names of some of the major books of that time - Vastuvidya, Manusalaya Chandrika, Maymat, Bastumanjari, Pratimalakshana etc.

15. Sports and Games-We can learn about different sports of that time in different works of Sanskrit literature. Notable among the major sports of the time were hunting, wrestling, dice, handball, chess, etc.

Sports 

16.Technology- After the Industrial Revolution in Europe, this science was greatly improved with the help of practical science research and techniques. In ancient times, the practice of this science was very rare in India. The Acharyas of this Vidya are Shaunak, Bachaspati, Narayan, Garg etc. Bhoj's texts describe the techniques of making various instruments.

17. Cosmetics and Aromatic-At the present time, the practice of form has become a special part of human life. In ancient India too, this subject has been given special importance in sculpture and painting. At this time, just like in ancient times, beauty was practiced. In the worship of gods and goddesses, 'Shorash Upchar', 16 types of materials like fragrance, garland, bilep, rubbing etc. were used.

Cosmetics

18. Military science and archery-Monarchical society was prevalent in ancient India, so war was the only way for the Kshatriya kings to gain social status and glory. At that time, according to the information of the state religion, the good relations between the states on which the state was based. They are treaty, war, vehicle, seat, duality and shelter. So it can be said that it was widely used in ancient times. In ancient times the main weapon was the bow.

19. Cookery-The main theme of this scripture is the discussion of cooking and various food ingredients. The main text of this scripture is Nalpak. King Nol is mentioned in the Mahabharata as the proponent of this scripture. From the discussion of various literatures it can be inferred that many books have been written on the subject. Which is currently rare. Available books - Sudshastra, Pakvidya, Pakbigyan, Brihatpak Sangraha etc.