Papers on scientific achievements of Vedic times to be presented at Indian Science Congress

Ancient Indian scholars and sages had realised the importance of anatomy for accurate surgery and were dissecting the human body long before the Greeks, as per the claims made in a paper to be presented in the 102nd Indian Science Congress.

Reports say, several such papers have been received for presentation at the Congress, asserting the significance of exploring Hindu epics for understanding the ancient world.

According to the papers based on documents and texts in Sanskrit, ancient Indians followed scientific principles for building houses and aircraft construction. Twenty types of sharp instruments and 101 types of blunt instruments required for surgery made of iron were in use at the time, many of which resembled modern surgical instruments.

According to Gauri Mahulikar, associate professor and head of department of Sanskrit at Mumbai University, so far Sanskrit had essentially been considered a language of religion and philosophy but the fact was that it was  also the language of science, including physics, chemistry, geography, geometry etc. There was much scientific information available in the texts and historical documents that needed to be explored, she added.

Mahulikar is the coordinator for the symposia 'Ancient Sciences through Sanskrit' at the Indian Science Congress, which is being hosted by Mumbai University from 3rd to 7th January.

Meanwhile, in 1895, a ''full eight years before the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA'', a couple, ''Shivkar Bapuji Talpade and his wife gave a thrilling demonstration flight on the Chowpatty beach in Mumbai'' reads the abstract of a paper on  ''Ancient Indian Aviation Technology'', to be presented at the Indian Science Congress, The Indian Express reported.

The paper on aviation is part of the symposium on ''ancient Indian sciences through Sanskrit'', to be presented by Captain Anand Bodas, retired principal of a pilot training centre, and Ameya Jadhav, lecturer at Mumbai's Swami Vivekanand International School and Junior College.

The abstract of the Bodas-Jadhav paper says: ''Aviation technology in ancient India is not a tale of mythology, but it is a total historical document giving technical details and specifications. Ancient Sanskrit literature is full of descriptions of flying machines, Vimanas.

 ''From the many documents found, it is evident that the scientist-sages Agastya and Bharadwaja had developed the lore of aircraft construction. Aeronautics or Vaimaanikashastra is a part of Yantra Sarvasva of Bharadwaja. This is also known as Brihadvimaana Shastra.

Vaimaanikashastra deals with aeronautics, including the design of aircraft, the way they can be used for transportation and other applications, in detail.''

According to the abstract, the knowledge of aeronautics is described in Sanskrit in 100 sections, eight chapters, 500 principles and 3,000 slokas.

''Great sage Bharadwaja explained the construction of aircraft and way to fly it in air, on land, on water and use the same aircraft like a submarine,'' the abstract says.

''He also described the construction of war planes and fighter aircraft. This paper will deal with manufacturing an alloy for making aeroplanes, the specialised dress material being virus proof, waterproof and shock proof for the pilots. This was given by Bhardwaja sage in Brihatvimanshashtra. He had mentioned 97 reference books for aviation.''