T.A. Sarasvati Amma
Encyclopedia
T.A. Sarasvati Amma (1918–2000) was a scholar born in Kerala
, India
who specialized in the geometry
of ancient and medieval India.
Sarasvati Amma (born 1918 in Cherpulachery
, Palakkad district
, Kerala
) was the second daughter of her mother Kuttimalu Amma and father Marath Achutha Menon. She took her basic degree in mathematics and physics from Madras University and obtained an M.A. degree in Sanskrit
from Benares Hindu University. She did her research under the guidance of Dr. V. Raghavan, a Sanskrit
scholar. Sarasvati Amma taught at Sree Kerala Varma College
, Thrissur
, Maharaja's College, Ernakulam
and also at Women's College, Ranchi
. She served Shree Shree Lakshmi Narain Trust Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Dhanbad
, Jharkhand
as its principal from 1973 to 1980. After retirement she spent her last years in her home town Ottappalam. She died in 2000. Her younger sister T.A. Rajalakshmi was a well-known story-writer and novelist in Malayalam, but committed suicide in 1965.
The Kerala Mathematical Association
started a regular Prof.T.A. Sarasvati Amma Memorial Lecture in its annual conference in 2002. In the words of Michio Yano, who reviewed Sarasvati Amma's book Geometry in Ancient and Medieval India, the book "established a firm foundation for the study of Indian geometry".
literature, with the mathematical parts of Jaina Canonical works and of the Hindu Siddhantas and with the contributions to geometry made by the astronomer mathematicians Aryabhata I & II, Sripati, Bhaskara I & II, Sangamagrama Madhava, Paramesvara, Nilakantha, his disciples and a host of others. The works of the mathematicians Mahavira, Sridhara and Narayana Pandita and the Bakshali Manuscript have also been studied. The work seeks to explode the theory that the Indian mathematical genius was predominantly algebraic and computational and that it eschewed proofs and rationales. There was a school in India which delighted to demonstrate even algebraic results geometrically.
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
who specialized in the geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
of ancient and medieval India.
Sarasvati Amma (born 1918 in Cherpulachery
Cherpulachery
Cherpulassery or Cherplassery/Cherpalchery is a small town in Palakkad district of Kerala state, south India. It is in Ottapalam taluk, known for its eminent and prolific contributions to the world of culture. Geographically, it is a tri-junction of roads converging from three towns -- Ottapalam,...
, Palakkad district
Palakkad district
Palakkad District is one of the 14 districts of the Indian state of Kerala. The city of Palakkad is the district headquarters. Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by the Malappuram District, on the southwest by the Thrissur District and on the east by Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. The...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
) was the second daughter of her mother Kuttimalu Amma and father Marath Achutha Menon. She took her basic degree in mathematics and physics from Madras University and obtained an M.A. degree in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
from Benares Hindu University. She did her research under the guidance of Dr. V. Raghavan, a Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
scholar. Sarasvati Amma taught at Sree Kerala Varma College
Sree Kerala Varma college
Sree Kerala Varma College is situated in Thrissur city of Kerala State, India. It was founded in 1947 by Rama Varma XV, the Maharaja of erstwhile Kochi State. The college was initially under the Madras University. Now it is affiliated to the University of Calicut...
, Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
, Maharaja's College, Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
and also at Women's College, Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
. She served Shree Shree Lakshmi Narain Trust Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Dhanbad
Dhanbad
Dhanbad features climate that is transitional between a humid subtropical climate and a tropical wet and dry climate. Summer starts from last week of March and ends in mid-June. Peak temperature in summer can reach 47oC. Dhanbad also receives heavy rainfall...
, Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
as its principal from 1973 to 1980. After retirement she spent her last years in her home town Ottappalam. She died in 2000. Her younger sister T.A. Rajalakshmi was a well-known story-writer and novelist in Malayalam, but committed suicide in 1965.
The Kerala Mathematical Association
Kerala Mathematical Association
Kerala Mathematical Association is an organization established in 1962 to serve the mathematical community comprising students, teachers and researchers inside Kerala and outside. It has a membership of around 1000 of which nearly half are life members and about 300 are from outside Kerala and...
started a regular Prof.T.A. Sarasvati Amma Memorial Lecture in its annual conference in 2002. In the words of Michio Yano, who reviewed Sarasvati Amma's book Geometry in Ancient and Medieval India, the book "established a firm foundation for the study of Indian geometry".
Outline of Geometry in Ancient and Medieval India
The book is a geometrical survey of the Sanskrit and Prakrt scientific and quasi-scientific literature of India, beginning with the Vedic literature and ending with the early part of the 17th century. It deals in detail with the Sulbasutras in the VedicVedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
literature, with the mathematical parts of Jaina Canonical works and of the Hindu Siddhantas and with the contributions to geometry made by the astronomer mathematicians Aryabhata I & II, Sripati, Bhaskara I & II, Sangamagrama Madhava, Paramesvara, Nilakantha, his disciples and a host of others. The works of the mathematicians Mahavira, Sridhara and Narayana Pandita and the Bakshali Manuscript have also been studied. The work seeks to explode the theory that the Indian mathematical genius was predominantly algebraic and computational and that it eschewed proofs and rationales. There was a school in India which delighted to demonstrate even algebraic results geometrically.
Chapters
- Introduction
- Sulbasutra Geometry
- Early Jaina Geometry
- The Trapezium
- The Quadrilateral
- The Triangle
- The Circle
- Volumes and Surfaces of Solids
- Geometrical Algebra
- Shadow Problems and Other Problems