New historical research has revealed that Indian scholars from Kerala developed one of the most important foundations of modern mathematics nearly 250 years before Sir Isaac Newton.
According to Dr. George Gheverghese Joseph of the University of Manchester, the Kerala School of Mathematics, active around 1350 CE, formulated the concept of infinite series, a core element of calculus. This discovery is traditionally credited to Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in the late 17th century, but growing evidence now places its origins much earlier in India.
Researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Exeter have also found that Kerala mathematicians developed an advanced series for Pi, enabling them to calculate its value accurately to 9, 10 and later 17 decimal places—a remarkable achievement for the medieval world.
Even more striking is the evidence suggesting that this mathematical knowledge may have traveled from India to Europe. European Jesuit missionaries, who visited Kerala during the 15th and 16th centuries, were highly trained in mathematics and fluent in local languages. Scholars believe these missionaries may have transmitted these advanced Indian methods back to Europe, possibly influencing Western scientific thought, including Newton’s work.
Dr. Joseph made these findings while researching rare Indian manuscripts for the third edition of his book The Crest of the Peacock: The Non-European Roots of Mathematics.
He explained that modern mathematics is often portrayed as a purely European achievement, while major discoveries made outside Europe were overlooked for centuries. Although Newton’s contributions to calculus remain extraordinary—especially in developing algorithms—Dr. Joseph emphasized that Kerala mathematicians such as Madhava and Nilakantha deserve equal recognition for discovering infinite series.
A major reason behind this historical neglect, he noted, is the colonial bias that marginalized scientific achievements from non-European civilizations. Another obstacle has been the limited understanding of medieval Malayalam, the language in which key mathematical texts such as Yuktibhasā were written.
Dr. Joseph also criticized the unequal standards used to verify the transmission of knowledge from East to West. Historically, Europe imported scientific ideas from India and the Islamic world for centuries, yet proof of this exchange is often held to stricter standards than knowledge assumed to have originated in Europe.
At the time, there was strong motivation in Europe to gather advanced mathematical data. Pope Gregory XIII had established a committee to reform the Julian calendar, and this committee actively sought astronomical and mathematical knowledge from across the globe. Accurate navigation and time-keeping were also critical during the age of exploration, driving European demand for advanced mathematical techniques—an area where Kerala scholars excelled.
Following publication of the research, the University of Manchester later issued a clarification acknowledging that Professor C. K. Raju had also made significant scholarly contributions to the study of Kerala mathematics and its transmission to Europe.
Together, these findings challenge the long-held narrative of mathematical history and highlight India’s crucial intellectual role in shaping the foundations of modern science.
