Mathematical Treasure: Edward Strachey’s Translation of Bhaskara’s Bija Ganita

Bhaskara (1114–1185) was an Indian astronomer and mathematician. Author of several works, he is credited with introducing the “Zero” as a placeholder in computation. (See his Lilivati in Mathematical Treasures here and here.) In 1813, Edward Strachey (1774–1832), a member of the British Civil Service in India, compiled Bija Ganita or Hindu Algebra, which is believed to be another of Bhaskara’s works.

In his Preface, Strachey describes his sources:

The first page of text:

Samples of the presentation dealing with algebraic operations:

A glossary of Sanskrit mathematical terms:

A full digitization of its copy is available from Wellcome Library.

Index to Mathematical Treasures