Lilavati

This book is a translation of Lilavati, a standard work on Hindu Mathematics written by Bhaskaracharya; this celebrated mathematician and astronomer lived in the 12th Century A.D. This work forms the first part of a larger work of the author called the Siddhantasiromani. Besides dealing with arithmetic, it also deals with Algebra and Geometry. It comprises the four simple rules; extraction of the square root and the cube root; fractions, rule of three; interest; allegation; problems producing simple and quadratic equations; arithmetical and geometric equations; indeterminate equations of the first degree; properties of triangles and quadrilaterals; areas of circles; volumes of spheres, cones and pyramids; solid contents of excavations and several other matters.

In the book the author ‘Colebrooke’ has given translations of extracts from the leading commentaries on the Lilavati. Some of the translated extracts contain expositions of the rules and of technical terms and some contain demonstrations of the rules in a few cases. The Lilavati in Sanskrit is printed at the end, with divisions into chapters and sections corresponding to those made in the translation.