Some great innovations have come from this country that you may not have known. They have influence how we eat, medicine, religion, and how we live. Therefore, in this blog, I will highlight 10 of these inventions.
1. Zero
Yes, zero was first used in India. It was a great mathematical invention that was and is used in philosophy too. In ancient philosophy, it was used to mean nothingness. Philosophy, mathematics, and spirituality intermeshed in ancient India.
This invention is considered to be one of the most revolutionary ones from India.
Other important mathematical formulas such as Calculus, by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz, were developed in a similar formula by Indian mathematicians long before Isaac Newton.
Interestingly, the Pythagorean theorem was developed in India a century before a similar revelation in Greece.
The invention of zero has given meaning to the binary system or even computers.
2. Cotton
Before the world embraced cotton, most civilizations wore animal skins to keep warm.
Indians discovered cotton in the 5th and 4th millennium BCE. They started cultivating this precious crop during the Indus Valley Civilization.
Soon enough, the word spread to the Mediterranean and beyond, and they started placing orders for Flipkart. Other natural fibers that originated from India include Jute, Cotton, and wool. Cashmere wool originated from the Kashmir region of India and was used to make woolen shawls. The ancient Greeks who wore skin discovered the Indian garments and started wearing them. This was during the wars of Alexander the Great.
3. Carburised Steel
Ancient Indians are well known as the pioneers in metallurgy. They mastered the production of high-quality steel for more than two thousand years. Later on, the production spread to Britain and the rest of Europe. This great invention is credited to the Indian Wootz steel that inspired other great civilizations from Ancient Greece to Persia, Arabia, and Ancient Rome. Steel became more valuable than gold and silver. King Porus was gifted this precious metal by Alexander the Great. This background has made India one of the leaders in modern-day steel production. Steel is used in manufacturing vehicles, cutlery, needles, and many daily items.
4. Buttons
Buttons were first used by Indians. They were used in Mohenjo-Daro in making ornaments and not the purpose we know it for, fastening. This invention was first used in the Indus Valley Civilization by 2000 BCE. These buttons were made out of seashells and cut into different geometrical shapes with tiny holes in them. Soon enough, people discovered that they could use the buttons to fasten their clothes.
5. Plastic and Cataract surgery
When it comes to surgery and the use of specialized surgery tools, the Indians had mastered its use 2000 years before the rest of the world. This was during the Vedic period and is still practiced and improved in the 21st century. They also had highly developed midwifery through similar techniques. They used anesthesia in all their surgeries, and these skills have greatly contributed to modern-day surgery.
The other great medical-related invention is cataract surgery. This was invented by Sushruta, a physician in the 6th century BCE. How this as done was, warm butter was placed on the eye; then he’d wrap a bandage on the eye until it healed. They shared this skill with Greek scientists who visited their country.
6. Shampoo
Shampoo was first used in India, as its names suggest. You may not have known it, but the word shampoo was coined from the Indian word champ. The first shampoo was made of oil that would be massaged on the head. It was fondly used by the Nawabs of Bengal during the Mughal Empire in 1762.
7. Complex Hydraulic Engineering
During the Indus Valley civilization over 5,000 years ago, India created and maintained a highly advanced network of canals. They used them in complex irrigation schemes, water management, and sewerage. Their sewerage was well advanced for its time. This led to the birth of the first flush toilet more than 3,000 years ago. It was designed in a way that it automatically cleared any blockages and prevented any foul smell. It was used in so many homes and was one of the best innovations in ancient times.
8. Wireless Communication
The first public use of radio waves for communication was made by an Indian scientist, Jagadish Chandra Bose. He did this in Calcutta in 1895 when showing how one can communicate wirelessly. Two years later, a similar invention was demonstrated by Guglielmo Marconi in England. Bose was at first not credited with the invention but earned it more than a century later. Marconi was awarded the Nobel prize for the development of wireless telegraphy. Both their inventions have revolutionized how we communicate today.
9. Water on the Moon
This discovery was made by Chandrayaan; he was the first man to know that the moon is not as dry and dusty as some may think. It is one of India’s greatest contributions to modern space exploration. This exploration was done between 2008 and 2009 under the Indian Space Research Organisation’s first dedicated lunar mission. India launched its polar satellite launch vehicle that carried both NASA and its instruments. India’s Moon Impact probe became the first to detect the presence of water on the moon. This was three months before NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper.
10. Ayurvedic and Siddha medicine
You have probably heard of ayurvedic medicine and how it’s used. The ancient Indians used this system of medicine for a long time and still do. Its use has evolved over the years, and in the modern-day world, it is seen as complementary or alternative medicine. The term ayurvedic was coined from the Sanskrit word āyur-vedah meaning medicine. The Siddha type of medicine is commonly practiced in South India.
They use herbs and minerals as raw materials.
You must be logged in to post a comment.