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'''Timeline of Indian innovation''' encompasses key events in the [[history of technology]] in the subcontinent historically [[History of India|referred to as India]] and the modern Indian state.

The entries in this timeline fall into the following categories: [[Architecture of India|architecture]], [[Indian astronomy|astronomy]], [[Cartography of India|cartography]], [[History of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent|metallurgy]], [[Indian logic|logic]], [[Indian mathematics|mathematics]], [[History of measurement systems in India|metrology]], [[Mining in India|mineralogy]], [[Automobile industry in India|automobile engineering]], [[Information technology in India|information technology]], [[Communications in India|communications]], [[Indian Space Research Organisation|space]] and [[Indian Antarctic Program|polar]] technology.

This timeline examines scientific and medical discoveries, products and technologies introduced by various peoples of India. [[Invention]]s are regarded as technological firsts developed in India, and as such does not include foreign technologies which India acquired through contact.

== 7000 BCE ==
* [[Dentistry#History|Ancient dentistry]]: The [[Indus Valley Civilization]] (IVC) has yielded evidence of dentistry being practised as far back as 7000 BC. An IVC site in [[Mehrgarh]] indicates that this form of dentistry involved curing tooth related disorders with [[bow drill]]s operated, perhaps, by skilled bead crafters.

== 5000 BCE ==
* [[Ayurveda]]: Ayurveda is a system of medicine with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The origins of Ayurveda have been traced back to around 5,000 [[Common Era|BCE]], when they originated as an oral tradition.

== 3100 BCE ==
* [[Yoga]]: The origins of yoga are a matter of debate. There is no consensus on its chronology or specific origin other than that yoga developed in ancient India. Suggested origins are the [[Indus Valley Civilization]] (3300–1900 BCE) and pre-Vedic [[East India|Eastern states of India]], the [[Vedic period]] (1500–500 BCE), and the [[śramaṇa]] movement.

== 2500 BCE ==
* Ancient [[flush toilet]] systems: Toilets that used water were used in the [[Indus Valley Civilization]]. The cities of [[Harappa]] and [[Mohenjo-daro]] had a flush toilet in almost every house, attached to a sophisticated [[sewage system]]. See also ''[[Sanitation of the Indus Valley Civilisation]]''.
* [[Diamond]] mining: Diamonds are thought to have been first recognized and mined in [[India]], where significant [[alluvial deposit]]s of the stone could be found many centuries ago along the rivers [[Penner River|Penner]], [[Krishna River|Krishna]] and [[Godavari River|Godavari]]. Diamonds have been known in India for at least 3,000 years but most likely 6,000 years.
* [[Stepwell]]: Earliest clear evidence of the origins of the stepwell is found in the Indus Valley Civilization's archaeological site at [[Mohenjodaro]] in Pakistan. The three features of stepwells in the subcontinent are evident from one particular site, abandoned by 2500 BCE, which combines a bathing pool, steps leading down to water, and figures of some religious importance into one structure. The early centuries immediately before the common era saw the Buddhists and the Jains of India adapt the stepwells into their architecture. Both the wells and the form of ritual bathing reached other parts of the world with Buddhism. Rock-cut step wells in the subcontinent date from 200 to 400 CE. Subsequently, the wells at Dhank (550-625 CE) and stepped ponds at [[Bhinmal]] (850-950 CE) were constructed.

== 2400 BCE ==
* [[Ruler]]: Rulers made from Ivory were in use by the Indus Valley Civilization in what today is Pakistan and some parts of Western India prior to 1500 BCE. Excavations at Lothal (2400 BCE) have yielded one such ruler calibrated to about 1/16 of an inch—less than 2 [[millimeters]]. Ian Whitelaw (2007) holds that 'The Mohenjo-Daro ruler is divided into units corresponding to 1.32 inches (33.5 mm) and these are marked out in decimal subdivisions with amazing accuracy—to within 0.005 of an inch. They correspond closely with the "hasta" increments of 1 3/8 inches traditionally used in South India in ancient architecture. Ancient bricks found throughout the region have dimensions that correspond to these units.' Shigeo Iwata (2008) further writes 'The minimum division of graduation found in the segment of an ivory-made linear measure excavated in Lothal was 1.79 mm (that corresponds to 1/940 of a fathom), while that of the fragment of a shell-made one from Mohenjo-daro was 6.72 mm (1/250 of a fathom), and that of bronze-made one from Harapa was 9.33 mm (1/180 of a fathom).' The weights and measures of the Indus civilization also reached Persia and [[Central Asia]], where they were further modified.
* [[Weighing scale]]: The earliest evidence for the existence of weighing scale dates to 2400 BC-1800 BC in the Indus valley civilization prior to which no banking was performed due to lack of scales.

== 2000 BCE ==
* [[Plastic surgery]]: Plastic surgery was being carried out in India by 2000 BCE. The system of punishment by deforming a miscreant's body may have led to an increase in demand for this practice. The surgeon [[Sushruta]] contributed mainly to the field of plastic and cataract surgery. The medical works of both Sushruta and [[Caraka Samhita|Charak]] were translated into Arabic language during the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] (750 CE). These translated Arabic works made their way into Europe via intermediaries. In [[Italy]], the Branca family of [[Sicily]] and Gaspare Tagliacozzi of Bologna became familiar with the techniques of Sushruta.

== 700 BCE ==
* [[Pythagorean theorem#History|Pythagorean theorem]]: [[Mesopotamia]]n, [[Indian mathematics|Indian]] and [[Chinese mathematics|Chinese mathematicians]] all discovered the theorem independently and, in some cases, provided proofs for special cases. In [[India]], the ''[[Baudhayana]] [[Sulba Sutras|Sulba Sutra]]'', the dates of which are given variously as between the 8th and 5th century BC, contains a list of [[Pythagorean triples]] discovered algebraically, a statement of the Pythagorean theorem, and a [[Geometry|geometrical]] proof of the Pythagorean theorem for an [[isosceles]] right triangle. The ''[[Apastamba]] Sulba Sutra'' (c. 600 BC) contains a numerical proof of the general Pythagorean theorem, using an area computation. Van der Waerden believed that "it was certainly based on earlier traditions". Carl Boyer states that the Pythagorean theorem in ''[[Shulba Sutras|Śulba-sũtram]]'' may have been influenced by ancient Mesopotamian math, but there is no conclusive evidence in favor or opposition of this possibility.

== 500 BCE ==
* [[Formal grammar]]: [[Pāṇini|Panini]] in his treatise Astadyayi gives formal production rules and definitions to describe the formal grammar of [[Sanskrit]]. In [[Formal language|formal language theory]], a '''grammar''' (when the context is not given, often called a '''formal grammar''' for clarity) is a set of [[Production (computer science)|production rules]] for [[String (computer science)|strings]] in a [[formal language]]. The rules describe how to form strings from the language's [[Alphabet (computer science)|alphabet]] that are valid according to the language's [[Syntax (programming languages)|syntax]]. A grammar does not describe the [[Semantics|meaning of the strings]]<nowiki/>or what can be done with them in whatever context—only their form.

== 300 BCE ==
* [[Atomism]]: References to the concept of atomism and its atoms are found in [[History of India|ancient India]] and [[ancient Greece]]. In the West, atomism emerged in the 5th century BCE with [[Leucippus]] and [[Democritus]]. In [[India]], the [[Jain]], [[Ajivika]] and [[Carvaka]] schools of atomism date back to the 4th century BCE. The [[Nyaya]] and [[Vaisheshika]] schools later developed theories on how atoms combined into more complex objects. Whether Indian culture influenced Greek or vice versa or whether both evolved independently is a matter of dispute.

== 200 BCE ==
* [[Crucible steel]]: Perhaps as early as 300 BC—although certainly by 200 BC—high quality steel was being produced in southern India, by what Europeans would later call the crucible technique. In this system, high-purity wrought iron, charcoal, and glass were mixed in a crucible and heated until the iron melted and absorbed the carbon.

== 100 ==
* [[Hindu-Arabic numerals|Hindu number system]]: With [[decimal]] place-value and a symbol for zero, this system was the ancestor of the widely used [[Arabic numeral]] system. It was developed in the Indian subcontinent between the 1st and 6th centuries CE.

== 200 ==
* [[Cataract surgery]]: Cataract surgery was known to the Indian physician Sushruta (3rd century CE). In India, cataract surgery was performed with a special tool called the ''Jabamukhi Salaka'', a curved needle used to loosen the lens and push the cataract out of the field of vision. The eye would later be soaked with warm butter and then bandaged. Though this method was successful, Susruta cautioned that cataract surgery should only be performed when absolutely necessary. Greek philosophers and scientists traveled to India where these surgeries were performed by physicians. The removal of cataract by surgery was also introduced into China from India.

== 500 ==
* [[0 (number)|Zero]], symbol: Indians were the first to use the zero as a symbol and in arithmetic operations, although Babylonians used zero to signify the 'absent'. In those earlier times a blank space was used to denote zero, later when it created confusion a dot was used to denote zero (could be found in [[Bakhshali manuscript]]). In 500 AD circa [[Aryabhata]] again gave a new symbol for zero (''0'').

== 600 ==
* [[Brahmagupta–Fibonacci identity]], [[Brahmagupta formula]], [[Brahmagupta matrix]], and [[Brahmagupta theorem]]: Discovered by the Indian mathematician, Brahmagupta (598–668 CE).
* [[Algebra|Algebraic abbreviations]]: The mathematician [[Brahmagupta]] had begun using abbreviations for unknowns by the 7th century. He employed abbreviations for multiple unknowns occurring in one complex problem. Brahmagupta also used abbreviations for [[square roots]] and [[cube roots]].
* [[Chaturanga]]: The precursor of [[chess]] originated in India during the [[Gupta dynasty]] (c. 280-550 CE). Both the [[Persian people|Persians]] and [[Arab]]s ascribe the origins of the game of Chess to the Indians. The words for ''chess'' in [[Old Persian]] and [[Arabic]] are {{Transl|peo|chatrang}} and ''[[shatranj]]'' respectively — terms derived from ''[[Chaturanga|caturaṅga]]'' in [[Sanskrit]], which literally means 'an army of four divisions' or 'four corps'. Chess spread throughout the world and many variants of the game soon began taking shape. This game was introduced to the [[Near East]] from India and became a part of the princely or courtly education of [[Persian Empire|Persian]] nobility. [[Buddhist]] pilgrims, [[Silk Road]] traders and others carried it to the [[Far East]] where it was transformed and assimilated into a game often played on the intersection of the lines of the board rather than within the squares. Chaturanga reached Europe through Persia, the [[Byzantine empire]] and the expanding [[Arabian]] empire. [[Muslims]] carried Shatranj to [[North Africa]], [[Sicily]], and Spain by the 10th century where it took its final modern form of chess.
* [[Ludo (board game)|Ludo]]: [[Pachisi]] originated in India by the 6th century. The earliest evidence of this game in India is the depiction of boards on the caves of Ajanta. This game was played by the [[Mughal empire|Mughal emperors]] of India; a notable example being that of Akbar, who played ''living Pachisi'' using girls from his [[harem]]. A variant of this game, called Luodo, made its way to England during the British Raj.
* [[Spinning wheel]]: Invented in India between 500 and 1000 A.D.
* Finite Difference [[Interpolation]]: The Indian mathematician [[Brahmagupta]] presented what is possibly the first instance of finite difference interpolation around 665 CE.
* [[Pascal's triangle]]: Described in the 6th century CE by [[Varahamihira]] and in the 10th century by [[Halayudha]], commenting on an obscure reference by [[Pingala]] (the author of an earlier work on prosody) to the "Meru-prastaara", or the "Staircase of Mount Meru", in relation to binomial coefficients. (It was also independently discovered in the 10th or 11th century in Persia and China.)

== 700 ==
* [[Fibonacci numbers]]: This sequence was first described by [[Virahanka]] (c. 700 AD), Gopāla (c. 1135), and [[Hemachandra]] (c. 1150), as an outgrowth of the earlier writings on Sanskrit prosody by [[Pingala]] (c. 200 BC).
* [[Earth's orbit]] ([[Sidereal year]]): The [[Hindu]] cosmological time cycles explained in the ''[[Surya Siddhanta]]''(700 BCE-600 CE), give the average length of the sidereal year (the length of the Earth's revolution around the Sun) as 365.2563627 days, which is only a negligible 1.4 seconds longer than the modern value of 365.256363004 days. This remains the most accurate estimate for the length of the sidereal year anywhere in the world for over a thousand years.

== 1000 ==
* [[Chakravala method]]: The Chakravala method, a cyclic algorithm to solve [[Indeterminate equation|indeterminate]] [[quadratic equation]]s is commonly attributed to [[Bhāskara II]], (c. 1114 – 1185 CE) although some attribute it to [[Jayadeva (mathematician)|Jayadeva]] (c. 950~1000 CE). Jayadeva pointed out that Brahmagupta's approach to solving equations of this type would yield infinitely large number of solutions, to which he then described a general method of solving such equations. Jayadeva's method was later refined by Bhāskara II in his ''[[Bijaganita]]'' treatise to be known as the Chakravala method, ''[[chakra]]'' (derived from ''cakraṃ'' चक्रं) meaning 'wheel' in [[Sanskrit]], relevant to the cyclic nature of the algorithm. With reference to the Chakravala method, E. O. Selenuis held that no European performances at the time of Bhāskara, nor much later, came up to its marvellous height of mathematical complexity.

== 1300 ==
* [[Madhava series]]: The infinite series for π and for the trigonometric [[sine]], [[cosine]], and [[arctangent]] is now attributed to Madhava of Sangamagrama (c. 1340 – 1425) and his Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He made use of the series expansion of to obtain an infinite series expression for π. Their rational approximation of the ''error'' for the finite sum of their series are of particular interest. They manipulated the error term to derive a faster converging series for π.They used the improved series to derive a rational expression, for π correct up to eleven decimal places, ''i.e.'' . Madhava of Sangamagrama and his successors at the [[Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics]] used geometric methods to derive large sum approximations for sine, cosine, and arctangent. They found a number of special cases of series later derived by Brook Taylor series. They also found the second-order Taylor approximations for these functions, and the third-order Taylor approximation for sine.

== 1500 ==
* Seamless [[celestial globe]]: Considered one of the most remarkable feats in [[metallurgy]], it was invented in [[Kashmir]] by Ali Kashmiri ibn Luqman in between 1589 and 1590 CE, and twenty other such [[globe]]s were later produced in [[Lahore]] and Kashmir during the Mughal Empire. Before they were rediscovered in the 1980s, it was believed by modern metallurgists to be technically impossible to produce metal globes without any [[seam (metallurgy)|seam]]s, even with modern technology. These Mughal metallurgists pioneered the method of [[lost-wax casting]] in order to produce these globes.

== 1600 ==
* [[Prefabricated home]] and movable structure: The first prefabricated homes and movable structures were invented in 16th-century [[Mughal Empire|Mughal India]] by [[Akbar]]. These structures were reported by Arif Qandahari in 1579.

== 1700 ==
* [[Shampoo]]: The word ''[[shampoo]]'' in English is derived from [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] {{Transl|hi|chāmpo}} ({{Lang|hi|चाँपो}}, {{IPA-hns|tʃãːpoː}}), and dates to 1762. A variety of herbs and their extracts were used as shampoos since ancient times in India. A very effective early shampoo was made by boiling [[Sapindus]] with dried [[Indian gooseberry]] (''aamla'') and a few other herbs, using the strained extract. Sapindus, also known as soapberries or soapnuts, is called {{Transl|sa|ksuna}} (Sanskrit: {{Lang|sa|क्षुण}}) in ancient Indian texts and its fruit pulp contain [[Saponin|saponins]], a natural surfactant. The extract of {{Transl|sa|ksuna}} creates a lather which Indian texts identify as {{Transl|sa|phenaka}} (Sanskrit: {{Lang|sa|फेनक}}). which leaves the hair soft, shiny and manageable. Other products used for hair cleansing were shikakai ([[Acacia concinna]]), soapnuts ([[Sapindus]]), [[hibiscus]] flowers, ritha ([[Sapindus mukorossi]]) and arappu (Albizzia amara). [[Guru Nanak]], the founding prophet and the first [[Sikh Guru|Guru]] of [[Sikhism]], made references to soapberry tree and soap in 16th century. Cleansing with hair and body massage (''champu'') during daily strip wash was an indulgence of early colonial traders in India. When they returned to Europe, they introduced the newly learnt habits, including the hair treatment they called shampoo.
* [[Mysorean rockets]]: The first iron-cased and metal-cylinder [[rocket]]s were developed by [[Tipu Sultan]], ruler of the South Indian [[Kingdom of Mysore]], and his father [[Hyder Ali]], in the 1780s. He successfully used these iron-cased rockets against the larger forces of the [[British East India Company]] during the [[Anglo-Mysore Wars]]. The Mysore rockets of this period were much more advanced than what the British had seen, chiefly because of the use of iron tubes for holding the propellant; this enabled higher thrust and longer range for the missile (up to 2 km range). After Tipu's eventual defeat in the [[Fourth Anglo-Mysore War]] and the capture of the Mysore iron rockets, they were influential in British rocket development, inspiring the [[Congreve rocket]], and were soon put into use in the [[Napoleonic Wars]].

== 1800 ==
* [[Radio|Microwave communication]]: The first public demonstration of microwave transmission was made by [[Jagadish Chandra Bose]], in Calcutta, in 1895, two years before a similar demonstration by Marconi in England, and just a year after [[Oliver Lodge]]'s commemorative lecture on Radio communication, following Hertz's death.
* [[Coherer#Imperfect junction coherer|Iron and mercury coherer]]: In 1899, the [[Bengali people|Bengali]] physicist Sir [[Jagdish Chandra Bose]] announced the development of an "''iron-mercury-iron coherer with telephone detector''" in a paper presented at the Royal Society, London. He also later received [https://www.google.com/patents/US755840 U.S. Patent 755,840], "''Detector for electrical disturbances''" (1904), for a specific [[Electromagnetic radiation|electromagnetic]] receiver.

== 1900 ==
* [[Boson]]: The name ''boson'' was coined by [[Paul Dirac]] to commemorate the contribution of the [[Indian people|Indian]] physicist [[Satyendra Nath Bose]]. In [[quantum mechanics]], a '''boson''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|oʊ|s|ɒ|n|,_|ˈ|b|oʊ|z|ɒ|n}}) is a particle that follows [[Bose–Einstein statistics]]. Bosons make up one of the two classes of [[Elementary particle|particles]], the other being [[fermion]]s.
* [[Raman effect]]: The Encyclopædia Britannica (2008) reports: "change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules. The phenomenon is named for [[Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman]], who discovered it in 1928. When a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam. Most of this scattered light is of unchanged wavelength. A small part, however, has wavelengths different from that of the incident light; its presence is a result of the Raman effect."
* [[Landau–Ramanujan constant]], [[Mock theta function]]s, [[Ramanujan conjecture]], [[Ramanujan prime]], [[Ramanujan–Soldner constant]], [[Ramanujan theta function]], [[Ramanujan's sum]], [[Rogers–Ramanujan identities]], [[Ramanujan's master theorem]]: Discovered by the Indian mathematician, [[Srinivasa Ramanujan]].
* [[Chandrasekhar limit]] and [[Chandrasekhar number]]: Discovered by and named after [[Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar]], who received the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] in 1983 for his work on [[stellar structure]] and [[stellar evolution]].
* [[Crescograph]]: The crescograph, a device for measuring growth in plants, was invented in the early 20th century by the Bengali scientist Sir [[Jagadish Chandra Bose]].
* [[Pseudomonas putida]]: Indian (Bengali) inventor and microbiologist [[Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty]] created a species of man made micro organism to break down crude oil. He genetically engineered a new species of ''[[Pseudomonas]]'' [[bacteria]] ("the [[Petroleum|oil]]-eating bacteria") in 1971. United States Supreme Court granted Chakrabarty's invention patent even though it was a living species. The court ruling decreed that Chakrabarty's discovery was "not nature's handiwork, but his own..." The inventor Chakrabarty secured his patent in 1980(see [[Diamond v. Chakrabarty]])
* [[Yellapragada Subbarow]] discovered the function of [[adenosine triphosphate]] as an energy source in the [[Cell (biology)|cell]], and developed [[methotrexate]] for the treatment of [[cancer]].
* [[Har Gobind Khorana]] was the first to demonstrate the role of [[nucleotides]] in [[protein synthesis]]. He shared the 1968 [[Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine]] with [[Marshall W. Nirenberg]] and [[Robert W. Holley]] for research that showed how the order of [[nucleotides]] in [[nucleic acids]], which carry the [[genetic code]] of the cell, control the cell's synthesis of proteins.
* [[Abhyankar's conjecture]], [[Abhyankar's lemma]], [[Abhyankar–Moh theorem]]: Developed by [[Shreeram Shankar Abhyankar]].
* [[Saha ionization equation]]: The Saha equation, derived by the Bengali scientist [[Meghnad Saha]] (6 October 1893 – 16 February 1956) in 1920, conceptualizes [[ionization]]s in context of stellar atmospheres.
* [[Basu's theorem]]: The Basu's theorem, a result of [[Debabrata Basu]] (1955) states that any complete sufficient statistic is independent of any ancillary statistic.
* [[Visceral leishmaniasis|Visceral leishmaniasis, treatment of]]: The Indian (Bengali) medical practitioner [[Upendranath Brahmachari]] (19 December 1873 – 6 February 1946) was nominated for the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] in 1929 for his discovery of 'ureastibamine ([[Antimony|antimonial]] [[Chemical compound|compound]] for treatment of [[kala azar]]) and a new disease, post-kalaazar dermal leishmanoid.' Brahmachari's cure for Visceral leishmaniasis was the urea salt of para-amino-phenyl stibnic acid which he called Urea Stibamine. Following the discovery of Urea Stibamine, Visceral leishmaniasis was largely eradicated from the world, except for some underdeveloped regions.
* [[Raychaudhuri equation]]: Discovered by the [[Bengali people|Bengali]] physicist [[Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri]] in 1954. This was a key ingredient of the [[Penrose-Hawking singularity theorems]] of [[general relativity]].
* [[Ajay Bhatt|Ajay V. Bhatt]], an Indian-[[United States of America|American]] computer architect, helped define and develop several widely used technologies, including [[Universal Serial Bus|USB (Universal Serial Bus)]], [[Accelerated Graphics Port|AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)]], [[PCI Express]], Platform Power management architecture and various chipset improvements.

== 2000 ==
* [[J Sharp]]: '''Visual J#''' (pronounced "jay-[[Sharp (music)|sharp]]") [[programming language]] was a transitional language for programmers of [[Java (programming language)|Java]] and [[Visual J++]] languages, so they could use their existing knowledge and applications on [[.NET Framework]].It was developed by the [[Hyderabad, Telangana|Hyderabad]]-based [[HITEC City#Microsoft Hyderabad Campus|Microsoft India Development Center at HITEC City]] in India.
* [[Kojo (programming language)]]: '''Kojo''' is a [[programming language]] and [[integrated development environment]] (IDE) for computer programming and learning. Kojo is [[open-source software]]. It was created, and is actively developed, by Lalit Pant, a computer programmer and teacher living in [[Dehradun, India]].
* [[Lunar water]]: Although the presence of water ice on the moon has been conjectured by various scientists since the 1960s, inconclusive evidence of free water ice had also been identified the first incontrovertible evidence of water on the moon was provided by the payload Chace carried by the [[Moon Impact Probe]] released by [[Chandrayaan-1]] confirmed and established by [[NASA]].

== See also ==
* [[History of science and technology in India]]
* [[Nalanda University]]
* [[List of Indian inventions and discoveries]]
* [[Timeline of historic inventions]]

[[Category:Indian history timelines]]
[[Category:Indian inventions]]

Timeline of Indian innovation - Revision history

>AnomieBOT: Dating maintenance tags: {{Cleanup lang}}