India is a vast land brimming with talented and creative people of diverse backgrounds. There are many wonderful things India has introduced to the world. From 0 to the world's first university, from Snakes & Ladders to shampoo, India has been quite the Santa Claus.
India made an important contribution to science. In ancient times, religion and science were inextricably linked.
Astronomy made great strides in India because the planets began to be regarded as gods, and their movements began to be closely observed.
Their study became essential because of their connection to changes in the seasons and weather conditions which were important for agricultural activities. The science of grammar and linguistics arose because the ancient brahmanas stressed that every Vedic prayer and mantra should be recited with meticulous precision.
In fact, the first result of the scientific outlook of Indians was the development of Sanskrit grammar. In the fifth century BC, Panini systematized the rules governing Sanskrit and produced a grammar called Ashtadhyayi. By the third century BC, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine began to develop separately. In the field of mathematics, the ancient Indians made three distinct contributions: the notation system, the decimal system, and the use of zero. The earliest epigraphic evidence for the use of the decimal system is in the beginning of the fifth century AD.
