Aryabhata
Pioneer astronomer who formulated zero, quadratic rules, and earth's rotation.
Aryabhata (Sanskrit: आर्यभट, IAST: Āryabhaṭa) or Aryabhata I (476–550 CE) was the first of the major mathematician-astronomers and early physicist from the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. His works include the Āryabhaṭīya (which mentions that in 3600 Kali Yuga, 499 CE, he was 23 years old) and the Arya-siddhanta.
Biography
Name
While there is a tendency to misspell his name as "Aryabhatta" by analogy with other names having the "bhatta" suffix, his name is properly spelled Aryabhata: every astronomical text spells his name thus, including Brahmagupta's references to him "in more than a hundred places by name". Furthermore, in most instances "Aryabhatta" would not fit the metre either.
Time and place of birth
Aryabhata mentions in the Aryabhatiya that he was 23 years old, 3600 years into the Kali Yuga, but this is not to mean that the text was composed at that time. This mentioned year corresponds to 499 CE, and implies that he was born in 476 CE. Aryabhata called himself a native of Kusumapura or Pataliputra (near present-day Patna, Bihar).
Other hypothesis
Bhāskara I describes Aryabhata as āśmakīya, "one belonging to the Aśmaka country." During the Buddha's time, a branch of the Aśmaka people settled in the region between the Narmada and Godavari rivers in central India.
It has been claimed that the aśmaka (Sanskrit for "stone") where Aryabhata originated may be the present day Kodungallur which was the historical capital city of Thiruvanchikkulam of ancient Kerala. This is based on the belief that Koṭuṅṅallūr was earlier known as Koṭum-Kal-l-ūr (city of hard stones); however, old records show that the city was known as Koṭum-kol-ūr (city of strict governance). Similarly, the fact that several commentaries on the Aryabhatiya have come from Kerala, this has been used to suggest that it was Aryabhata's main place of life and activity; however, many commentaries have come from outside Kerala, and the Aryasiddhanta was completely unknown in Kerala.
The public source identifies “Aryabhata” as pioneer astronomer who formulated zero, quadratic rules, and earth's rotation. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Aryabhata, Pioneer and astronomer.
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