Jaina mathematics from ancient and medieval India

Apart from the Vedic tradition, Jaininsm was a flourishing religion in India in the ancient and medieval times. The Jainas were keenly interested in mathematics, alongside - and inspired by - their philosophical contemplation of the material and spiritual worlds. Their endeavours led to a good deal of insight in the ancient world, on various basic mathematical concepts in arithmetic, combinatorics and geometry, and even some advanced concepts. During the medieval period, from around the 8th to 14th centuries, Jaina scholars, such as Sridhara, Mahavira and Thakkur Pheru, were greatly instrumental in pedagogical stimulations of interest and applications of mathematics in practical contexts, creating much awareness of, and even reverence for, mathematics. The aim of this talk will be to present some snapshots of the mathematical preoccupations of the Jainas during these periods, towards evolving an understanding of their role in the development of mathematics over the ages.