10 Biggest Contributions To The World From Indian Civilization

By Author: Chaitanya Kumari
Total Articles: 231
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Indian civilization, one of the oldest unending cultures in the world, has blessed the world with a rich heritage of knowledge and innovations. Through antiquity into the modern era, the contributions made by India have made a permanent mark in the world of science, philosophy, and art, forever helping to reshape the world into what we see today. And these are 10 things that the world has learned about Indian civilization, inspired by its vast heritage of science, philosophy, culture, and practical knowledge.

Tolerance and Non-violence
India has never believed in ahimsa (non-violence) and has not a single case in its history of invading any other country during its millennia-old history. This principle has been propagated by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, who has given rise to world peace movements and civil rights movements.

Mathematics, Number Zero, Infinity
Among the most revolutionary things invented in India is the zero by Aryabhata as a number and the development of the decimal system, algebra, trigonometry, and quadratic equations centuries before being used in other parts of the world. This discovery ...
... provided the basis of modern arithmetic, calculus, and computer science, just to name a few. Indian mathematicians similarly touched on the concept of infinity long before it was seriously investigated in the West. Philosophers and mathematicians did not merely approach infinity on an abstract level; they considered it a crucial element of cosmology and mathematics.

Science and Ancient Centers of Learning
India holds the credit of establishing the earliest universities in the world, like Takshashila and Nalanda, where thousands of students from different countries came to study different subjects like science, medicine, philosophy, and arts.

Ayurveda and Holistic Medicine
India has also revolutionized the healthcare system with Ayurveda, its most popular traditional system of medicine. Ayurveda emphasizes maintaining balance, prevention, and natural cure that is second to none. Its principles have once again started to take over the world as a holistic approach to health and well-being.

Yoga and meditation
Among all contributions made by India for the welfare of mankind in the world, yoga and meditation stand out from the rest. These invaluable practices introduced millennia ago have now been followed religiously by people all over. Among a whole lot of benefits, physical health, mental or emotional well-being, yoga, and meditation help usher in resilience, foster mindfulness, and spread inner peace to improve quality of life.

Sanskrit and Linguistic Heritage
India's linguistic heritage has been enriched greatly in classical languages such as Sanskrit, Pali, Tamil, and Prakrit. Sanskrit, otherwise known as the mother of all European languages, is the language of ancient Indian scriptures, and it has been noted that it has a logical structure.
Ancient Gurukul studies had 4 of the 6 Vedangas focusing on language and communication - Siksha for phonetics, Vyakarna for grammar and Chanda for prosody and Nirukta for etymology. The emphasis on clear communication for quality education cannot be missed.

Innovations in Sciences and Tech
The ancient Indians had tremendous development in metallurgy. Astronomically, the nation achieved great steps in celestial bodies' knowledge and time. More than 1,400 years before modern calculations, Aryabhata estimated the circumference of the world. India was also a pioneer in ancient medical science. Sushruta, a very ancient Indian surgeon, is also believed to have made the biggest contribution in the world of Surgery, more specifically, the Rhinoplasty (plastic surgery) and Ophthalmology (cataract removal).

Religious and Philosophical Pluralism
India is the cradle of human religious thought; major world religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all originated here, with India being a long-established center of religious tolerance and philosophical discourse, contributing to world spiritual and moral thought.

Democracy and social institutions
Democratic processes, consensus-building, and participatory governance had some early roots in ancient Indian assemblies and councils. The ideas of the sabha and samiti (assemblies) are very ancient compared to Western democratic institutions.

Global trade and cultural exchange
The participation of India in the world trade routes, including the Silk Road, drove the two-way exchange of goods, ideas, and culture with Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, and contributed to world history and economic development.

Conclusion
Indian civilization has contributed in countless ways to the world, whether in mathematics and scientific innovations, or in its great cultural and philosophical heritage, and it is evidence of the legacy it has had on the world that is still relevant today. The acknowledgment of these accomplishments not only celebrates Indian history but also acts as a source of motivation to succeeding generations to follow the tradition so that their younger generations learn to promote the concept of innovation and intercultural comprehension.

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