Balachandra Rao


Balachandra Rao was an Indian mathematician at National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore. He authored several books in the field of science, astronomy, mathematics. He was also trained in Sanskrit literature. He dedicated his life towards decoding the rich intellectual heritage of the ancient India. He was also called S Balachandra Rao.
His quotes on Vedanga Jyotish,

Background

Rao was born on 24 December 1944. He started his career as a professor of mathematics at National College in Bangalore. He later became the principal of the college. After retirement, he served at National Institute of Advanced Studies as a mathematician. Later he joined Gandhi Centre of Science and Human Values in Bengaluru. There he became the director of the institute.
Rao died on 14 May 2025, at the age of 80.

Researches and notable works

In 1992, Rao started his journey of research in the field of the ancient Indian mathematics. He studied in details about the contributions of ancient India to science and astronomy. In an interview, he dismissed the idea of the ancient Vimana Sasthra which got popularity in the recent Indian Science Congress.
After his research on the Vedanga Jyotish, he pointed out that there should be some improvements in the parameters and the values in the age-old computational algorithms of the Vedanga Jyotish to get an accurate result as the orbits and the angular velocities of the heavenly bodies had changed with time. He quoted,
Rao extensively researched the ancient Sanskrit astronomical and mathematical texts of India. He unraveled the complex astronomical algorithms of the ancient Indian texts. He clarified the obscure ancient Sanskrit astronomical and mathematical texts for easy access of these texts to modern readers. In his research, he revealed the sophisticated knowledge of the classical Indian science. He also demonstrated the precise methods used by the classical scholars like Aryabhata, Bhaskara, and Varahamihira for calculating planetary positions, eclipses, and timekeeping.
Apart from decoding the rich intellectual heritage of the ancient India, he also combated and criticized the false claims and misinformation in the name of Vedic science.