Mathematics, Astronomy and Astrology
[Preliminary Entry] The Bījagaṇita is a treatise on algebra by Bhāskara (12th century). It constitutes the second section of the Siddhāntaśiromaṇiḥ. It was translated into Persian in 1044/1634-35 by ‘Aṭā’ Allāh Rašīdī who was the son of Ustād Aḥmad Lāhawrī (d. 1059/1649), one of the chief architects of the Taj Mahal. The translation was dedicated to the Mughal emperor Šāh Jahān (r. 1627-1658). The work is divided into an introduction (muqaddima), subdivided in six chapters (bāb), and five discourses (maqāla). A manuscript copy preserved in London was prepared for Edward Strachey (Ethé 1903, c. 1113) who translated the Persian text in English.
F. S.
English translation: Bija Ganita: or The Algebra of the Hindus, Edward Strachey, ed., London, 1813.
Ethé, Hermann, 1903, Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, Oxford, Oxford University Press, vol. 1
| Main Persian Title: | Tarjuma-yi Bīj ganit |
| Translator: | ‘Aṭā’ Allāh Rašīdī |
| Original Sources: |
Bhāskara, Bījagaṇita.
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| Year / Period of Composition: | 1043/1634-1635 |
| Dedicatee: | Šāh Jahān |