Question

Class 7Social ScienceThe Gupta Era – An Age of Tireless Creativity

Explain the contributions of Āryabhața and Varāhamihira to science during the Gupta period.

Verified Answer

Aryabhaṭa and Varāhamihira made lasting contributions to mathematics and astronomy during the Gupta age.

  • Āryabhaṭa (c. 500 CE, Kusumapura): Author of the Aryabhatiya, he gave methods to calculate the motions of the Sun, Moon and planets and suggested that the Earth rotates on its axis, explaining day and night. He estimated the year as 365 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds and provided explanations for eclipses.
  • Varāhamihira (based in Ujjayinī): A scholar known for the Brihat Samhita, an encyclopaedic work covering astronomy, astrology, weather, architecture and agriculture. His work combined observation with practical rules and influenced later scientific thought.

Together, their works advanced observational methods and mathematical approaches that shaped Indian science for centuries.