Sulba

Sulba refers to the Sulba Sutras, a group of ancient Indian texts within the Kalpa Vedanga that deal with ritual geometry and altar construction. The word śulba means rope or cord, a tool used to lay out measurements and align structures for Vedic sacrifices.

Dating and authorship: The surviving works are attributed to several schools, notably Baudhayana, Apastamba, Katyayana, and Vaikhanasa. They likely date from between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE, though precise dates are debated. The Baudhayana Sulba Sutra is among the oldest complete texts in this group.

Content: The texts combine ritual instructions with geometry. They specify how to construct altars of various shapes—square, rectangular, and circular—using cords stretched between pegs to ensure right angles and proportional relationships. They include geometric propositions consistent with a form of the Pythagorean theorem and discuss the areas of squares and circles as they relate to the altar shapes. The sutras also contain methods for approximations and practical measurements used in temple and ritual contexts.

Significance: The Sulba Sutras are among the earliest known systematic treatments of geometry in the Indian tradition and are regarded as an important source for the history of mathematics in South Asia. They illustrate how mathematical reasoning was applied to religious practice and influenced later Indian mathematical developments.