The Ganita Yuktibhasa (1530) by Jyesthadeva of the Kerala School of Mathematics is thought to be the first text on calculus, summarizing developments in mathematics in India from the 5th century onward, including infinitesimals, infinite series, power series, Taylor series and integration. I was reading on the work, including this presentation by Sarada Rajeev over at Rotchester’s physics department, when I noticed that the school presented mathetmatical proofs and results in the form of poems. It seems alien to me (Malayalee, though I am), but it does paint a picture of a beautiful genre.
