From 'Rigaveda' to 'Shunya': How ancient India meets core Mathematics in new Class 9 NCERT textbook

A Grade 9 student opening the first chapter of their mathematics NCERT textbook this year may not encounter the number system or pythagoras theorem. Instead, they are taken thousands of years back to the streets of the Sindhu-Saraswati civilization, laid out in precise grids.

“The idea of ‘grid-based thinking’… has deep roots in Bhārat,” the textbook notes, adding that ancient cities were built with streets aligned in North-South and East-West directions, functioning as “a coordinate system in practice.”

This is part of ‘Ganit Manjari,’ the newly introduced NCERT Mathematics textbook for Grade 9, released for the 2026-27 academic year under the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. 

The book has caught the public eye for a visible shift in how mathematics is being taught, weaving together historical narratives, cultural references, and core mathematical concepts.

A new approach to mathematics

The shift is not incidental. In the foreword, NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani states that the textbook aims to highlight “the rich history of mathematics in India… [so that] students can develop a deeper sense of cultural rootedness.”

This reflects a broader push under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to integrate Indian knowledge systems into school curricula.

Unlike earlier NCERT textbooks, many of which followed a more direct, formula-driven approach, the new book adopts a history-first, narrative-led structure. Concepts are introduced through stories and historical contexts before moving into formal mathematics.

Ancient India at the centre of mathematical ideas

Across chapters, the textbook repeatedly places Indian contributions at the centre of mathematical development.

In the first chapter named ‘Orienting Yourself: The Use of Coordinates,’ figures such as Baudhāyana, Aryabhata, and Brahmagupta are introduced alongside global mathematicians. 

Baudhāyana’s geometric work is linked to what is commonly known as the Pythagoras theorem, while Brahmagupta’s contributions are presented as foundational to modern coordinate systems. It also mentions the contributions of Aryabhata in modern-day trigonometry.

The text also traces how these ideas travelled globally, noting that scholars like Ömar Khayyām and later European mathematicians built upon earlier developments.

Numbers, philosophy, and shunya (zero)

One of the most notable shifts appears in the chapter named ‘The World of Numbers’. Students are introduced to early counting methods using pebbles and tally marks, before moving to references from the Vedas and Buddhist texts. 

The book notes that ancient Indian texts named numbers as large as 10⁵³, and that powers of 10 were explicitly used in the Ṛigveda.

The concept of zero is also explored in depth. 

“For millennia, the number line started at 1… It was in the work of Brahmagupta… that the void was formally transformed into a number,” it states, adding that this leap was “inspired by Indian philosophical traditions.”

The book goes further to explain Brahmagupta’s treatment of positive and negative numbers as fortunes (dhana) and debts (ṛiṇa), linking it to the invention of positive and negative numbers.

Mathematics through an Indian lens

While Indian contributions are foregrounded, the textbook does not entirely exclude global references.

In tracing the origins of numbers, it discusses the Lebombo and Ishango bones from Africa, among the earliest known counting tools. It also references Greek and Mesopotamian mathematics, and later developments in Europe.

Similarly, in the chapter on circles, the value of pi is presented as a result of contributions from multiple civilisations, from Mesopotamia and Archimedes to Āryabhaṭa and Mādhava of the Kerala school, who introduced infinite series to represent pi.

What stands out, and what raises questions

The textbook marks the first comprehensive rewrite under the new curriculum framework, and represents a clear shift in both content and pedagogy.

At the same time, some elements may invite closer scrutiny.

Certain interpretations, such as describing Indus Valley city planning as a form of coordinate geometry, extend beyond conventional textbook explanations. 

The textbook, uploaded on the official NCERT website just days ago, has already sparked reactions online. While some have welcomed the inclusion of Indian history and cultural context in the teaching of mathematics, others have raised concerns that such an approach could dilute focus on core mathematical concepts and potentially affect students’ preparedness in a globally competitive academic environment.