A newly discovered palm-leaf manuscript in the Sukhothai Historical Park has been identified as a rare 8th-century commentary on the Aryabhatiya. The text, written in a regional Grantha variant, contains detailed astronomical tables for calculating the movements of Mars and Jupiter with specific correction factors for orbital eccentricity.
Astronomers and Sanskrit scholars from the International Institute for Ancient Studies have validated these tables against modern retro-calculations. The results show that ancient Indian astronomers had developed specific trigonometric corrections that were remarkably accurate, facilitating maritime navigation across the Bay of Bengal and influencing early Southeast Asian calendrical systems.