Scholars at the Institute of Heritage Science have successfully deciphered a rare Grantha script manuscript discovered in the vaults of a temple in Tamil Nadu. The text, a commentary on the Chitra-Sutra, details a previously unknown theory of 'Drishti-Ganan' (visual computation), which involves calculating the observer's distance to create optical illusions of depth in large-scale temple murals.
The research proves that 9th-century Indian artists used spherical geometry to correct visual distortions on curved surfaces, a technique that predates European Renaissance developments in linear perspective by several centuries. This breakthrough highlights the deep intersection of mathematics and sacred art in ancient Indian scientific tradition.