A new analysis of the Yantra-Raja, the first Sanskrit treatise on the astrolabe written by Mahendra Suri, has revealed previously unrecognized algorithms for stereographic projection. The research, appearing in History of Science in South Asia, utilizes computer modeling to show that the mathematical tables in the text achieve a precision of within 0.02 degrees for the latitude of Delhi. This indicates a sophisticated synthesis of indigenous Siddhantic astronomy and Persian observational techniques.
Scholars argue that these manuscripts prove a high degree of cross-cultural scientific exchange in the medieval period, where Sanskrit scholars adapted foreign instruments into a local mathematical framework. The study focuses on how Suri’s algorithms for 'circular projection' predated several key developments in European cartography, showcasing the mathematical depth of the 14th-century intellectual renaissance in India.