Researchers at the University of Jammu, using multispectral imaging, have unveiled hidden text layers on a medieval birch-bark palimpsest recovered from the Zanskar Valley. The underlying text is a lost 8th-century treatise that outlines advanced combinatorial methods for spherical geometry, specifically applied to the construction of sacred architecture and astronomical instruments. These theorems allow for the calculation of surface areas of complex curved volumes.
The decipherment reveals that the author utilized a base-10 positional system with a clearly defined zero, applying it to solve quadratic equations related to arc lengths. This find is considered one of the most significant mathematical discoveries in the region, bridging the gap between classical Vedic geometry and the later Kerala school of mathematics.