Using a novel neural-mapping algorithm, scholars at the Indian Institute of Science have successfully deciphered a series of fragmented 12th-century manuscripts in the Nandinagari script. The texts, recovered from a temple archive in northern Karnataka, contain sophisticated observations on hydro-morphology and the seasonal dynamics of riverbed erosion, which were previously unknown to historians.
The treatises provide detailed mathematical models for predicting river course changes and describe advanced techniques for constructing porous embankments that allow for natural siltation while preventing catastrophic floods. Researchers believe these findings could rewrite the history of civil engineering in medieval India, proving that scholars of the time possessed a systematic understanding of fluid dynamics and sediment transport.