In a remarkable interdisciplinary achievement, researchers have used multispectral imaging and AI to read a set of heavily eroded 9th-century Grantha script palimpsests found in the Lakshadweep Islands. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Oriental Society, reveal a lost Sanskrit treatise detailing the migratory behavior of pelagic fish, such as tuna and mackerel, in the Indian Ocean. The text describes seasonal shifts in sea currents and their relationship to lunar phases and bird behavior.
The manuscript provides the first direct evidence of ancient Indian marine biology and the systematic observation of oceanic ecosystems. It includes instructions for sustainable fishing cycles based on the breeding seasons of different species, indicating a highly developed ecological consciousness among early maritime communities. This discovery highlights the role of Sanskrit as a language of scientific inquiry even in remote island outposts of the medieval period.