15th-Century Sanskrit Scholarship

Timeline

1. 1400–1460Vijayanagara · KarnatakaRulers such as Deva Raya II engaged Sanskrit poets and scholars; the court supported commentaries on the Mahabharata, grammatical studies, and Vedanta debates, while Sanskrit epic literature and religious-philosophical works were copied and circulated in temple libraries.
2. 1461–1485Vijayanagara and Deccan temple libraries · KarnatakaSanskrit scholarship was not interrupted during dynastic transitions: temple libraries continued teaching Pannini's grammar and Mimamsa philosophy, poets composed Sanskrit panegyrics praising new rulers, and local chiefs upheld the customary patronage of commentary traditions.
3. 1400–1500Kerala · KeralaScholars of the Kerala school wrote astronomical and mathematical works such as Tantrasamgraha in Sanskrit, developing trigonometry and infinite-series methods for computing pi, transmitted in secret among South Indian temple libraries, reflecting the continuing vitality of Sanskrit as a language of scientific writing in the 15th century.