: World’s ‘Oldest’ Recorded Zero Symbol Is At Gwalior’s Chaturbhuj Temple #IndiaNEWS #History Every Indian history aficionado must have visited the cultural hub of Gwalior in the heart of the

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World’s ‘Oldest’ Recorded Zero Symbol Is At Gwalior’s Chaturbhuj Temple #IndiaNEWS #History
Every Indian history aficionado must have visited the cultural hub of Gwalior in the heart of the country. Once reigned by the Rajput dynasty of the Tomars, it was passed on to the Mughal empire under Babur’s rule in the early 16th century. The city was also home to musician and poet Tansen, one of the nine jewels (navratnas) in Akbar’s court. Hence, the Gwalior Gharana is not only one of the oldest Hindustani classical music schools in the country, but also the most revered.
The present-day city, which formed the core of the erstwhile princely state of Gwalior ruled by the Maratha Scindia clan, is best known for the formidable Gwalior Fort. Legend goes that it was named in honour of Hindu saint Gwalipa, who is said to have cured a local chieftain of leprosy. It is also the site where Rani Lakshmibai breathed her last during the Revolt of 1857.
Built atop Gopachal Parvat—the largest of the five clusters of rock-cut Jain monuments from the 15th century—the Gwalior Fort is replete of impressive architectural feats that are reflected in its palaces, temples and some reservoirs. Among the most frequently visited sites here include the Dravidian style Teli-ka-Mandir, the Gujari Mahal, built by Raja Man Singh for his queen Mrignayani; the Man Mandir Palace, built during the Tomar reign but also where Aurangzeb is said to have imprisoned and executed his brother; and the twin-pillared Sas-Bahu temples.
It is the Chaturbhuj temple, however, that has continually piqued the interest of mathematicians from all eras. A plaque dating back to the ninth century on a wall of the temple depicts the circular figure “O�, considered by most to be the oldest recorded symbol of zero as we know and use the digit today.
On the path to the Haathi Pol or Elephant Gate of the Gwalior Fort, the Chaturbhuj temple was built in 876 AD and is dedicated to the Hindu God of Vishnu. Inscriptions on the plaque refer to the number twice; in a grant for a land spread across 270 x 167 hastas—an ancient unit of length measured from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow–as well as another grant of commissioning 50 flower garlands on a daily basis.

As a Dot
For the longest time, the inscription at Chaturbhuj temple was also considered to be the earliest recorded example of the usage of zero. In 1891, however, French archaeologist Adhemard Leclere discovered a dot in a set of script, referring to zero, carved in a sandstone surface at the Trapang Prei archaeological site in northeastern Cambodia’s Kratie province.
“The Chaka era has reached the year 605 on the fifth day of the waning moon,� read the script from the Khmer civilisation, estimated to have originated in 687 AD.

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