ABSTRACT
In India, it has become a widespread consensus that almost every scientific discovery originates from India or the Veda. Standard examples are the Pythagorean theorem, algebra and zero in mathematics but it nowadays encompasses many other disciplines such as history or education studies. Sometimes the difference between historical evidence and myth are given up upholding the most bizarre theories, for instance, when the elephant-headed Gaṇeśa is invoked as evidence for plastic surgery. This Introduction seeks to examine these ancient processes and phenomenon and situate them in a contemporary framework.
