The city of music emperor Tansen, Gwalior, is situated in the heart of the country, Madhya Pradesh. Although this place is known for art, culture and music, it is such a place in the whole world that has a big role in history. Because in this Gwalior city, written proof of the first zero of the whole world is found. This record is present in the ancient Chaturbhuj Mandir of Bhagwan Vishnu situated in the beautiful and historical fort of Gwalior. This temple was built by Pratihara King Bhojdev in 876 AD.
This Mandir, decorated with beautiful carvings and sculptures, is a great example of art. Here, one can see the depiction of dancing Ganesha, Kartikeya, Panchagnik Parvati, Navgrah, Vishnu and Ashtadikpals. Along with this, scenes of Krishna Leelas have been engraved in the inner part of the main mandap of the Mandir. Inside the Mandir, there is a Shwetambar murti of Bhagwan Shri Hari Vishnu, and right next to it, there is an inscription in which information is written in ancient Devanagari script Sanskrit and in this information, there is also a description of zero.
Former Archaeological Officer and historian Lal Bahadur Singh Somvanshi says, “It is mentioned in this inscription that 50 garlands were given for this Mandir every day, and in return, the pujari was given 270 feet of land. In this way, it is shown with the use of zero at two places in the inscription. First to write the number 50 and second 270. This was the first time when the inscription of zero was certified for the first time. Now, people have also started knowing it by the name of Zero Mandir.”
Somvanshi says, “India’s great mathematician Aryabhatta made the world aware of zero for the first time. After this, in the 11th century, time calculation was done in Europe, but the calculation was done with the zero given by India. Oxford University of London has also recognised that the inscription of zero present in the Chaturbhuj Mandir located below the Gwalior fort is the oldest. The Archaeological Survey of India also confirmed this in its 1903 report. Therefore, now India has got full recognition for it.
This is considered a big achievement from the historical point of view. Finding zero on the stone inscription present in the Chaturbhuj Mandir has been a subject of research for many mathematicians, who come here from time to time for research. The Archaeological Survey of India is also well aware of the importance of this temple, which is why it is now open only on special occasions.
Mathematicians from around the globe visit to conduct research, considering it a significant historical achievement. The discovery of zero on a stone inscription at Chaturbhuj Temple has been a focal point for researchers. Consequently, many mathematicians visit periodically for study. Recognising its importance, the Archaeological Survey of India has restricted access to the temple, opening it only on special occasions.
