London: The number 'zero' is considered as one of the greatest breakthroughs in the history of mathematics and it was widely believed to have originated in India.

Now, radiocarbon dating in the United Kingdom has established that zero had its origins in India, although much before than previously thought.

Scientists have traced the earliest recording of zero to an ancient Indian text, known as the Bakhshali manuscript.

The Bakhshali manuscript was discovered in 1881, in a field in Bakhshali village, located near Peshawar. The text was discovered by a local farmer and the Bodleian Library in Oxford later acquired it. It has been in the UK since 1902.

Now, radiocarbon dating of the text has revealed that the manuscript, which contains hundreds of zeroes, dates back to as early as the 3rd or 4th century – some 500 years older than previously believed.

This implies that the manuscript predates a 9th-century inscription of zero on the wall of a temple in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, which was thought to be the oldest example of a zero.

British newspaper The Guardian quoted Marcus du Sautoy, professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford, as saying: “Today we take it for granted that the concept of zero is used across the globe and our whole digital world is based on nothing or something. But there was a moment when there wasn’t this number.”

“This becomes the birth of the concept of zero in it’s own right and this is a total revolution that happens out of India,” Du Sautoy said further, adding, “This is coming out of a culture that is quite happy to conceive of the void, to conceive of the infinite. That is exciting to recognise, that culture is important in making big mathematical breakthroughs.”

Image courtesy: Bodleian Libraries/ University of Oxford