al-Biruni: The famous traveller to Ancient India

   al-Biruni (973 -1048 A.D.) had visited India and travelled extensively. He had studied the social life, political system and religious beliefs of the Indian people in depth. In his writings he gave a detailed account of the level of scientific developments in India, in the early decades of eleventh century A.D.. according to al-Biruni Indians had tried to calculate latitudes of some places like Kannauj, Thanessar, Srinagar. The calculations of longitudes was based on timings of the eclipse at different places. Their prime meridian passed thru Ujjain.