Decolonizing Historiography: Digital Tools and Ancient Indian Knowledge

The historiography of ancient Bharat has long been shaped by Eurocentric perspectives, often dismissing advanced scientific ideas in Sanskrit texts as myth. The destruction of intellectual centers such as Nalanda and colonial education policies further marginalized indigenous knowledge. The digital era, however, offers new tools to reassess and validate this heritage. This study examines the application of emerging technologies like Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and digital archaeoastronomyin exploring ancient Indian contributions. LiDAR is used to detect submerged urban layouts, while AI-driven Neural Epigraphy accelerates the decipherment of uncatalogued manuscripts. Acoustic modelling and structural analysis are applied to South Indian lithic architecture to evaluate engineering precision. Findings reveal that Hoysala temples exhibit measurable geometric accuracy, and lithic structures demonstrate intentional acoustic design. LiDAR surveys highlight evidence of planned urban settlements, while AI tools uncover textual data at unprecedented scale. Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and inscription digitization further democratize access, shifting historical interpretation away from colonial gatekeeping toward global collaboration. Additionally, digital archaeoastronomy confirms the remarkable astronomical precision embedded in ancient Indian texts, including accurate references to planetary cycles and temporal relativity, underscoring their empirical foundations. Digital technologies provide empirical validation of ancient Indian knowledge systems, reframing them as precursors to modern science rather than myth. By moving from text-based historiography to data-driven archaeology, this research underscores the significance of technology in decolonizing history. The results highlight that the digital era is not only preserving cultural memory but also proving its scientific foundations, enabling a more accurate global understanding of human intellectual evolution.