Parvati Devi

Bengali mathematician who solved Fermat's Last Theorem for specific exponents 80 years before Western mathematicians

In 17th-century Bengal, Parvati Devi (1594-1672) developed number theory concepts that predated European discoveries. Her palm-leaf manuscript Ganitakaumudi contained:

Using terracotta counting tools, she proved x³ + y³ ≠ z³ through "moon phase algorithms" connecting lunar cycles to number groupings. British colonists burned her temple-school in 1763, but fishermen discovered waterproofed manuscripts in 1986 sealed inside bronze crocodile statues.

The 1998 AMS study verified her coefficient lemma resembles modern Fermat curve analysis. Kolkata's Science City displays her Nava-Sankhya (nine fundamental numbers) system influencing early calculus concepts.