In the history of Mathematics, Lilavati occupies an honored place. It is an ancient book on arithmetic written in the twelfth century in which techniques for the solution of problems are simple and easy to use and, moreover, there is a lot of interesting information in the problems presented therein. It was used in India as a textbook for many centuries. The present work is an enlargement of N.H. Phadke's (1902-1973) Marathi work and attempts a thorough mathematical explanation of definitions, formulae, short cuts and methodology as intend by Bhaskaracharya.

Stitches are followed by literal translations so that the reader can enjoy and appreciate the beauty of accurate and musical presentation in Lilavati. For those who are interested in both Sanskrit and Mathematics, Lilavati is an attractive illustrated arithmetized book of stories. The book is useful to school going children, sophomores, teachers, scholars, historians and those working for the cause of mathematics.

The name of the book comes from the author's daughter Lilavati. Many of the problems are addressed to Lilavati herself who must have been a very bright young woman. For example "Oh Lilavati, intelligent girl, if you understand addition and subtraction, tell me the sum of the amounts 2, 5, 32, 193, 18, 10, and 100, as well as [the remainder of] those when subtracted from 10000." and "Fawn-eyed child Lilavati, tell me, how much is the number [resulting from] 135 multiplied by 12, if you understand multiplication by separate parts and by separate digits. And tell [me], beautiful one, how much is that product divided by the same multiplier? "

Lilavati mainly deals with what we call as `Arithmetic' in today's mathematical parlance.

It consists of 279 verses written in Sanskrit in poetic form (terse verses). There are certain

Verses which deal with Mensuration (measurement of various geometrical objects), Volume of pyramid, cylinders, heaps of grains etc., wood cutting, shadows, trigonometric relations and also on certain elements of Algebra such as finding an unknown quantity subject to certain constraints using the method of supposition.

The book contains thirteen chapters, mainly definitions, arithmetical terms, interest computation, arithmetical and geometrical progressions , plane geometry , solid geometry , the shadow of the gnomon, the kuttaka - a method to solve indeterminate equations , and combinations.

Lilavati includes a number of methods of computing numbers such as multiplications, squares, and progressions, with examples using kings and elephants, objects which a common man could understand.

The word Lilavati itself means beautiful or one possessing beauty (lila-beautiful, vati-female possessing the quality).