Career
He is best known as the author of Sadratnamala, a treatise on astronomy and mathematics, composed in 1819. One of Varman"s contribution to mathematics was his computation of the value of the mathematical constant π correct to 17 decimal places. Varman was born as a younger prince in the principality of Katattanad, in North Malabar, Kerala, in the year 1774.
He had two elder brothers, the eldest being Raja Udaya varma, the ruler of the principality, and second one being Rama Varma, the crown prince.
Local people referred to Varman as Appu Thampuran. Katattanad principality was under the suzerainty of the Zamorin of Calicut.
The family deity of Sankara Varman was Goddess Parvati installed in the temple of Lokamalayarkavu and he was also a devotee of Lord Krisna. Varman completed the composition of Sadratnamala in 1819.
He also wrote a Malayalam commentary on Sadratnamala.
Two versions of the text of Sadratnamala and their commentaries have been discovered. A critical examination of the manuscripts suggests that both are written by Varman, one being a revision of the other. This brought the principality of Katattanad also into close contact with the Travancore Royal Family.
Varman was especially attached to Maharaja Swati Tirunal (1813-1847).
Varman was an astute astrologer. There is a legend that he predicted the time of his own death as being in 1839, the year in which he died.
Whish spoke of him and his work thus: "The author of Sadratnamalah is SANCARA VARMA, the younger brother of the present Raja of Cadattanada near Tellicherry, a very intelligent man and acute mathematician.
