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Bahi‐Khata: The Pre‐Pacioli Indian Double‐entry System of Bookkeeping
Author(s) -
NIGAM B. M. LALL
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
abacus
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.632
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-6281
pISSN - 0001-3072
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6281.1986.tb00132.x
Subject(s) - bookkeeping , classics , history , accounting , economics
The earliest treatise on accounting is generally thought to be Pacioli's Summar of 1494. The Bahi‐khata is a double‐entry system of bookkeeping that predates the ‘Italian’ method by many centuries. Its existence in India prior to the Greek and Roman empires suggests that Indian traders took it with them to Italy, and from there the double‐entry system spread through Europe. The Bahi‐khata is described and its double‐entry principles explained.