Chapter 1 - In the Temple's Coolness Summary and Analysis

The Man Who Knew Infinity begins with a description of the Indian town Kumbakonam and the notable Cauvery river. The great mathematician Ramanujan, the subject of the book, lived most of his life in Kumbakonam, although his mother Komalatammal, traveled back to her ancestral home in Erode, about 250 km southwest of the Southern Indian metropolis of Madras. Ramanujan was born on Thursday, December 22, 1887 in Erode. Although one day he would be known the world over simply as "Ramanujan", his full name was Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar. As his name indicates, Ramanujan was a member of the Brahmin caste, specifically the Branch of Brahmins dedicated to the worship of the Hindu god Shiva.

In early childhood, Ramanujan suffered from a case of smallpox that left his face pockmarked for the rest of his...