Essay name: Minerals and Metals in Sanskrit literature
Author:
Sulekha Biswas
Affiliation: Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj University / Department of Sanskrit
This essay studies the presence of Minerals and Metals in Sanskrit literature over three millennia, from the Rigveda to Rasaratna-Samuccaya. It establishes that ancient Indians were knowledgeable about various minerals and metallurgy prior to the Harappan era, with literary references starting in the Rgveda.
Chapter 6 - Minerals and Metals in the Indian Epics
2 (of 17)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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VI-2
Thermoluminescence dating by BARC, Bombay, has established
that the settlement at Bhagwanpura started around 3000 B.C. and the
change-over to the PGW culture took place around 1220 B.C. (Joshi
and Madhubala, 1982: 193-94); this transition occurred between the
sixth and seventh layers in the site. The onset of the PGW culture
at the Mahabharata site of Hastinapura, and also at Atranjikhera,
took place around 1100 B.C.; in these sites the earlier cultures
thrived on OCP wares. At Bhagwanpura, the excavations yielded
terracotta ear ornaments, bangles of copper, shell, faience and
glass, ghata-shaped beads, semi-precious stone beads, bone and
ivory hair-pins, violin-shaped Mother Goddess (Sarasvati?) statues,
wheeled terracotta rams (vahana of Sarasvati?). Oval structures
made of baked bricks found at Bhagwanpura, Dadheri, Nagar and
Katpalon most possibly had religions affiliations (Joshi, 1987:19-23).
This region of the Sarasvati valley was considered to be holy in the
later age of the epics, and quite significantly we find the principal
characters of the epics, such as Balarama in Mahabharata, undertaking
elaborate pilgrimage tours in this area.
Apart from Hastinapur and Ahichchhatra, the Mahabharata
story also refers to Indraprastha (modern Delhi) and Dwarka as
important sites. For obvious reasons detailed excavations could
not be undertaken in the city of Delhi. However the recent marine
archaeological excavation of the submerged port of Dwarka has
yielded important evidences and a significant date (Rao, 1988:47-53).
Off the shore of the modern Dwarka, lies the ruin of the
mid-second millennium B.C. port of Dvaraka or Dvaravati, founded
