Metallurgy and Alchemy in Ancient India I Dr Veenus Jain I Ancient Indian Science and Technology

Man and metals have an age-old relationship. Different periods of early human Civilization have been named after metals. The attributes of gold influenced the mind and heart of Indians so much that they conferred upon the supreme spirit the designation of hirnyagarbha. Some of the Gold and Silver ornaments from Indus Valley sites such as Mohenjodaro are hosted in the National Museum, New Delhi. Kautilya also described the method for refining silver. Zinc is one of the most difficult metals to smelt but ancient Indian metallurgists had mastered the technique of smelting Zinc as is evident from the semi-industrial scale production of Zinc in the Zawar region of Rajasthan. Rasaratnakar provides the earliest documentary evidence for the cementation process for brass making and reduction-distillation process for zinc extraction. Wootz steel was widely exported and traded throughout ancient Europe, China, the Arab world, and became particularly famous in the Middle East, where it became known as Damascus steel. Mercury was very popular in ancient India owing to its alchemical significance. The Rasa Ratnasamuccaya describes the extraction and use of copper.The world renowned Bronze sculpted statue of the dancing girl from Mohenjodaro is the best example of the Tin mining and smelting technology in ancient India. In various parts of India mirrors made of Bronze have also been found. An important metal referred to in Rigveda is ayas.An iron pillar known as Mehrauli pillar inscription weighing over 6 tonnes, more than 7 metres tall is constructed in a single forge and is erected on top of the Vishnupada hill (in modern central India) with sanskrit inscriptions on it in the brahmi script about the great gupta ruler Chandragupta Vikramaditya during the Gupta dynasty’s rule in 320-540 AD.Later the founder of delhi, Tomar king Anangapala brings it to delhi and installs it in its current place . The other one is near Bangalore in kannur where there is 750 centimeters of rain a year 6 to 8 months and this is been there for 2400 years and it is rust proof . There were experts in the preparation of a variety of metallic salts, compounds and alloys, pharmaceutical preparations, distillation of scents for making perfumes and fragrances as well as cosmetics. nearly three thousand years back, Indians knew the art of making glass and coloring it with metal salts. In ancient India, glass was used to make beads, bangles and laboratory ware It is appropriate to mention that it is the Muslims who took much of the Hindu chemistry, medicine, astronomy, and mathematics, and other branches of science and technology to the Near East and then to Europe. It is well established that the secret of the manufacturing of Damascus-steel was taken by the Arabs from Persians and the Persians from India.

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