Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c6.42

v1.c6.42

**i) Fagoted Iron Forging:** As a kind of high-quality steel product, fagoted iron was a significant item in the history of India-China exchanges in technology. Metallurgical techniques in ancient India were rather developed. The “Delhi Iron Pillar” forged in about the 4ᵗʰ century is a typical representative example of this technology. As far as steel-making technologies are concerned, India developed a kind of ultra-high carbon steel, namely the Wootz steel, which was produced after refinement in a cauldron. Later introduced in areas of ancient Persia, Damascus (Syria) and Europe, this was widely known as “Indian iron”. The Sanskrit name of fagoted iron was “pina” as mentioned in Li yan’s *Fan yu za ming* (*Miscellaneous Names in Sanskrit*) compiled in the Tang Dynasty. Hui Lin points out in volume XXXV of the book, *Yi qie jing yin yi* (*Sounds and Meanings of All the Sutras*), that the “fagoted iron came from Kophen (present Kashmir) and foreign countries mixed it with other iron. This was refined and superior to other iron.” The *Wei shu: Xi yu zhuan* (*Book of the Wei Dynasty: Legend of the Western Regions*) notes in general that Persian products included fagoted iron and the earliest record appeared in the literature on the history of the Han Dynasty. Records related to fagoted iron in *Zhou shu* (*Book of the Zhou Dynasty*) and the *Sui shu* (*Book of the Sui Dynasty*) are, however, earlier than that of *Wei shu* (*Book of the Wei Dynasty*). Following the records in early Chinese literature, it can be said that the central plains of China began to learn about the foreign fagoted iron sourced from Persia and Caoguo (same as Jibin/ Kapisha/ Kashmir) in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Among the translated *sutras*, the earliest reference to fagoted iron is found in *Bu kong juan suo zhou jing* (*Amoghapasha Hridaya Sutra*) translated by Indian Tripitakacharya Jñanagupta in the Sui Dynasty. It says that. “If one’s curses need to be broken, his or her image shall be made with flour, mud or max, and then fagoted iron shall be used as a knife to cut it.” The word “fagoted” had two meanings – firstly, it was the transliteration of a loan word; secondly, it was iron from Jibin (Kashmir). According to Indian Tantric literature such as *Ta luo ni ji jing* (*Dharani-samuccaya Sutra*) translated by Indian Tripitakacharya Atigupta, fagoted iron was used to make Buddhist instruments including vajra pestle with metals such as gold, silver, red copper and tin etc. Yuan Zhen, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in his poem *Feng he che xi da fu Li Deyu shu meng si shi yun* (*Forty Verses Describing Dreams to Respond to the Scholar-official of West Zhejiang Li Deyu*) that “diamond drill cuts jade and fagoted iron sword peels feathers” which meant that knives and swords made from fagoted iron were very sharp.