Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c5.176

c5.176

MINING. Coming now to mining, we feel that it must have been undertaken quite extensively, though on primitive lines. India has always been famous for its mineral wealth. The oft-quoted passage from Megasthenes is no exaggeration: "And while the soil also underground numerous veins of all sorts of metals, for it contains much gold and silver, and copper and iron in no small quantity, and even tin and other metals which are employed in making articles of use and ornament as well as the implements and accoutrements of war."¹⁶ And the most elaborate treatment of the subject by Kauṭilya¹ leaves no doubt about the fact that mining had reached a stage far above the rudimentary.