Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c5.182

c5.182

The Jātakas mention a large variety of metals such as gold, silver, copper, brass, iron, lead, tin and various kinds of precious metals, crystals (phalikā) gems, diamonds, rubies, pearls and corals² which, however, might not come under indigenous production. True, we have no information as to the method or extent of digging mines, clearing the ores, smelting, and such other processes connected with mining. Besides metals, were to be found hundreds of mineral substances—vinaddhā—such as salt, collyrium, arsenic, yellow orpiment, vermilion, and so on.³ All these would naturally lead us to the conclusion that mining was undertaken to a very great extent, by methods which might not be very scientific in an age prior to Kauṭilya's or Megasthenes's. There remains no doubt, however, looking to the various metal-industries, that India of the Jātaka times was rich in mineral wealth. It may be that some of the rich metals were imported from abroad. But as to the general mineral wealth having been indigenous there seems little doubt.