Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c5.341

c5.341

Among the miscellaneous industries, may be mentioned the dye-producing work. This was probably done from leaves like those of haritāla and from vermillion (hiṅgulaka).⁷ Preparation of lac-juice (lakkhārasa) was also an important industry,⁸ as it we largely consumed by the ladies in adorning their hands and feet.⁹ Various kinds of drugs must also have been prepared, of course from vegetables and such other ingredients, and the science of medicine was highly developed.¹⁰ An instance of a dead body laid in a coffin (doṇi) and embalmed with oil and ointment (telakalale pakkhipāpetvā) and preserved safely,¹¹ gives us an idea of the existence of some kind of chemicals.