An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c23.s2: 18.2 Caskets
An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c23.s2
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18.2 Caskets
v1.c23.s2.1
Toilet caskets are vessels or containers which could be identified as those for keeping toilet articles such as perfumes, unguents, antimony, kohl, etc. The earliest clearly identifiable example of a toilet casket is a fluted kohl or cosmetic jar of cast bronze (?) from Chanhudaro (Mackay, 1943, p. 177, pls. LXXIII, 39 and LXXVI, 32) whose ‘narrow mouth (0·22 inch, 5·58 mm) and the long neck . . . suggest that it was made to hold a fine powder such as kohl.’ Mackay also identified some of the miniature vessels from Chanhu-daro as either cosmetic jars (*ibid.*, pl. XXVII, 68-78, 81-92) or kohl jars (*ibid.*, pls. XXXIX, 22 and 26, XXVII, 73 and 92). Some of the small pottery jars from Chanhu-daro with a minute hole drilled on either side in their rims were also considered by Mackay to have ‘once contained some cosmetic, and it was thought necessary to hang them up to protect their contents from mice and ants’ (*ibid*., p. 68, pls. XXVII, 84, 89, 92 and XXXIX, 22). The faïence [16.6] toilet jars from Mohenjo-daro (Marshall, 1931, p. 365, pl. CI, 3 and 10; Mackay, 1938, p. 318, pl. CV, 34 and 35) also had two minute holes perforated on the flanged rim for suspension.
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Vessels, variously of bronze, silver, faïence, alabaster and pottery, have been found at Mohenjo-daro (Marshall, 1931, pp. 365-66, pl. CI. 8; Mackay, 1938, p. 194, pls. LV, 27, LX, 31a, CXLI, 60, pp. 211, 317, 450, pls. LXIV, 42, CXXVIII, 18, CXXXIII, 5, pp. 317-8, 21, 22, pls. LVI, 24, CV, 34 and 35, CXLIII, 12 and 13, pp. 321-3, pl. CXLII, 42, 43 and 52) and Harappa (Vats, 1940, pp. 311-2, pl. LXXXII, 30 and 16) which were perhaps used as containers for cosmetics as is evident from traces inside these variously of collyrium, kohl, cerussite, etc. (Marshall, 1931, p. 365; Mackay, 1938, pp. 322-3; Vats, 1940, p. 312). It is likely that the miniature pottery vases (Mackay, 1938, p. 194, pls. LV, 27, CXLI, 60) found at the Harappa sites which simulate the shapes of bronze, faïence and alabaster vases also served the purpose of keeping cosmetics. From the shapes of some of the faïence jars it appears that they were kept in toilet boxes or other receptacles. The compartmented stone vessels found at Mohenjo-daro (Marshall, 1931, p. 369, pl. CXXXI, 36 and 37; Mackay, 1938, p. 321, pl. CXLII, 43a and 45) could also have served as toilet boxes.
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No known examples of toilet caskets have so far been reported from the Chalcolithic [4.14] sites. The next known examples are from the NBPW [4.18.1] to the Gupta levels as reported from PRAKASH, NOH, UJJAIN CHANDRAKETUGARH, NEVASA, SAMBHAR and Taxila (Marshall, 1951) and are variously of bone, ivory, steatite, soapstone, etc. Among these the ‘perfume casket with a delicately worked stopper’ made by carefully scooping out the bone-marrow and having a polished surface’ from PRAKASH is a fine specimen. In this context Thapar has referred to a similar caskets in metal from UJJAIN where bone and soapstone caskets have also been reported. It can only be surmised that the steatite and soapstone caskets from NOH, SUGH and SAMBHAR were used for holding cosmetics unlike the caskets found at Buddhist sites where these were used as reliquaries [12.8].
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The largest variety and number of toilet caskets of schist or steatite are from Taxila, where these have been found from the Śaka-Parthian period at Sirkap and the Dharmarājikā sites and are either globular and slightly squat, cylindrical and tall, cylindrical and shallow, spherical with a closely fitting lid or square in shapes (Marshall, 1952, pp. 498-500, pl. 141, 98-105). Most if not all of the toilet caskets are decorated and have been found along with their lids. Caskets of gold, silver, copper and agate, apart from those of slate and pottery (*ibid*., pp. 134, 587-8) and stone unguent vases (*ibid*., p. 492, pls. 141, 58 and f, 143 r and s) have also been found at Taxila. In fact it is also likely ‘that some of the caskets found in *stūpas* may originally have been used as ordinary jewel-boxes’ (*ibid*., p. 587). From VAIŚĀLĪ are reported small pots which actually contained gold and silver objects and beads of semiprecious stones. In the Jandial temple, Sirkap, was found ‘a small phial of limestone, which was probably meant for some unguent or kohl’ and which was of the late historical period (Marshall, 1951, p. 492, pl. 141 g).
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Recalling the shape of stone caskets from Taxila (Marshall, 1951, p. 499, pl. 141 O and U) is a flat-based blackish soapstone casket found in the Indo-Roman levels at NEVASA.
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Toilet caskets are reported from MAHESHWAR as well where they were found on the surface or in the topmost deposits which belong to the Maratha period.
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Mackay, E.J.H., 1938, *Further Excavations at Mohenjo-daro*, Delhi; 1943, *Chanhu-daro Excavations 1935-6*, New Haven. Marshall, J., 1931, *Mahenjo-daro & the Indus Civilization*, London; 1951, *Taxila*, Cambridge. Vats, M.S., 1940, *Excavations at Harappa*, Delhi. For other sites see respective entries in vol. II.—B.M. PANDE