An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c23.s3.13

v1.c23.s3.13

The combs from the early historical levels are variously of ivory, bone and flat horn. The combs from NEVASA, NAGARA, BHOKARDAN and TRIPURĪ are all plain. While the combs from NEVASA and TRIPURĪ are of ivory those from NAGARA, of which two are of the early historical and one of the medieval period, are of flat horn. The one from TRIPURĪ has been found in Vihāra 2; according to Dikshit (1955, p. 131) the use of comb was forbidden to the monks and its discovery in a Buddhist monastery ‘indicates that the laws were not very strictly adhered to in later times’. An ivory comb containing on both sides beautiful figures including *mithuna* couples has been found in early Sātavāhana levels from Dhulikatta in Dt Karimnagar (personally seen by the writer in the Andhra Pradesh Department of Arch. and Museums, Hyderabad).