History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c12.s1.t3.1

v1.c12.s1.t3.1

Lay Jains are believed to be responsible for mining copper in Rajasthan many centuries ago. Evidence of same type of work as in Rakha mines are found in a number of workings now known as Khetri copper mines in Rajasthan which occur in a long range of quartzite hills in Rajasthan. Along a length of 15 miles (24 km) numerous openings are met on the crest of these hills connected to underground excavations which in some cases open out into considerable underground excavations worked out areas. These in some cases are a few hundred feet long and up to 40 ft (12.19 m) wide. Tunnels fan out from these open excavations following rich lodes of ore and workings have reached to a depth of 500 ft (152.40 m) below the hill top. The underground galleries or tunnels are 5 ft × 4ft (1.5 m × 1.2m) or 4ft × 3ft (1.2 m × 0.91 m) and have their sides notched or cut so as to allow ingress and engress without the use of ladders. In order to get fresh air the ancients drove galleries to puncture the hill sides at several places and dilute the vitiated atmosphere. The age of these mines is reckoned to be Chalcolithic Age, (Bose, 1968).