History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c20.s4.t1.8

v1.c20.s4.t1.8

Safflower (*kusumbha* - *Carthamus tinctorius*) which contains an oil producing seed and a dye which produces a rich shade of rose pink was also widely used all over India. It contains water soluble yellow and water insoluble red components, the two producing an orange hue. When combined with other flowers like *harsingār* (*Nyctanthes arborist*) it gives deep orange, gold orange and salmon colours. Al (*Morinda tinctora*) which is grown extensively in North India has its colouring substance in the bark of the root rather than the stem. It was used for printing designs on textiles, mixed with linseed oil. The bark of the lodhra tree (*Sympolocas racemosa*) which yields a crimson dye was used for dyeing silks. Sappan wood (*Caesalpinia*), a reddish wood yielding red colour was compounded with acid and alkali to obtain yellow and violet colours. *Kusṭha* (*Costus speciosa*) is a well-known plant of the Himalayas. Its leaves which yield a colour of bright gold were used as one of the ingredients in colouring copper (*Dhātuvāda*, 12; Ray, p. 146).