History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c26.s2.t2.29

v1.c26.s2.t2.29

Many objects from these Vedic times are instantly recognisable as being in use even today. The *culli* is the *cūlā* of the present, the spit is in use by Rajputs for roasting a whole pig to give a dish called *śūlā*, the scraping utensil *dhṛṣṭi* is now the *kunti*, the flat grinding stone *dṛṣad* with its cylindrical roller is found in every Indian kitchen, and a deep form of the stone mortar with its stout upright grinding stone is an essential item in a south Indian home. *Kalāśas*, *kumbhas* and *pātras* are all with us, often in metallic form, as are the *bharjanapātra* as *kaḍāhi* (from *kaṭāha*, a word of Prakrit origin (Sagar, 1933, p. 184) that occurs in the *Rāmāyaṇa*, *Suśruta Saṃhitā* and *Sūryasiddānta* (Monier Williams, 1851, p.549), the *ajyasthālī* as *tāvā*, and the small waisted cylindrical kitchen mortars for pounding spices. Leaf plates and cups, then *pātrāvali*, now *patroli* or *paṭṭal*, are still in use. Some old utensils have altered. The small soma pounder is now a tall cylindrical vessel to be worked by a person while standing, and the *sthālī* has changed its name to *thālī*, and its function from a cooking to an eating utensil.