History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c26.s3.t2.7

v1.c26.s3.t2.7

The *Rgveda* describes *surā* as an intoxicating liquor distilled after fermenting barley or wild paddy, and it may have had a connection with the hated asuras. Later Vedic literature (Prakash, Om, 1961, pp. 7-33) has *kilala* (a sweetened drink made from fermented cereals), *masana* (a filtered rice gruel liquor) and *pariśruta* (a product of fermentation of flowers and certain grasses). Subsequently numerous products find mention. The *Rāmāyaṇa* has four (Sharma, 1971, pp, 232-242), Kautilya names 12, and Caraka makes mention of no less than 84 kinds of alcoholic liquor. In Table 2, these alcoholic beverages are listed roughly in the order in which they are mentioned in Sanskrit literature.