Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c22.s7.11

v1.c22.s7.11

Pāṇini was born in Śalātura (Lahur) near Taxila and flourished during the middle of the fifth century BC. He mentioned about furnaces having more than one bellow or bahubhastrikā (Aṣṭādhyāyī, 7.3.47). Bellow pipe and pair of bellows with nozzles have been found in the Parthian stratum of Sirkap during the excavations at Taxila. We have discussed the eminence of beryl or vaidūrya in Taxila. Pāṇini had explained (Aṣṭādhyāyī, 4.3.84) that the name of the mineral was derived from Vidura, the city where the gem was processed. Pāṇini's śatamāna coin (Aṣṭādhyāyī, 5.1.27) was probably the punch-marked, bent-bar silver coin unearthed from the fourth century BC stratum of Bhir Mound.