Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c24.s1.t4.3

v1.c24.s1.t4.3

The beryl trade from the Tamil lands is mentioned by Pliny and Ptolemy. Pliny knew that the Greek equivalent of beryl, enerros, was derived from the Sanskrit word Vaidūrya or Veluriya. Huntingford observed (1980: 71) that the reference to the beryl trade is missing in the *Periplus*. It could be on account of some political struggle between the different South Indian kingdoms during that era.