Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c26.s3.t1: Journey Down the Zawar Mala Mines
Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c26.s3.t1
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Journey Down the Zawar Mala Mines
v1.c26.s3.t1.1
Ancient workings are found at outcrops on the ridge of Zawar Mala, and as deep as the 470 m (above sea) levels of the modern Zawar Mala mine, some 120 m below surface. The upper parts accessible from there were a few tens of metres below surface, isolated by a roof fall. At the surface, mine openings occur at intervals of 50 m or so. Willies (1987) investigated one mine of more commodious proportion—Pratapkhan or Pratap’s mine—in which Rana Pratap Singh, rival of Akbar took refuge during AD 1595-1600. A flat ‘room’ floored with phyllite slabs is inferred as Pratap’s refuge. The quarried materials used to feed a zinc smelter just below the narrow valley.
v1.c26.s3.t1.2
The highest and possibly oldest workings are formed of small arched chambers, some 3 m across. Draughting strongly, the upper area was above water table, and was worked by a form of pillar and stall, with both pillars and openings very characteristically rounded by fire-setting. There was evidence of retreat-working of the pillars, producing wide or high chambers depending on the form of the high-grade orebody. Dumping of waste was systematically done, and debris from fireholes neatly stacked, thus the actual working areas being kept very clear.
v1.c26.s3.t1.3
The method of excavation seems to have combined fire-setting and hammer-gad work. Mining tools like iron-chisels and pestle-shaped hammers were found. Lower still in the workings, the mine has been worked almost entirely by fire-setting, with very little gadwork being evident. A sample of timber from a set of steps near altitude of 558 m (32 m depth from the surface) has yielded a date of 170 BC. Nearby a rubble stone-built promontory (vide fig. 18.1) juts out from the waste-heaps. Also found at this spot was a ‘baby-bath’ sized earthenware water-container.
v1.c26.s3.t1.4
The path then leads to a spectacular area of double arching (536 m altitude). From here, the path leads downdip across the strike of the beds. In this Wide Stope were found fireset holes, timber props, shallow trenches and several wooden launders to convey mine drainage water. One of these launders yielded a radiocarbon age of AD 60.
v1.c26.s3.t1.5
At this 500 m altitude (90 m depth from the surface) was found one 5 litre capacity pottery water vessel. Hegde (1989: 89) identified several such pear-shaped pots (probably used for keeping water) as Ahicchatra 10 A type datable to the last quarter of the first millennium BC.
v1.c26.s3.t1.6
At the bottom of the ‘Wide Stope’ (altitude 479.6 m), a ‘finger-stope’ has been developed. These are down-dip (30-40º angle) fireset inclines about 3-5 m diameter. This stope had been cut by the 470 m modern mine level, and the bottom was entirely removed before adequate photography was available.
v1.c26.s3.t1.7
Eastwardly along the strike from the double arches area, a path leads to a large ‘Timber Chamber’, which is characterised by many vertical timbers revetting large heaps of small fire-setting debris, to form a platform. This has been used possibly as a hauling position from finger-stopes down-dip (suggestive of some form of haulage apparatus-windlass or man-powered wheel?) and certainly as a means of removing a pillar of an earlier working. An wooden bipod in the chamber yielded an age of 140 BC.
v1.c26.s3.t1.8
From the Timber Chamber, the path led via a 1 m high step and circular (firehole) opening to a further large chamber, called the Main Chamber, of the order of 30 m across, and perhaps 20 m high, developed on the dip. A large long stope extends slightly eastwardly across the dip downwards for over 80 m. The forefield going a little lower than 470 m was presumably limited by inflow of water. Burnt wood residues correspond to a date of 200 BC. There were large amounts of bamboo and acacia burnt fragments in the area and also pottery lamps (*pradīpa* or *diyā*) kept on ledges for illumination.
v1.c26.s3.t1.9
The use of good paths, ladderways, semi-fixed lamps, neat stacking of waste rock etc. suggested the use of a large labour force. “One has a mental picture of perhaps some hundreds of persons at work, some carrying fuel or support timber in, and ore and rock waste out, probably using baskets carried on the head, with others conveying water in a similar way”. (Willies, 1987: 86)
v1.c26.s3.t1.10
The combination of major ventilation problems due to fire-setting, the oxides of carbon and sulphur, particulate materials, high humidity etc. must have made working conditions difficult at best.