Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c28.s8.t5.9

v1.c28.s8.t5.9

The Newar artistes of Nepal often preferred pure copper for casting (brass was of course known in Nepal; during the second half of eighth century AD, one Nepalese king was known as ‘king of brass’). The preference for copper in Nepal was for (a) its attractive red colour, (b) the prevalent religio-aesthetic tradition connecting it to purity, (c) its advantages for mercury gilding. (Lo Bue, 1981a: 48) In the seventh century AD, Hiuen-Tsang and the text Cakradatta of 1050 AD specifically referred to Nepalese copper; the late thirteenth century AD text Rasaratnasamuccaya mentioned about its purity. However considering the trace impurities of the sample No. 8 in Table 20.9 it does not seem that highly pure native copper was used. Some copper might have been obtained from the Kamraz mines in Kashmir as mentioned in Kalhaṇa’s Rājatarangiṇī.