Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c41.s4.16

v2.c41.s4.16

Beryl is beryllium aluminium silicate with some substitution of beryllium atoms by Na, Li or Cs. Some substitution by chromium makes it bright green emerald, which has been known in India as marakata or pannā (not mentioned in the Arthaśāstra). Pannā, the famous Indian site of diamond in the Madhya Pradesh, might have yielded some emerald (pannā) in the past. The bluish green variety of beryl is known as aquamarine or pāribhadra, and was mentioned in the Arthaśāstra as uptpalavarṇaḥ (like blue lotus). The yellow variety puṣyarāga (yellow like turmeric) (2.11.30) could correspond either to golden beryl (heliodor) or to puṣparāga, an altogether different kind of mineral viz., topaz, which is aluminium fluorosilicate. Gomedaka (2.11.30) was probably brown zircon or garnet. Another variety, chrysoberyl (BeAl₂O₄) is pale greenish yellow and looks like cat’s eye or mārjārakṣaka which is mentioned in the Arthaśāstra under a different context related to diamonds (2.11.39).