Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c42.1

v2.c42.1

The Indian epics, *Rāmāyaṇa* and *Mahābhārata*, constitute a part of the nation’s sacred traditions respected by millions. On the other hand, the tradition of archaeology is to unveil truth and not to romanticize the cavalcade of myths. The Ayodhyā archaeology seems to start with the PGW culture, whereas the Hastināpur excavations show that its earlier OCP culture may be dated before 1200 BC. Thus, contary to the popular notion, the date of the story is earlier for the *Mahābhārata*, to which most of our remarks would be confined. We would briefly mention the *Rāmāyaṇa* and the Buddhist literatures towards the end.