Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c42.s2.t1.21

v2.c42.s2.t1.21

Diamond or *vajra* was very popular for its brightness *vajrasārojjvalāni* (5.98.10), but we do not know how much earlier before the first century AD (when Pannā mine was exploited), the actual diamond-mining had started in India. Sapphire (blue *indranila* 12.326.5) was obtained from the gem-beds of Sri Lanka which contained more sapphire-blue variety of corundum, and less of ruby-red variety of the same mineral.