Iron in Ancient India c8.s1.1

c8.s1.1

From the enormous deposits of iron slag and cinder in many parts of India it is evident that iron was extensively manufactured from its ores in various places throughout India. The ores of iron described in the Arthashāstra of Kautilya, as mentioned before, are evidently hæmatites. Hæmatites were known in Hindu medico-chemical literature as gairik, and the bright red variety or red hæmatite was called subarna gairik (golden gairik).¹ Gairik is mentioned in the Amarkosha. It was also used as a dye for dyeing clothes. Iron pyrites was known in Aurvedic literature as tāpya or rauppa-mākhika (silver pyrites). Two varieties of tāpya are mentioned in Charaka and Sushruta (third century B.C.) and latterly copper and iron pyrites were designated as swarna-mākhika (golden pyrites) and rauppa-mākhika.