Iron in Ancient India c9.s2.10

c9.s2.10

The Sanskrit equivalent for steel is *tikshna*. The word occurs in the *Arthasāstra* (p. 83) and in the *Sushruta* (see *ayaskriti*), but it is doubtful if the word meant any particular *kind* of iron in those ancient times. In the *Rasaratna-samucchaya* six varieties of *tikshna* iron are mentioned (see p. 45). In the *Bhāvaprakāsha* (sixteenth century) steel is called *shār-lauha*, and is described as a "kind of iron which when treated with acid becomes as sharp as the peak of a mountain."