Copper in Ancient India c12.24

c12.24

We hope we have been able to give some idea about the existence of copper mines in different parts of India in ancient times which are important as affording direct proof of the extraction of copper in ancient India. In addition it would appear that at least in Hindu period copper was also imported from foreign countries. We find in the celebrated lexicon of Amarsingha (sixth century A.D.) that copper has “mlechchha-mukhum” (मलेच्छमुख) or “obtained from malechcha or foreign countries” as a synonym. Again in Rasaratna-samuchchaya (13th century) as has already been noted, we find that copper was divided into two classes—"that obtained from Nepal and that obtained from Mlechchha countries; Mlechchha copper is obtained from mines other than those in Nepal." (p. 60.) Though it is not clear whether the word "other than those in Nepal" refers to mines in foreign countries, yet it is inconceivable that the word "mlechchha" or non-Hindu or foreign would be applied to any mine within India as early as the sixth century A.D. It would thus appear that copper was also imported from other countries to India which possibly did not produce all the copper necessary for industrial purposes.