History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c15.s1.18

c15.s1.18

*Glass.* It has been stated before that Kautilya has made mention of glass (*kacha*) beads in connection with some ornamental work with gold (*kshepana*) The Indians of Kautilya's time were, therefore, acquainted with the process of glass-making. Glass (*kacha*) was differentiated from crystal (*sphatika*) as early as in the days of Susruta (Chap. 46). Pliny also referred to the glass of India as superior to all others (Pliny, 36, 66). He further states (37, 20) that "the people of India by colouring crystals have found a method of imitating various precious stones, beryls in particular". Even in certain literary and poetical works of early India, as also in the great epic, Mahabharata, mention of glass is known to occur at many places. In the drama Vasavadatta (6th century A.D ) mention has been made of glass coloured like the neck of peacock. That the art was of still earlier origin in ancient India has now been proved by the recent discovery of the site of an ancient glass factory, believed to be of about fifth century B.C., at Kopia on the bank of river Anoma near Khalilabad in the Basti district of terai region of the Uttar Pradesha. Excavations of the remains of a Buddhistic stupa near the village of Piprahwa in the same district, not far from Kopia, by Mr Peppe in 1897-98 led to the recovery of a steatite casket from the bed of this stupa. The casket was found to contain the relics of Buddha (bones and ashes) together with some small glass beads, pearls, gold and silver leaves, jewelleries, etc. The surface of the casket has an epigraph in Pali language written in Brahmi script. The glass beads found at Kopia bear a striking resemblance to those contained in the Piprahwa casket, in their texture, material, shape, size and execution. As the inscription on the casket indicates its origin sometime in the fifth century B.C., it might be reasonably assumed that the Kopia beads and those of the Piprahwa casket are the products of the same age and the same place.