Panorama Of Gems & Jewellery In Indian Historical Setting

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The book portrays the profile of Gems and Jewellery in the Indian Histrical perspective. It dabbles in sources and geographical distribution of gems, physical and chemical properties theirof and their working, occult and religious association and treatment of Jewels for Jewellery. It is a bid, a venture to trace the career of gems from their matrix to Jewellery-forms and to retrieve them from dim recesses of time, distant interiors and dark corridors of centuries. The present work also broaches the nature and extent of their viability in relation to social environment, ethos and values of civi-lizational entities. It is a corollary to the author's monograph entitled, A history of Gem Industry in Ancient and Medieval India, (Part 1, South India), published earlier.

Dr. M. S. Shukla, presently Reader, Department of A.I.H.C. and Archaeology, B.H.U., is a keen and dedicated researcher on art history of India in particular relation to its contemporary, kindred and parallel developments beyond. He has taken up the dynamics of the whole Asian art history in his interpretation of Indian art history. He has worked out the saga of art at International level in his research to explain the nodal developments as well as regional stories. This is a continuing focuss of his write-up under publication i.e. Pageant of Asian and Indian art' and studies in Indian architecture, art and aesthetics.

An alumuni of B.H.U. with a meritorious academic record, Dr. Shukla has been a teacher there and also at Allahabad University. He has been principally associated with the teaching of south Indian History and India's cultural contact in Asia. Both the subjects have shared his interest and range of enquiry. His researches have been focussing upon them. Besides papers on the latter area, Dr. Shukla's publication comprises researches on economic aspects of South India e.g. gem Industry. Dr. Shukla has also carried and pursued studies on Indian epigraphy and has two monographs published in Hindi on this area.

India has been known for gems and precious stones for a long time during Ancient and Medieval period and the historical notices down to the early modern period have put on record the seats of Indian gem industry. Literary references to gems hail from Vedic period and are corroborated by further literary and inscriptional references. The foreign accounts begin to trace them in the Classical epoch and persist to allude to them until the British period in India. The researches of the geologist and archaeological finds have helped tracing back gems in their historical matrix and before the historical age in India.

A legendary glow has surrounded and seceded the histories of some celebrated Indian gems and India has been famous for fairly long periods of time for the finds of the Kohi-noor, the Great Moghal, the Nizam, the Pitt or regent. The Golconda mines of diamond have earned the World-wide celebrity for long epochs of history. The south of India has become specially known for its fabulous wealth of gems and jewels and this opulence of South India has been the source of its principal attraction for foreigners during Ancient and Medieval periods. The inventory of a variety of marine and mineral products of gem variety has allured covetous merchants and inquisitive travellers to this part of India for centuries. Most celebrated gem fields and pearl fisheries were formerly situated in this area. Naturally enough, it formed a source of attraction for enterprizers of all sort viz. traders and travellers who resorted to this region for acquisition of knowledge and extraction of wealth.

**Contents and Sample Pages**