The Indian subcontinent has a rich, millennia-long tradition of metallurgy – as is unmistakably borne out by researches in the recent past. This volume offers an in-depth, historical study of metallurgy in the eastern part of the subcontinent: right from the earliest times to the present. The volume is itself a part of the Infinity Foundation’s series, History of Indian Science and Technologies that seeks to rediscover the traditional technologies and ancient scientific systems with the objective not only to establish their relevance in modern scenario, but also to make the works on the Indian ‘traditional knowledge system’ (TKS) available to the general readers through the world.

Perhaps the first to exclusively focus on Eastern India and Bangladesh, the book examines a vast variety of metal objects: ranging from tiny coins to the massive iron and brass cannons, that have been unearthed in archaeological excavations and explorations in this region of the subcontinent. In its sweep, it considers the filigree crafts of Orissa, the gigantic iron beams used for building monuments, the traditional ornaments, the utensils of everyday use, and the valuable metallic objects, like images preserved in temples and monasteries, among many others – with a detailed discussion on their manufacturing techniques. Emphasizing all along the value of Indian traditional knowledge systems (TKS), the authors also explore the various traditional technologies of extraction of metals from the ores.

Dr Pranab Chattopadhyay is currently Senior Fellow, Centre for Archaeological Studies and Training, Eastern India. Dr Gautam Sengupta is Director General, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi.