Indian metallurgy, alchemy and tantra

[Peter Wyzlic]

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 14:45:08 -0500, Dean Anderson <dean_anderson at SACARI.ORG>
wrote:

>Does anyone have any reputable sources on Indian metallurgy, alchemy and
>tantra from about the sixth to the tenth century AD?

Praphulla Chandra Ray's "History of chemistry in ancient and medieval India"
might be a starting point. This work was first published in two volumes
1902-1909; in 1956 appeared an edition in one volume (there may exist newer
reprints).

A more recent work is David Gordon White:  The alchemical body : Siddha
traditions in medieval India. - Chicago ; London : University of Chicago
Press, 1996. - xviii, 596 pp.
The table of contents:
1. Indian Paths to Immortality -- 2. Categories of Indian Thought: The
Universe by Numbers -- 3. The Prehistory of Tantric Alchemy -- 4. Sources
for the History of Tantric Alchemy in India -- 5. Tantric and Siddha
Alchemical Literature -- 6. Tantra in the Rasarnava -- 7. Corresponding
Hierarchies: The Substance of the Alchemical Body -- 8. Homologous
Structures of the Alchemical Body -- 9. The Dynamics of Transformation in
Siddha Alchemy -- 10. Penetration, Perfection, and Immortality -- Epilogue:
The Siddha Legacy in Modern India.

Hope it helps
Peter Wyzlic