Indragopa (was Re: lac insect)

[Stella Sandahl]

Indeed, the indragopa cannot have been the cochineal. But the real South
American cochineal, Coccus Cacti, was introduced into India in the late 18th
century. See article in George Watt: The Commercial Products of India
(abridged version) p.347-349.
Stella Sandahl

on 21/04/05 13:26, Dominik Wujastyk at d.wujastyk at UCL.AC.UK wrote:

> Indragopa insect: Most of the Indic dictionaries say `cochineal' which
> can't be true because that's S. American.  I thought for a while it was
> this red/black wasp.  But again, probably not.  I now believe I've got
> good authorities for thinking that indragopa = indragopaa = lac =
> laaksaa = Kerria lacca (Kerr.).
>
>
> Dominik
>
>
>
> On Thu, 21 Apr 2005, Allen W Thrasher wrote:
>
>> While we're on this, does anyone know the scientific name of the the
>> indragopa, a bright red beetle, which I was under the impression was
>> bright red and about the size (I would estimate 3-4 mm long) of what in
>> the US we call a ladybug or ladybird? (The latter is also bright red,
>> but with black spots.)  Monier-Williams says it is the lac insect, but I
>> doubt that.  Among other things, as I recall in kavya it is mentioned
>> that the indragopa comes out in the monsoons and is found in the grass
>> or herbage, whereas the lac insect dwells on certain trees or shrubs,
>> and is not associated with any particular season.  A standard trope is
>> to compare indragopas to drops of blood, or the reverse.
>>
>> I also thought I remembered that in Wasson's Soma book there was a
>> discussion of the indragopa and its association with soma in India and
>> of similar beetles and the fly agaric elsewhere.  But I had a quick look
>> at the book and saw no such thing in the text or index, just a
>> discussion of the associations of the plants with flies.
>>
>> I will have to look at the Opie's book on nursery rhymes, sub "Ladybug,
>> ladybug, fly away home."  I am quite sure I read someplace that the
>> association of such small bright red beetles with divine beings (Our
>> Lady, Indra) is very widespread.
>>
>> I once saw a lot of bright but very tiny bugs or other non hard-shelled
>> insects (not beetles) in Jahanara Park in Delhi during the monsoon, and
>> wondered if that could be the indragopa, but they were so small I
>> wondered how they could be compared to drops of blood in size.
>>
>> Allen
>>
>>
>> Allen W. Thrasher, Ph.D.
>> Senior Reference Librarian
>> Southern Asia Section
>> Asian Division
>> Library of Congress
>> Jefferson Building 150
>> 101 Independence Ave., S.E.
>> Washington, DC 20540-4810
>> tel. 202-707-3732
>> fax 202-707-1724
>> athr at loc.gov
>> The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Library of
>> Congress.
>>
>