Thank you, Prof. Bhattacharya. I have just read the article proposed by Lubomir Ondracka, and it makes reference to Lal's work. Glass beads and use of glass for pottery glazes seems to have a very long history in India indeed. However, there was nothing in the article on bottles or glass vessels, except for an unreferenced claim that glass vessels are mentioned in the Amarakośa.
The Suśrutasaṃhitā seems to describe glass plates (Sūtrasthāna 46.453), but the earliest mention of a glass bottle I could find in medical literature was in the Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā. I am sure it also occurs in alchemical literature.
With kind regards,
Dagmar Wujastyk

On 7 July 2016 at 14:28, Dipak Bhattacharya <dipak.d2004@gmail.com> wrote:

7.6.16

Dear Professor Wujastyk,

Though this is in reply to your mail it does not directly address the question you raised. Hence  I apologize. Still, what I may point out for you is that the existence of glass was evidenced in the second level from below at Hastināpurā dated circa 1100 – 800 BC by B.B.Lal (ASI Annual Bulletin, No.5 1954-55). There is a discussion on the matter.  I do not know of anyone having questioned Lal’s dating and finding.

Incidentally I might refer to the earlier views of Karl Hoffmann who assumed kāca to be a borrowed word from OP kāsa. I made a long discussion on the matter in 2004, but that was in Bengali. I have not yet been able to complete an attempted English translation of the monograph.   

I shall be glad if this helped in any way.

Best

Dipak Bhattacharya


On Thu, Jul 7, 2016 at 1:32 PM, Dagmar Wujastyk <d.wujastyk@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear all,

Can anyone point me to publications on the making and use of glassware in ancient India? I am particularly interested in bottles (kūpī), as these appear relatively late in medical literature in the context of alchemical procedures.

Many thanks!

Dagmar


Dr Dagmar Wujastyk
University of Vienna
Institute for South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies
Spitalgasse 2, Hof 2.7
1090 Vienna
Austria


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