Fire‑Arms in Ancient India (Part III)
Summary
In the concluding part of a series on the history of firearms in India, the author examines textual evidence for guns and gunpowder in Sanskrit and vernacular sources. He discusses references to nārācā, metal‑bound arrows mentioned in the Dhanurveda, and nālikā, described as hollow tubes used to shoot projectiles. The paper cites the Śukranīti and the Vāsiṣṭha Dhanurveda to argue that terms like rathakā refer to explosives and that early Indian craftsmen understood the principle of using confined powder to propel a missile. A section is devoted to recipes for gunpowder (rāyasya) composed of sulphur, charcoal and saltpetre found in medieval alchemical texts. The author rejects the theory that firearms reached India from the Middle East in the fourteenth century, arguing instead that proto‑guns were indigenous inventions later improved by contact with the West. Comparisons are made with Chinese and Arab treatises.
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Conclusion
The article concludes that the knowledge of explosive mixtures and projectile weapons existed in India long before the arrival of Europeans. While early devices were crude compared to later muskets, they demonstrate experimentation with combustion and pressure. The author suggests that further comparative study of technical terms in Sanskrit treatises could illuminate the indigenous contribution to the global history of firearms.