Location: India Length: 21 min
Traditional iron smelting in India goes on today, offering a glimpse into the country's environmental and social history. Early documents declare that the demand for fuel led to deforestation of much of the Deccan Plateau by the 1830s. The film makers set out to found out how this could be true. Their field research reveals numerous and extensive iron-smelting sites marked by thick deposits of black soil, slag and crucibles. The age of these sites is unknown, but agriculture in southern India clearly demanded the smelting of iron and steel.
Directed by Sashi Sivramkrishna
Produced by FAIR/Foundation to Aid Industrial Recovery
Web links:
Kamat's Potpourri: The History, Mystery and Diversity of India
Metallurgical Heritage of India (Materialia Indica)
Monuments of India (Old Stones)
The Origins of Iron-working in India (Archaeology Online; Rakesh Tewari)