hi; its quite possible she was referring to normal sand casting method rather than lost wax. this is one of the oldest methods of making statues.By the 7th century metal statues were very much in vogue. Forging steel was there in India, Mysore and Tanjore, long before the 7th century (3rd century, i think). Infact swords from Mysore and Tanjore were incredibly famous that the Persians had thier sowrds made here. The steel is called Ukku steel. "Ukku" is a Kannada word. Kannadigas in this group can explain more about this word. The Sword of Tipu Sultan is a super example of this Indian craftmanship. The process of making swords is really fascinating. The forger bends layer upon layer of white hot steel. In between each layer a small amount of acid powder (i forgot the name of the acid) is added to prevent rusting between the layers. 3-4 inches of steel is forged when white hot to become a few millimeters thick. This makes the swords incredibly strong. Indian swords were the first ever to have curved blades. Till then swords the world over had straight blades. Curved blades make removing from the scabbard faster and smoother. Even the japanese Samurai copied this from us. This is not a mere theory, there are enough books and evidences to support this. Some even say the British were keen on India because of Ukku steel swords. Mittal and Tata becoming steel barons is not a flash in the pan. India was the leading steel producer and worker from the 3rd century till the 17th century.
Dear Doctor; Wootz is the western term for Ukku steel. Ive read it as Ukku only. Probably the Kannadigas in this group can clarify this.
"There is evidence of Wootz steel being made in India in 300BC. It was then known as Crucible Steel.The Sanskrit word ayas, which occurs in the sacred Hindu scriptures of the Vedas (conventionally dated about ca 1500 BC), is very similar to the Indo-European or Indo-Germanic word for iron, eisen, from which the word iron itself derives. Iron seems to have been used in India from about the late second millennium BC. The forging of wrought iron reached its zenith in India in the first millennium AD."
I quote the above from a Wootz aka Ukku steel book i have with me here. Swordmaking is definitely a fascinating skill. We are still using the same process in protoyping here in my company. Swords were the earliest form of customised products. Each sword was mde to the individual's specifications. These processes are still valid today.
dear doctor; yes, it is ukku in kannada and ekhu in tamil. the Express article was nice. It is said the British deliberately ensured that the Indian steel industry did not flourish from the 17th century. They destroyed 14 centuries of work in just 2 centuries!! Now, slowly, India and Indians are beginning to dominate the same industry. For all of Arcelor's talks about them being perfume and Mittal being eau-de-cologne, they ended being swallowed whole by Mittal.