Journal of Manufacturing Engineering, September, 2013, Vol. 8, Issue.

3, pp 145-148

STUDIES ON PANCHA LOHA - AN INSIGHT INTO

BHARADWAJA’S VYMANIKA ŚASTRA
Padmashree Anand1, Kulkarni R S2 and Dwarakadasa E S3
1
Research Scholar, Centre for Materials Research and Technology Utilization, RVCE, Bangalore, India
2
Professor, Centre for Materials Research and Technology Utilization, RVCE, Bangalore, India
3
Professor of Metallurgy (Retd.), IISc., Bangalore – 560012, India

ABSTRACT
There are references to ancient aircraft materials and processing methods in ancient Indian
scientific works like Samarangana Sutradhara and Bharadwaja’s Vymanika Sastra. Vymanika Sastra
(Science of Aeronautics) presents details regarding unique property specific advanced materials for an
ancient aircraft in archaic Sanskrit. A few attempts have been made to decipher and follow details
given in this treatise to repeat the experiments and recreate some of the property - specific materials.
The purpose of this research is to repeat the making of one such material described in the text,
reproduce those conditions and check whether there is validity of the claimed properties. An attempt
was made to reproduce a copper based golden yellow, soft, light and strong alloy, ‘Panchaloha’ as
mentioned in the scripture. The methodology adopted, analysis of the microstructures of the samples
prepared and certain properties of Panchaloha obtained, are described in this paper.

Key words: Vymanika Sastra, ancient material, Panchaloha, property-specific material and
copper alloy

1. Introduction
Vymanika Śastra, a part of the unknown work, 2. Literature Review
‘Yantra Sarvasva’(encyclopedia of machines) authored
by Maharshi Bharadwaja consists of nearly 6000 lines The study of G. R. Josyer’s published work
in lucid Sanskrit dealing with the construction of an “Vymanika Śastra”[1] and “Brihad Vimana Śastra”[2]
aircraft in about 600 aphorisms embedded in 8 chapters. edited by Swami Brahmamuni Parivrajaka Gurukul
It gives a detailed description of an aircraft, seasonal Kandgi of Haridwar – published by Dayanand Bhavan,
food and clothing prescriptions for pilots, concepts and New Delhi (19) led to the present investigation.
techniques provided on board in an aircraft, parts of an Ancient Indian aviation has been exhaustively
aircraft, core materials and alloys for structural purpose, studied by Prof. D K Kanjilal, whose work ‘Vimana in
property–specific materials, classification of aircraft and Ancient India’[3] makes extensive references to Indian
their construction, etc. epics, Vedas in great detail and describes usage of
Bharadwaja’s Vymanika Śastra enumerates the vimanas in the prehistoric era.
various metallurgical processes that include ore The earliest research in the development of
identification, selection and mineral extraction, some of the specific property materials was undertaken
purification and smelting to obtain materials with by Naren Sheth [4] of Mumbai, who has successfully
unique properties. For this purpose, various types of developed laboratory samples of ‘Chumbakamani’
furnaces, crucibles and bellows were employed. There ‘Paragrandhika–Drava’ and ‘Panchadhara Loha’ with
are about 36 unique and property – specific composite able assistance from IIT Bombay, BARC and TIFR. Dr.
materials mentioned in Bharadwaja’s Vymanika Śastra Maheshwar Sharon’s report throws light on the
that are essential for the construction of machines in an equivalence of these materials to those developed by
aircraft. Thus a peep into Bharadwaja’s Vymanika modern Science during the later part of the 20th century.
Śastra entrenches the fact of requirement of numerous
materials for the construction of an aircraft.

*Corresponding Author - E- mail: padmashreeanand@gmail.com

The content of this manuscript has been presented in 3rd International Conference on Recent Advances in Material Processing Technology (RAMPT’13)

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 Journal of Manufacturing Engineering, September, 2013, Vol. 8, Issue. 3, pp 145-148

In 1988, Dr. David Childress, an eminent 3. Dissolution of one component into another lowers
scholar from USA, published the first edition of his the melting point of the mixture. For the same
book ‘Vimana – Aircraft Of Ancient India and reason, melting procedures adopted probably were in
‘Atlantis’,[5] in which he has reproduced completely the serial order of increasing melting points so that
‘Vymanika Śastra’(Josyer’s English version). each higher melting component dissolved in the
(*) Research scholar, and (**) Professor, lower melting component.
CMRTU, RVCE Campus, Mysore Road, Bangalore and
(#) Professor of Metallurgy (Retd.), IISc., Bangalore 4. There was neither accurate measuring equipments
560012; Present address: CEO and MD, Karnataka nor did they have units of measurement to indicate
Hybrid Micro Devices Ltd. temperature levels attained. Most descriptions are
One of the milestones in the pursuit of qualitative. In Bharadwaja’s Vymanika Śastra, the
Vymanika Śastra was the development of ‘Tamogarbha unit of temperature mentioned is ‘kakshya’.
Loha, Pancha Loha and Araara Loha’ – presumably a However, the exact interpretation of ‘kakshya’ is not
copper alloy by the Centre for Studies in Ancient Indian yet known but it appears to be a non – linear scale of
Sciences of B M Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad[6]. temperature.
The task force sponsored by INSA comprising
of Dongre, P G College, ITBHU, Varanasi, P 5. There is vast difference with regard to the choice of
Ramachandra Rao, Director, NML, Jamshedpur, and materials and the method employed by the Scientists
others has developed ‘Prakashastambhana Loha’ [8] of the ancient times and those today. In ancient
which is a silico–phosphate glass having selective times, scientists made use of naturally available
transmittance to infrared light as described in materials and hence the impurities (trace elements)
Amshubodhini [9], an allied text of Bharadwaja’s present in it remained. In the modern world,
Vymanika Śastra dealing with the properties of Solar synthetic substitutes/equivalents that are devoid of
rays. A plane coated with this unique material trace elements are used. It has now been proved
supposedly cannot be detected using radar. experimentally that the presence of trace elements
The unique feature in addressing knowledge of has profound influence on the final properties of the
ancient Indian origin is in the methodology adopted, material synthesized. Hence it can be concluded that
distinctly different from the approach of modern the material obtained using synthetic equivalents and
scientific approach. A close synthesis of Sanskrit the material obtained using natural materials will be
scholars, bridge builders and modern scientists is a different and definitely show variation in properties.
prerequisite in this pursuit as the coded and veiled
expressions in Sanskrit verses need decoding and The best approach to check the veracity of the
interpretations with reference to context. Once they are claims made in the text is to reproduce at least some of
deciphered and the menu is composed, it becomes the the materials mentioned therein. One material from the
task of the modern Scientist to carry out experiments in text Panchaloha (leaded brass) has been selected and
the laboratory and characterize the materials prepared. A deciphered for this purpose and attempts made to
few aspects in this regard need to be highlighted at this reproduce the same.
juncture.
3. Experimental Work
1. During those times, coke/charcoal was used as a
fuel. Also, since the furnace was in the open, the The deciphering of terminologies for the
efficiency was low. As a result, the maximum Pancha loha was done and an attempt was made to
temperature that could be achieved in the ancient reproduce it whose composition is given in Table 1.
times was around 1000- 1050oC in open fire
burning. Hence, even to melt copper (M.P. Table 1: Composition of Pancha Loha
1089oC), forced fire burning had to be adopted.
Pancha Loha
Sanskrit name Modern chemical equivalent Proportion
2. Owing to limitation in the maximum temperature Arkam Copper 12 parts
attained, ancient scientists probably could not Aanjanikam Lead Sulphide 3 parts
completely melt the material. For example, in the Kshwinkam Zinc 8 parts
making of the Delhi Iron Pillar, analysis indicates Temperature : 102 kakshyas*
that once iron reached the molten semisolid state, it *Kakshya – Non-linear scale of temperature (It varies
was piled and forged to weld together layers of the between approx. 3.54oC for high temperatures and 12oC
metal. for low temperatures.)

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 Journal of Manufacturing Engineering, September, 2013, Vol. 8, Issue. 3, pp 145-148

3.1 Method adopted for Trial # 1, 2 and 3 The samples were prepared for metallographic
It was assumed that coal fired pit furnace was examination in the standard way and the microstructure
employed in those times for melting purposes. Hence a was examined using SEM (Quanta-2000 with EDAX-
coal fired blower type furnace was allowed to attain a Genesis, SEIFEI, Netherland) as in Figures 1,2 and 3.
temperature of 900oC and A1(~1 kg) SiC crucible was
kept inside the furnace. First copper (99.99%, ASTM B-
115:2000) was placed in the A1 crucible and allowed to
melt completely. Then zinc was added in partial
amounts to the molten copper while stirring
continuously using graphite rod to obtain homogeneity.
Once zinc melted in copper completely, PbS (99.5%)
was added in small amounts and stirred continuously till
all the charge [Table 2] added completely melted. The
molten material is held at a temperature of about 1200oC
for 5 minutes. The material was then cast into a metal Fig. 1 SEM micrograph of Panchaloha obtained in
mold and allowed to solidify. Trial # 1

Table 2: Raw materials added in Trials 1, 2 and 3

Pancha
Trial # 1 Trial # 2 Trial # 3
Loha
Proportion as Weight Weight
Raw
mentioned in in grams in grams
Materials
the text
Copper 12 parts 120 180.9
Lead
3 parts 30 45
Sulphide
Zinc 8 parts 80 120.6
Fig.2 SEM micrograph of Panchaloha obtained in
4. Results Trial # 2
Chemical composition was checked using
EDAX (Quanta-2000 with EDAX-Genesis, SEIFEI,
Netherland) and density measurements were made using
Densitec (ORMA BC 1000, Italy) on the basis of
Archimedes principle. Electrical conductivity was
measured using 15x 6 x 1 mm3 specimens using eddy
current conductivity meter (AS 3000 DL, GE Inspection
Technologies, England, 2005). All these properties are
listed in Table 3.

Table 3: Properties of Pancha Loha

Fig. 3 SEM Micrograph of Panchaloha obtained in
Trial Chemical Electrical Electrical Density Trial # 3
# Composition Conductivity Conductivity g /cm3
Sm–1 (IACS)
1 Cu 82.31%; 1.867 x 107 32.19% 8.35
5. Discussion
Zn 10.83%;
Pb 6.34%; S
From figure 1, 2 and 3, alpha grains are seen as
0.19%; K matrix and zinc is dissolved in copper. Lead being
0.33% insoluble in copper remained as elemental lead. It is
2 Cu 82.45%; 1.514 x 107 26.1% 8.41 important to note that lead was a very common
Zn 9.75%;
Pb 7.24%; S
ingredient in many alloys made at that time. In the
0.23%; K microstructure, lead phase could not be identified
0.34% clearly. However, EDAX analysis indicates quite a high
3 Cu 83.56%; 1.508 x 107 26% 8.38 percentage of lead in the material obtained (6% - 8%)
Zn 9.14%;
Pb 6.93%; S
and hence is a leaded brass. Further analysis is required
0.19%; K to find as to the form in which lead is present in the
0.18% alloy.

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 Journal of Manufacturing Engineering, September, 2013, Vol. 8, Issue. 3, pp 145-148

Fine pores were observed in the micro structure claims made in the Vedic literature. With this research,
due to evolution of sulfur gas (due to addition of Lead the material prepared has shown decrease in density (6%
sulfide). There is an evidence of coarse grain structure less than the theoretical) and is found to be highly
in Trial # 1 and 3. The uniformly distributed pores will corrosion resistant. Further experiments may yield a
probably decrease the apparent density of the material. highly corrosion resistant porous material with much
Also, as there is increase in the percentage of lead in the less density and thus may prove to be vital for aviation
sample, density also slightly increases. and allied industries.
The lead content was 6.34 – 6.93 % and hence
is expected to have good machinability. The electrical References
conductivity values were quite low and hence
1. Vymanika – Shaastra (1973), Maharshi Bharadwaja Translated
conformed to the term ‘cool’ metal as described in into English and edited by G. R. Josyer, Coronation Press,
Bharadwaja’s Vymanika Sastra. Mysore
In those times, since study of microstructure
2. Brihad Vimana Sastra (1959), edited by Swami Brahmamuni
was not possible, the material prepared was evaluated Parivrajaka Gurukul Kandgi, Dayanand Bhavan, New Delhi
based on some of its mechanical properties. Attempts
were made to synthesize light materials from the known 3. Vimana in Ancient India (1985), D K Kanjilal, Sanskrit Pustak
Bhandar, Calcutta
natural materials (both organic and inorganic) available
at that time. During those times presence of light metals 4. Naren Sheth (1984),, Was Maharshi Bharadwaja a Solar
like magnesium, aluminium etc. was not known. It is Scientist? in ‘Science and the Vedas’, (Ed.) Ishwarbhai Patel,
interesting to note at this juncture they tried to prepare Maharshi Academy of Vedic Sciences Pg 36 – 39
property-specific materials like sound proof, heat 5. VIMANA Aircraft of Ancient India and Atlantis (1994), David
resistant, corrosion resistant materials etc by making use Hatcher Childress, Adventure Unlimited Press, 103-200
of known available raw materials. Thus it will not be
6. C S R Prabhu (1999), High Technology in Ancient Sanskrit
proper to evaluate the materials obtained then with the Literature – A Preliminary Report
modern day light materials but their attempts must be
appreciated keeping in mind the availability of known 7. Briefly ……., Hinduism Today, April,1997
raw materials which were only a few and also lack of 8. N G Dongre, S K Malaviya and P Ramachandra Rao (2000),
sophisticated technology for production as well as “The study of various materials described in Amshubodhini of
testing at that time. Maharshi Bharadwaja - Final Report”, Report from NML,
Jamshedpur
The challenging aspects of this research are: 9. Amshubodhini, Maharshi Bharadwaja, V B Subbaiah & Sons
i. Decoding – all the terms cannot be decoded due (1931),, MBD Electric Printing ArtlithoworksChapter 1
to the non existence of the source books in the
10. Rasaratnasamuccaya, Vagbhata, edited with English translation
modern world. by Damodar Joshi (1991 – 1992)
ii. Non availability of some of the natural raw
materials – Some raw materials mentioned in the 11. Prakasha Stambhanabhida Loha of Maharshi Bharadwaja, N G
Dongre, S K Malaviya and P Ramachandra Rao, Indian
original text is not presently available in today’s Journal of History of Science, vol. 33 (4) (1998)
world.
iii. Methodology – The exact procedure to be used 12. A novel infrared transparent glass material as per
for melting. However by looking at the ‘Amshubodhini’; V K Didolkar and M K Kawadkar (2002)
contemporary objects one can draw inferences 13. Wonder that was India, Dina Nath Mishra, The Pioneer, Feb 06,
regarding the methodology adopted. (2005)
iv. Even though materials can be synthesized using
14. Vymanika Shaastra Rediscovered – Project Study Report, M P
chemical equivalents, it may not exhibit the same Rao et al, AR & DB, New Delhi (2002)
properties as given in the text due to the lack of
knowledge about trace elements. 15. Vimana Ancient flying Machine, http://www.crystalinks.com,
Ellie Crystal

6. Conclusion 16. Ancient and Lost Civilizations, http://www.crystalinks.com, Ellie

Crystal
This research is a step towards integration of
17. Proof Advanced Ancient Indian Civilization Existed,
ancient and modern science and technology. It is http://www.abovetopsecret.com
expected that the present experiments will lead to a
greater clarification about the work reported in ancient 18. Airplanes in Ancient India, http://www.SciForums.com
literature. It will certainly lend some credibility to

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