The sword of Tipu Sultan and Wootz steel
Francis Buchanan who toured through Mysore in 1800, a year after Tipu Sultan’s death, has
left us an account of the technique by which Wootz steel was produced in many hundreds of
smelting furnaces in Mysore. In these furnaces, iron was mixed with charcoal and put inside
small clay pots. Through an intricate control of temperatures the smelters produced steel
ingots that were used for sword making not just in India but in West and Central Asia too.
A) What has been the contribution of Francis Buchanan?
B) How was Wootz Steel produced?
Answers
Answer:
Tipu Sultan, also known as the Tiger of Mysore, and Tipu Sahib, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the eldest son of Sultan Hyder Ali of Mysore.
WOOTZ STEEL
The Sword of Tipu Sultan has been the topic of many tales. The sword was special because it was very hard and had a very sharp edge. This quality came from a special type of carbon steel; called Wootz steel. The Wootz steel was produced all over south India. The sword which was made of Wootz steel used to have a very sharp edge with a flowing pattern. This pattern was the result of very small carbon crystals embedded in the iron.
The Wootz steel making process was completely lost by the mid-nineteenth century. This happened because of the steel import from Britain. But iron smelting was quite common till the end of the nineteenth century. Especially in Bihar and Central India, every district had smelters that used to produce iron for a variety of uses.
2. FRANCIS BUCHANAN
Francis Buchanan had toured through Mysore in 1800 and had given a rich account of the technique of Wootz steel manufacturing. This steel was manufactured in small furnaces. Iron was mixed with charcoal and put inside small clay pots. Steel ingots were produced through intricate control of temperatures. Those ingots were used for sword making in India as well as in West and Central Asia.
3. This pattern came from very small carbon crystals embedded in the iron. Francis Buchanan who toured through Mysore in 1800, a year after Tipu Sultan's death, has left us an account of the technique by which Wootz steel was produced in many hundreds of smelting furnaces in Mysore.
4. Wootz steel was produced in many hundreds of smelting furnaces in Mysore. In these furnaces, iron was mixed with charcoal and put inside small clay pots. ... Wootz steel making process was widely known in south India, which completely lost its existence by the mid-nineteenth century.
5. In these furnaces, iron was mixed with charcoal and put inside small clay pots. Through an intricate control of temperatures, the smelters produced steel ingots used for sword making. Wootz is an anglicised version of the Kannada word ukku, Telugu hukku and Tamil and Malayalam urukku – meaning steel.
6. In these furnaces, iron was mixed with charcoal and put inside small clay pots. Through an intricate control of temperatures the smelters produced steel ingots that were used for sword making not just in India but in West and Central Asia too.
A. Dr Francis Buchanan FRS FRSE FLS FAS FSA DL (15 February 1762 – 15 June 1829), later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, was a Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer, zoologist, and botanist while living in India.
B. Wootz (steel), Steel produced by a method known in ancient India. The process involved preparation of porous iron, hammering it while hot to release slag, breaking it up and sealing it with wood chips in a clay container, and heating it until the pieces of iron absorbed carbon from the wood and melted.
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