Thakkura Pheru and Popularisation of Science in India in 14th Century

Author(s): Sreeramula Sarma
Publisher: Z_Bhanvarlal_Nahta_Abhinandan_Granth_012041.pdf

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in Islamic gemmology. The quartermaster- carats. Perhaps gems beyond this weight were general was such an expert, so was the not offered for sale in the market but were court poet Amir Khusrau. Under these surrendered to the royal treasury.13 circumstances, one would expect that Pheru's treatise would (i) present Indian
Besides this innovation of a separate theories of gemmology, (ii) describe some section on the price tariff, there is another of the rarest gems in the royal treasury, and aspect where the Ratnapariksa distinguishes (iii) display some acquaintance with Islamic itself. It is the description of the gems imporgemmology, in particular with the Arab ted from Persia (spinel, cornelian and turdiscoveries about the specific gravity of
quoise ). Pheru was the first Indian gemmoquo
logist to describe these gems, and his inforgems.
mation is quite precise and accurate as can But Pheru's aim was modest, namely to
be seen from the contemporary Arabic works provide his son with a practical handbook
on gemmology.14 containing the contemporary tariff of prices along with some amount of the traditional Though the Ratnapariksa cannot be theory and lore of gems. Therefore, he para- counted among Pheru's best works, it phrases the earlier writings - sometimes exemplifies certain characteristics of Pheru indiscriminately-on the mythology, proper- as a writer. These characteristics are as ties and sources of gems. About the sources, follows: (i) Where there exists a corpus of he is most careless, repeating often the traditional literature on a subject, he is content same lists of places enumerated by the ear to follow the traditional framework and to lier writers, sometimes even misunderstanding present the material in Prakrit (as in the them. But unlike the earlier writers who description of gems ). (ii) However, he mention the price of each gem separately makes innovations in the traditional framealong with its description, Pheru has an work if practical considerations demand entire section where he quotes the prices them (e.g. the price tariff ; see also 2.4 very systematically, first in verses and then below). (iii) But where there is no tradiin tables for easy reference. Though the tional literature to lean on, he writes from royal treasury might be overflowing with his practical knowledge, and is most original gems of large size, the prices quoted are and precise (eg. on the gems imported only for gems weighing up to 18.35 metric from Persia ). The Dhatutpatti (see 2.5) 13 Fernao Nuniz reports in the sixteenth century that in the kingdom of Vijayanagara all
diamonds exceeding 25 ct. were to be given to the king's treasury. See Robert Sewell,
A Forgotten Empire : Vijayanagara, (reprint ) Delhi 1962, p. 369. 14 Cf. Eilhard Wiedemann, Aufsaetze zur arabischen Wissenschaftsgeschichte, hrgg.
Wolfdietrich Fischer, Hildesheim/New York, Vol. I, pp. 835-53.
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