4.12. Description of Coral (Pravala or Vidruma)

[Full title: Item-wise Discussion on Gems with Decreasing Hardness; (12): Coral (Pravala or Vidruma)]

Calcite is one of the softest minerals known. Its hardness is three in the Moh's scale. The corresponding rocks: limestone and (metamorphosed) marble or mamara (in Sanskrit) have been used for various constructional purposes but never as gems. Coral and pearl, organic in origin and largely calcitic in nature, have however been widely used as cems, on account of their beautiful colour and lustre, even though their hardness is slightly below four in the Moh's scale. Branching Red or precious coral constitutes the substance of the calcareous axial skeleton of the coral polyp, Corallium rubrum, a lowly organised animal belonging to the class Anthozoa. colonies growing on the sea-floor (30 to 300 meters below the sealevel) are supported by axial rods of red calcareous material, the so-called coral, invested by a layer of soft, living material known to zoologists as the coenosare. The cells of the coenosarc have the power of separating out calcium carbonate from the sea water and adding on to the axial skeleton of coral.

VII-58 4 The approximate composition of red coral (in percentage values) is: CaCO 3 87.0, MgCO 3 6.8, Caso 1.3, Fe 2 O 3 1.7, Organic matter 1.35, water 0.6, and the rest, phosphate, silica etc. 1.3. The exact composition varies with the age of the coral and other factors. With advancement in age, the coral hardens and assays. higher in the percentage of MgCO 3. The amount of organic matter, which is the principal cause of colour, is much higher in black coral (above 3 percent), which cobtains less iron (0.8 percent). The colouring constituent is decomposed heat, and this could be an organic compound with iron complexed in it. Indian On Some coral-fishing might have been done in the past in the ocean, the Persian Sea and the Red Sea, but the principal source of the gem variety of red coral has always been the Mediterranean Sea. The Indians have always prefered this/ variety instead of the yellowish white materials in the Persian Gulf. Kautilya gave the first description of coral: pravalakam alakandakam vaivarnikam ca Ar raktam padmaragam ca karata garminika varjam iti 'The coral from Alakanda (Alexandria?) and from Vivama, red and of the colour of the lotus (is excellent), with the exception of that which is eaten by insects and what is bulging in the middle' (AS. 2.11.42). Pravala is mentioned in BS. 80.5 also. Navaratna- - pariksa described how coral or vidruma grows like tree under the

VII-5! water level (Navaratnapariksa 162): saritam patimadhye tu jayate vallari tu ya vidrumarakhya surakta sa durlabha ratnarupini Manimala (Manimala 338) provided a similar text: 'Vidruma is a cross-shaped gem resembling a plant (vallari) and found in the White Sea'. Buddhabhatta gave a detailed description of coral and its origin in the sea around Rome (RF 249-252): tamtra pradhanam sasalohitabham gumjajavapuspanibham prasastam samlasakam devaka romake pa sthanani yesu prathitam suraga anyatra janam ca na tat pradhanam prasannam komala snigdhe suragam vidrumam hinama dhanadhanyakaram loke strinama saubhagyadayakam dustavyadhitaram caiva visadibhayanasanam It 'The most important (variety of coral) is the one coloured like the blood of a hate, the gunja-berry or the china-rose. is available in Sanlasa (sunilaka in Garuda-purana 1.80. 2), Devaka and Romaka (Rome). Corals found elsewhere are not so important.... Corals of pleasing colour, soft and glossy, possessing deep crimson colour are productive of wealth and food-grain, bring good luck to the women and dispel the fears of disease, poison etc.'. Garuda Purana copied the above text of Ratnapariksa almost verbatim (as in may other cases) and added that some coral was

VII-6 available in Kerala (GF, 1.80.1); presumably the coral in Kerala did not belong to a good variety. As In Ratnapariksa (Ratna-pariksha 250) Agastimata Appendix 10 (quoted by Finot p. 135 ) also mentioned thar the best coral was obtained from the sea-coast of a foreign land: mlecchamudisi parvate lavanah saga| tatra pravalotpatti coral : In Agastiya Ratnapariksa we find another description of gumja bandhuka sindura dada़िmi kusumaprabham 'that which resembles gunja berry, the bandhuli flower, the verili or the pomegranate flower' (ARP 94), also straight and circular or cylindrica 1 (ARP_95) : vrttayatam avakratakam The Sanskrit extracts on coral provided in Manimala 338-344) show that in India corals of different shades of colour were held to belong to different castes: the brahmin variety is crimson-red, like the blood or eye of the hare, easily penetrable and delightful (Manimala 340): arunam sasaraktaksam sukhavedhyam manoharam That which resembles java or china-rose or vemillion and is very hard, belongs to the kshatriya family. Pale coloured and poor lustr samples belong to the two lower casts (Manimala 341-344). Roughness and the quality of being discoloured or disfigured with lines and spots etc. rendered coral as unacceptable (Manimala 346-347).

VII-61 Coral beads have been used by the religious people of India as rosaries to count their prayers. It has been worn in form of necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and other ornaments. Pliny had observed (32.11) with some surprise that red. coral, which was not so much in demand in the Roman Empire, was as highly prized in India as the white pearl at Rome. V. Ball, the famous nineteenth century mineralogist, ascribed the Indians' preference for red coral to 'the way its tints adapt themselves to set off a dark skin, and also look well with a white gazment'. Black coral, in abundance in the Red Sea, was not so popular in India.