@steemflow,

Fascinating. It boggles the imagination that such a piece could be created using the tools available more than two millennia ago. Most Westerners do not appreciate the depth and complexity of "Indian history" and it somehow always seems to get overshadowed by nearby "Chinese history."

I wonder if it is simply because "India," until more modern times, was not a "unified whole" like ancient China was for large parts of its past. Any thoughts?

Here's a thought that just popped into my head: Damascus Steel, the metal used to make the legendary Damascus Swords, actually originated in India. A prominent theory is that it was the metal's "contaminants" (specific to one particular mine) that were responsible for the swords' extraordinary properties. Once the ore in that mine was mined out, the manufacture of "Damascus Swords" seems to cease entirely.

Do you live anywhere near that mine? Undoubtedly, some of the ore is still present. Ancient Indian metal smiths were actually
very skilled. It would be INCREDIBLE to obtain anything made of such metal. More incredible still, to obtain a sword or knife made of such metal by local smiths. I wonder if such an industry exists today?

A lot of people would pay a lot of money to own such an object.

There's a potentially fascinating blog story in all this.

Quill