gsha' dkar

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གཤའ་དཀར
tin, nickel silver [JV]

tin, aluminum [IW]

tin [RY]

(sman) Native tin (dGa' ba'i rDo rje 1995)
Synonyms : klu dkar, nus ldan, mche ba can dkar (Shel gong) gsha', gsha' tshe, gsha tshe dkar po (dGa' ba'i rDo rje 1995) zha nye dkar po (Dash 1989)
Sanskrit : vaṅga (Dash 1989)

gsha' dkar rma gso dngul chu 'chid byed yin / zhes dang / rang byung pas / klu ni dkar dang nag pa gnyis / gdon srung sbu rnams nag por byed / ces par ming / klu dkar dang / nus ldan mche ba can dkar zer / 'di yang rdo bzhus pa las 'byung la / der yang stod rgya gar nas 'byung ba dang / smad rgya nag nas 'byung ba gnyis rab tu dkar la mnyen pa mchog yin / bod kyi gsha' dkar 'bring / gsha' [112] nag ngan / 'dul mas rma gso sha'u skyed pa dang / gsha' gang byung chog / dngul chu 'dul chen skabs lcags brgyad kyi gras su dgos pa dang / dngul chu sha ltar za ba'i lag len skabs dgos pa rnams la dkar po bzang ba dgos / 'phrul thal byas pas skem sman dang dug sman la 'gro ba yod do // (Shel gong shel phreng, pdf p 111.5)

Illustrations : 'Phrin Las (25_110) gsha' dkar

The Shel gong shel phreng distinguishes a white and a black type and mentions that is also obtained from smelting ores. The white one coming from India and China is superior, the white one from Tibet is of medium quality, and the black one of inferiour quality. The necessity of the white type is particularly mentioned in the context of mercury processing, where it is part of the 'eight metals', lcags brgyad, needed in the taming or detoxifying ('dul ba) step. It is furthermore used together with copper, zangs, in the alloys of bronze, 'khar ba, and bell-metal, li.
See also gsha' dkar rdo for the tin ore casseritite. Native tin can be found as small nugets (mindat.org). Tin, or rather it's main ore, cassiterite, was first mined at around 3500 BCE in Anatolia after the observation, that a second metal mixed with copper lowers the latter's melting point and improves it's hardness and casting properties. The evolving bronze technology gave rise to the Bronze Age in the Middle East and elsewhere. Relatively rare, long distance trade devolped between the main deposits of tin (W. Europe, Hindukush/Pamir and SE Asia) and the ancient centres of Bronze Age civilisation. Tin was used in mainland India from 1500 BCE onwards, but depended on imports. The earlier Indus culture was a Bronze Age civilisation, coïnciding with the vedic age.
The indian name vaṅga denotes tin (which is of two types : khura, superior and recommended for medicinal use, and miśra, inferior) as well as lead (wisdomlib.org)
Johannes Schmidt (talk) 09:50, 28 February 2024 (EST)