Ahmedabad: In an open ground at IIT Gandhinagar (IIT-Gn), Vijay Kumar and Subhadra Dhurve from Dindori district in Madhya Pradesh demonstrate a centuries-old iron smelting technique, drawing attention from researchers across India and abroad. Working beside a clay cone furnace, the couple takes turns pumping air into a funnel using a traditional apparatus made of leather and wood, raising the furnace temperature significantly through a labour-intensive process that can take hours.The Dhurves belong to the Agaria community of Madhya Pradesh, known for its indigenous iron smelting practices. “We invited them to demonstrate how India successfully developed indigenous methods for blast furnace to get iron from the iron ore,” said Alok Kumar Kanungo, associate research professor at IIT-Gn and convenor of the History, Science and Technology of Indian Metals and Metallurgy event held recently at the institute.Kanungo noted that such traditional methods enabled communities to achieve very high temperatures with simple tools to extract iron from ore, practices that continued for generations. The demonstration was part of IIT-Gn’s broader series on the history, science and technology of Indian civilisation, which brought together national and international researchers.Kanungo added that the event covered metallurgical traditions from across India, highlighting regional variations in techniques and technological advancements. “Different regions show different hues and technological advancements in procuring metals. Metals have played a major part in our history, and researchers elaborated on these aspects,” he said.Among the presenters, Anuradha Panda discussed traditional iron smelting practices and cultural narratives of Agaria, Birijiya and Meitei communities. She pointed out that archaeological evidence such as furnaces, kilns, slag and iron artefacts aligns with references found in ancient literary sources.Panda emphasised that the entire iron production process — from ore selection and extraction to furnace design and smelting — can be better understood through ethnoarchaeological studies. She added that across India, diverse communities developed sophisticated indigenous knowledge systems to utilise locally available ores and produce iron tools essential for agriculture, construction and warfare.
