ASSIGNMENT -2
EVOLUTION OF MORTAR AND PESTLE IN INDIAN CONTEXT BY ABDUL KALAM
(Patriots, 2014)
Introduction The mortar was a stone or a metal vase and pestle a grinding stick ,metal rod or piece of stone. the mortar was an improvement over saddle stone. several variants developed , such as large wooden mortar. Generally used by community Russell (1980) .In 15th century size of mortar and pestle reduced In the 17th century different sizes were serving different purposes. Doctors (Hakim or Vaidya) used small mortar and pestle. Household purposes such as husking grains ,making choora with 3 feet long wooden mortar.
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INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION 3300-1700BC VEDIC PERIOD 1700-500BC
ANCIENT INDIA 500 BC-AD 550
MEDIVAL PERIOD 550-1818 AD
COLONIAL PERIOD 1818 -1947
1947-2016
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3300 BC -1 stone age was over and an era of bronze was discovered ,however, the people were largely using tool and equipment made up of stones. According to Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi Concave shaped mortar and pestle have been excavated out of the Mohan-jo-Daro sites which are considered the oldest design of mortar and pestle of undivided India, "some unknown gourmet was the inventor of mortar and pestle" (Wason & Wason, 1962). Granite mortar and pestle found in early Harappa culture 3300-2600 BC. Materials used for them were granite, limestone or sandstone. Historians believe it has evolved with regional changes such as the flat bed in northern India ,concave shape in southern India Being an original source of evolution of grinding technology yet original form exist. Even used today which is an era of electronic cooking. Hardeman (1981). The archaeological evidence for mortar and pestle are very uneven throughout India, they vary in shape, size, and material. Unaffected by the technology they are still used in communities. (Brill & Ghosh, 1990)
700-500 BC It was Vedic period when the Ayurveda was widely used ,which provides evidence that Ras-Shastra and Siddha medicine, which marked the prominent use of mercury, Sulphur, and other metals ,and for processing them copper mortar was used often used but mercury use to stick with the copper mortar thus use of Iron mortar pestles came into existence (Dash, 1986) .Charles Higham has mentioned about the bronze mortar and pestle in several parts of India such as Orissa which have been excavated from several archaeological sites.
500 BC-AD 550 "coming to the historical period,bhir Mound and Sirkap at Taxila yielded stone mortars along with pestle dated to 300 BC &AD 100" (Brill & Ghosh, 1990). The era doesn't have much of the documentation of mortar and pestle and the same era witnessed the decline of the Ayurveda, according to Dr Sumit kesarkar almost the art was non-existing until Mughal revived its . AD 550 - 1818 During 11th and 12th century AD another type of mortar and pestle is documented in rice-growing parts of India exclusively meant for removing the husk from paddy or rice.it was a flat squarish or disc-shaped piece of stone, about 30 cm across having a shallow central depression ,usually sunk in house floor and long wooden pestle were used. Beside the
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1818-1947 Wooden trunks were cut down and burnt from the center and excavated out like a hollow cylindrical shape and a wooden pestle was used for husking the grains in India ,this practice was same all over India in different parts of the country ( Hardeman, 1981).
1947-2016 During this time ceramic use was widely accepted and was cheaper compared to other stone carved or iron mortar pestle, many of the Unani and Ayurveda doctors still use these. However after 1992 which expanded the doors of all type of production and manufacturing, as a result it gave mortar and pestles of different materials and shapes even sold online these days.
Factors effecting the changes Due to diverse regional ,cultural and economic factors, the designs of mortar and pestle changed over time . starting from Indus valley civilization which just used two stones to grind later it evolved as a mortar and pestle in Vedic period , changing its size and matter from stone to bronze later replaced by iron,it was Mughals who used jade mortar and pestle , further husking required a lightweight pestle which evolved the wooden pestle initially used with stone mortar and later with wooden mortar . Availability of resources was also an important factor as granite was used for making mortar and pestle in most of the northern regions of India and limestone or jade was popular among the southern region . Sizes reduced and increased as per the functionality of mortar changed to specific functions.
It was due to the climatic conditions and the food habits of Indians, that they were not requiring much modification in terms of the kitchen instruments. The kitchen was taken care of by women ,and from the medieval age, the women's condition in India was more compressed in terms of liberty .whatever resources available in the house they use to manage with that only .As India is a country with where maximum spices are eaten thus to grind them it was necessary such a heavy instrument be used which required the manpower which was usually done by women .
The influence of the invaders was also an important aspect the Mughals came they the khan Sama system who used the mortar and pestle replacing the old heavy weighted mortar and pestle.
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After 1960’s due to the changing conditions and changing economy the Indians were exposed to several changes which were happening around the world .1990 LPG policies opened the channels for the world to enter the Indian market and with the increasing competition, the number of choices also increased ,providing the latest and fancy grinding machines up till date.
Migration towards urban areas was also an important factor which generated the need to replace those big heavy bulky mortar and pestle. Electricity and industrialisation were also an important aspect which replaced small mortar and pestle which required human efforts in the kitchen and readymade spices and floor was offered.
After the 1992 demand for the luxury goods increased with a huge number and hence electrical gadgets gain a good market which reduced the human efforts . factors affecting the changes in designs of mortar and pestle were diverse such as regional conditions ,climatic condition, cultural influences economic conditions, eating habits, etc.
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CEREMIC MORTAR PESTLE FOR DRY SPICES OR HERBS
ANDHRA PRADESH
ORISSA COPPER MORTAR PESTLE
FOR HUSKING
RICE AND PADDY
LOOTED FROM UNDIVIDED INDIA
MORTAR AND PESTLE IN AN ENGLISH HOME IN INDIA
STONE MORTAR AND PESTLE FOR GRINDING HERBS
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Bibliography Anon., 1981. Shucks, Shocks, and Hominy Blocks: Corn as a Way of Life in Pioneer America. new york: lousina state press. Anon., n.d. s.l.: s.n. Betty , W. & Elizabeth, . W., 1962. Cooks, Gluttons & Gourmets: A History of Cookery, s.l.: Doubleday,. Brill, E. J. & Ghosh, A., 1990. An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology. 2 ed. New York: Munshi Ram Manohar Lal publishers pvt.ltd. Dash, B., 1986. Alchemy And Metallic Medicines In Ayurveda. 2003 ed. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. Patriots, C., 2014. citypatriots. [Online] Available at: http://citypatriots.com/asia/india/tamil-nadu/thanjavur/museum/12 [Accessed 29 8 2016]. TAMILARASAN, P., JUNE 16, 2015. Topreetskitchen. [Online] Available at: http://www.jopreetskitchen.com/2015/06/indian-kitchen-cookwares-essential-indianutensils.html [Accessed 6 9 2016]. Trager, J., 1970. The enriched, fortified, concentrated, country-fresh, lip-smacking, finger-licking, international, unexpurgated foodbook. s.l.:Grossman Publishers. Wason, B. & Wason, E., 1962. Cooks, Gluttons & Gourmets: A History of Cookery. s.l.:Doubleday.
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