Ashtadhatu (Sanskrit: अष्टधातु, romanized: Aṣṭadhātu, lit. 'eight metals'), also called octo-alloy, is an alloy comprising the eight metals of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, tin, iron, and mercury,[1][2] often used for casting metallic idols for Jain and Hindu temples in India.
The composition is laid down in the Shilpa Shastras, a collection of ancient texts that describe arts, crafts, and their design rules, principles and standards. Ashtadhatu is used because it is considered sattivik (virtuous or pure) in Hinduism, and does not decay, and it is also restricted to the production of images for the deities Kubera, Vishnu, Krishna, Rama, Kartikeya, and the goddesses Durga and Lakshmi.[citation needed]
Its traditional composition, all eight metals are in equal proportion (12.5% each).[citation needed]
See also
edit- Panchaloha – Term for traditional five-metal alloys used for Hindu artifacts
- High-entropy alloys – Alloys with high proportions of several metals
References
edit- ^ Social, Cultural, and Economic History of Himachal Pradesh. Manjit Singh Ahluwalia. Indus Publishing. 1998 p. 163.
- ^ Stutley, Margaret (2019-04-09). The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography. Routledge. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-429-62425-4.