The
history of metallurgy in South Asia began prior to the 3rd millennium BCE and continued well into the
British Raj.
Metals and related concepts were mentioned in various early
Vedic age texts. The
Rigveda already uses the
Sanskrit term
Ayas (metal). The
Indian cultural and commercial contacts with the
Near East and the
Greco-Roman world enabled an exchange of metallurgic sciences. With the advent of the Mughals, India's
Mughal Empire (established: April 21, 1526—ended: September 21, 1857) further improved the established tradition of metallurgy and metal working in India.