The contribution of firecrackers to air pollution, at a time when they are fairly affordable and readily available in India for all to use, raises the question as to how far do firecrackers and fireworks really go in Indian history and how their availability and consumption has changed over time.
Fireworks, like its primary ingredient Gunpowder, have a long history in India. As its military use evolved in China, so did its show and gimmick value — right from the white, magical appearing smoke left in the wake of its open combustion. One historical conjecture is that the gunpowder technology, along with the first pyrotechnical mixtures for entertainment, was brought to India and Europe from China by the Arabs.
One of the earliest notes of pyrotechnical shows in India is made by Abdur Razzaq, the ambassador of the Timurid Sultan Shahrukh to the court of the Vijayanagar king Devaraya II in Fireworks and pyrotechnic shows existed as a form of royal entertainment in many medieval Indian kingdoms during festivals, events and special occasions like weddings.
Manufacturing formulas for fireworks describing pyrotechnic mixtures are found within Kautukachintamani, a Sanskrit volume by Gajapati Prataparudradeva , a reputed royal author from Orissa. Gode mused on the possibility that Chinese pyrotechnic formulas were brought to India around AD and then modified with the use of Indian substitutes for the Chinese ones not available in India. While rulers were primarily the organising sponsors of these shows, it is clear that other citizens also had access to fireworks.
Elaborate description of fireworks in mythological works from this period also bring in imaginations of pyrotechnic exuberance, familiar to the writers of this period, around these epic events. By the eighteenth century, fireworks began to become de rigueur in grand scale Diwali entertainments organised by rulers. Peshwayanchi Bakhar , a Maratha chronicle text , mentions a recounted account of Diwali celebration in the Kotah modern Kota, Rajasthan.
Manufacturing formulas for fireworks describing pyrotechnic mixtures were described within Kautukachintamani, a Sanskrit volume by Gajapati Prataparudradeva , a reputed royal author from Orissa. Fireworks were used to celebrate Diwali, as shown in the Mughal-style painting below. The poem mentions a range of fireworks, from rockets to the equivalent of the modern phooljhadi.
In a firmaan royal decree dated 9th April , Aurangzeb banned fireworks. As Mughal power waned, Diwlai celebrations became even more grand. Peshwayanchi Bakhar , a Maratha chronicle text , mentions an account of Diwali celebration in the Kotah modern Kota, Rajasthan. The Raja of Kota during these 4 days gives a display of fire-works outside the premises of his capital. If you find that the work we do is useful, and would like us to keep producing content, please consider making a donation.
But there is not a single proof whether people of Ayodhya had burnt fireworks on the arrival of Lord Ram. However, there are strong scriptural proofs of people lighting diyas. Burning of firecrackers also finds no mention in Ramayana or other scriptures. It is known that firecrackers were first made in China. Firecrackers were first invented in China, sometime in the 7th century and later spread to other countries because of its popularity.
The first evidence of gunpowder being used for fireworks display dates back to the Tang dynasty in China during CE.
0コメント