Agates of Cambay - About one of the Most Pious Stones
The ancient agate mining and cutting industries in the area around Khambat (“Cambay”) in Gujarat province, India were started by Baba Ghor, a circa 1500 AD merchant from Ethiopia who had led a large number of Muslim people settle in that area. The Cambay area doesn’t have mineral deposits that are why the stone is brought from the Rajpipla Hills about 200 kilometers away. According to some records, this work must be going on in this region for 4000 years.
Types of Agates
There are four kinds of agates- the common, the moss, the Kapadvanj and the veined. The Carnelian stone is renowned as the ‘most pious stone’ in the world. Agates of Cambay come in various colors like yellow, moss, rose, black, white and grey hues. Amongst all of these stones, the blood-colored stone is the most popular.
1 comment
Very informative! But like the shops, are there any artisans who produce handicrafts/showpieces with these stones and sell in the market there? Or is it just selling stones majorly there rather than final product?