Note 167 — Chapter V

Surma is the black ore of antimony, or ter-sulphide. The Muslim men apply antimony to their eyelids, but their women use kohl, or lamp-black, for this purpose. It is a popular belief among Indian Muslims that the finest kind of surma comes from Arabia—from the hills of Sinai or Tur, etc. They have a legend that when Moses was on Mount Sinai he asked that the glory of God should be shown to him. He was answered that his mortal sight could not bear the glory; but through a chink of the rock a ray of light was allowed to fall on him, and the rock on which the ray fell was melted into antimony. (Balfour’s Cyclopædia of India.)—There is a curious legend current in the Panjáb regarding the origin of the antimony which is found on the summit of Mount Karanglí, near Pind Dádan Khán, in the Jhelan district. A fakír (religious mendicant) once came from Kashmír and asked the name of the mountain, and was told that it was called Karanglí. He at once exclaimed: “Karanglí sone ranglí!” that is, Karanglí the gold-coloured; whereupon the mountain became all gold. This frightened the good people of the neighbourhood, who dreaded that the place should become a general battle-field for the sake of the gold. So the fakír said: “Karanglí surme ranglí!” that is, Karanglí the antimony-coloured, upon which the mountain became all antimony. This antimony is now to be found on the top of it, but as it is surrounded by precipices the antimony cannot be reached, and so the people have to wait until pieces of it are washed down by the rains. When procured it is most valuable, and will, if used for eight days, restore to sight all those who have become blind through sickness or accident. It cannot, however, cure those who are born blind.