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India possesses a wide spectrum of dimensional stones includinggranite,marble,sandstone,limestone,slate, andquartzite, found across various parts of the country.
Thestone industry in India has evolved to focus on the production and manufacturing of blocks, flooring slabs, structural slabs, monuments,tombstones,sculptures,cobbles,pebbles, and landscape garden stones.
India's history, dating back to3200 BC, has been influenced considerably by the disposition, development, and use of stones and other construction materials.Dimension stones have also left deep imprints on the architectural heritage of the country. Innumerabletemples,forts andpalaces ofAncient Indian Civilisation have been carved out of locally available stones. TheTaj Mahal atAgra was constructed from Indian marble.[1] Some of the rock-cut structures includeKhajuraho Temple,Elephanta Caves, Lomesh rishi caves, Ellora caves andKonark Temple.[citation needed] Besides, all majorarchaeological excavations have revealed exquisitely carvedstatuettes andcarvings in stone. AncientBuddhistmonuments like theSanchi Stupa of the 3rd century BC have also been carved out of stone.
This tradition of Stone Architecture has continued into the present era, with most of the important modern buildings in India such as thePresidential House,Parliament House, andSupreme Court made from high-qualitysandstone ofRajasthan. TheBahá'í House of Worship ofNew Delhi stands as testimony to the relevance of marble in modernIndian architecture.
Stones are still the mainstays ofcivil construction in India, with stones being used extensively inpublic buildings,hotels, and temples. They are increasingly being used in homes, with the use of stones now penetrating amongst the growingmiddle class of India.
The success of the commercial stone industry solely depends on defects in rock/stone. Natural defects in ornamental/commercial therock deposits adversely affect the quality of rock deposit. detection of natural defects in decorative and dimensional stone industry play vital role in thequality assessment.
India is pioneer in exploration and mining of commercial rock deposits and in establishing a firm base for stone industry. India, with an estimated resource of about 1,690 million cubic metres, comprising over 160 shades of Dimension Stone Granites (DSG), accounts for about 205 of the world's resources. Of the 300 varieties being traded in the world market, nearly half of them are from India. Commercially viable granite and other rock deposits are reported fromAndhra Pradesh,Bihar,Gujarat,Karnataka,Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra,Odisha,Rajasthan,Tamil Nadu,Uttar Pradesh,Telangana, and others.
Marble has been used for building tombs, temples and palaces. For a time, it was regarded aRoyal Stone. However, it is currently utilized in hotels and residences. There are many varieties.[2]
Granite is an igneous rock, which means it formed from magma, or melted rock. It forms deep inside the Earth under a mountain or volcano when melted rock cools or crystallizes into solid rock. Over time, wind, ice, and water wear away at the mountain or volcano above it, and the granite is exposed to the surface. India has varieties of granite in over 250 shades. As of 2005, Granite reserves in India was 37,426 million cubic meters and ranked fifth in the export of processed product. Resources are found in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.[4]
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Sandstone reserves inIndia are found over the states ofAndhra Pradesh,Assam,Bihar,Gujarat,Haryana,Madhya Pradesh,Meghalaya,Mizoram,Karnataka,Odisha,Punjab,Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh,Tamil Nadu andWest Bengal. Over 90% of the deposits ofsandstone are inRajasthan, spread over the districts ofBharatpur,Dholpur,Kota,Jodhpur, Sawai-Madhopur,Bundi,Chittorgarh,Bikaner,Jhalawar,Pali,Shivpuri,Khatu andJaisalmer.
India is among the leading countries when it comes to mining and export of sandstone. Sandstone from India is available in differentcolors for interior as well as exterior use. Sandstone products from India include names like Tint Mint, White Mint, Mint Fossils, Modak, Agra Red, Rainbow Sandstone, Raj Green, Teak, Buff Brown, Dhoplur Chocolate, Beige, Dholpur Pink, Lalitpur Pink, Mandana Red, Jodhpur pink, Jodhpur red, and Jaisalmer yellow.
Slate reserves in India are found inRajasthan, Behror, Haryana,Himachal Pradesh,Andhra Pradesh, andMadhya Pradesh. Deposits in Rajasthan are spread over the districts ofAlwar,Ajmer,Bharatpur,Tonk,Sawai Madhopur,Pali,Udaipur,Churu, andChittorgarh.
Few important names in slate are Jak Black, Silver Shine, Silver grey, Panther, Deoli Green, Peacock, Peacock Multi, Kund Black, Kund Multi, and so on. Being to some extent fragile in nature, it is good for interior use only and can be used in even as a washboard.
Kotastone of Kota district and Yellow Limestone of Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan are the primelimestone occurrences in India. Other deposits include the Shahabad Stone ofGulbarga and the Belgaum districts ofKarnataka, Kadappa Stone ofKadapa,Kurnool and theAnantapur &Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh, Milliolitic Limestone fromSaurashtra Region,Gujarat, and 'Yellow Limestone' ofKutch district of Gujarat, amongst others.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana put, together, possess 32% of the country's total reserves of limestone. World-renowned Narzi limestone is available in Kadapa district. Commercial grade limestone deposits are being exploited fromBethamcherla,Macherla, Neereducherla,Tandur, ((shahabad)), Mudimanikyam ofKurnool,Guntur,Anantapur,Rangareddy, andNalgonda districts are widely used in our country for paneling, and flooring purposes. Sullavai limestone of Karminagar andWarangal districts, massive limestones of Mudimanikyam,Nalgonda districts. Total India's limestones are estimated about 93,623 million tonnes. Limestones are extensively utilized for the manufacturing ofcement and also building stones, particularly flooring, and roofing.
There are some other dimensional stones being quarried and used in consumption, in addition to the dimensional stones already detailed above.Laterite bricks are quarried in huge quantities and are utilized as bricks in the construction of houses and forpavements in the states ofOrissa,Karnataka,Goa, and in other parts of coastal states. Thefelspathic sandstone occurring with thecoal seams as overburden is also used as building stone. The huge deposits ofbasalt in the states ofMaharashtra, Karnataka, andGujarat have been used as building stones since ancient times. Other quartzitic bands, occurring withphyllites andschists, are also utilized for building purposes. Khondelites from the Eastern coast are being used widely insculptures and as a building material.Felsite from Karnataka is being extensively used as a dimensional stone as well. India also contains many stones which are semiprecious like zoisite, apophyllite, cavansite, muscovite mica, almandine, etc.
