यन्निर्मलः सुमसृणः खलु गारशून्यः स्निग्धश्च शारदनिरभ्रनिभः सुनीलः।
कृष्णो गुरुश्च शिखिकण्ठसमप्रकाशो राजोपलः खलु स एव मतस्तु जात्यः॥
"That Rājāvarta (Lapis Lazuli) is considered of the finest quality which is smooth, flawless and radiant, deep blue like the clear autumn sky, with the lustre of a peacock's neck."
Source: Rasa Tarangini, Taraṅga 23, Verse 192.
Centuries before it became an ornament, Rājāvarta had already become a subject of Sanskrit scholarship. Its deep blue radiance was carefully described, its purity meticulously classified, and its place among the sixteen classical Ratnas firmly established. Few gemstones carry a legacy written as much in manuscripts as in stone.
Sources: Rasa Jala Nidhi, Rasa Tarangini, Rasa Ratna Samukhya.
