In Vedas, there is reference to "ayas" implying Iron and "Akarshan" attaction, thus, pointing to Iron-magnet relationship.

�Manigamanam sucyabhi sarpanam drastakaranam� (Kanadasutra.V.I.15). In the commentary called the Upaskara, the passage has been clearly explained to signify that the needle goes towards the magnet.

Kalidasa (c.500 BCE) records: �Siva�s mind has been fixed steadily because of penance. And therefore, now try to distract his attention just like an iron piece is attracted or drawn towards a magnet (ayaskantena lohavat akarshtum)� (Kumarasambavam.II.59).

Milindapanho (VII.2.16) composed during 4^th-5^th centuries CE, mentions about an instrument used by the pilot of a ship for steering the ship.

�And again, O King, as the pilot put a seal on the steering apparatus, lest any one should touch it�.

Rhys Davis translates the term as �steering apparatus� and it Sanskrit it is �yantra�, a mechanical devise, just like �matsya yantra� working on mechanical and accompanied with other principles.

Mookerji points out a compass on one of the ships in which Hindus of the early Christian era sailed out to colonize Java and other islands in the Indian ocean. The Hindu compass was an iron fish (called in Sanskrit matsya-yantra or fish machine). It floated in a vessel of oil and point to the north (History of Indian Shipping, London, 1912).

The Hindus had already in use a magnetic compass known as Matsya Yantra for determining direction. The work "Merchants Treasure" written at Cairo by Baylak al Kiljaki mentions the magnetic needle as being in use in the Indian Ocean. The route that Fa- hien, the celebrated Chinese monk, took to return home after his stay in India (412-413) is fully described by him. Leaving Tramralipti, the Orissa port, he took fourteen days to reach Sri Lanka. From there he embarked for Java and called at Nicobars
(Nakka-varam)"

The 0 declination line runs right through Southern India, therefore a simple load stone craved placed on a  float will point Due north but, it differs in Europe and Russia, and Northern China. Thus, its invention in South India is natural and appropriate.

Bombay Gazetteer recorded: �Hindu cpompass was an iron fish that floated in a vessel of oil and pointed to the north. The fact of this older Hindu compass seems placed beyond doubt by the Sanskrit work Macchayantra, or fish-machine, which Malesworth gives as a name for the mariner�s compass� (Bombay Gazetteer, p.725).

No comments for Britannica Encyclopedia 1999, as it gives rival claims of 12^th � 13^th centuries attributing to the Chinese, Europeans and Arabia, but I point out the conspicuous missing of India (this is only the bias against India).

�Some speculate that in 101 BCE Chinese ships reached the east coast of India for the first time with help from the navigational compass pioneered by the Chinese�. Anybody can speculate anything, but we require evidence. Can you find out the source for this?  They had discovered the orientating effect of magnetite, or lodestone as early as the 4th century BCE. The magnetic property of loadstone was known to Indians also as pointed out, but whether, it was out into use as a needle in the compass to show the direction. The comes the question of using it for navigation.

About the plate and spoon, you can note that it was used for geomancy and not for navigation.

The reference to, �The bowl of water with edge markings (to the left) shows a simple mariner's compass, with a floating magnetized needle pointing north and south�, is important, because, such type of yantras have been mentioned in Indian literature (c.550 BCE) as pointed out.

Again the next reference, �By the time of the T'ang dynasty (7-8th century CE) , Chinese scholars had devised a way to magnetize iron needles, by rubbing them with magnetite, and then suspending them in water (early 11th century)�,  also pint to the same concept of floating needle in the liquid, that too only in 7^th-8^th century CE. But, Indian claim goes back to c.550 BCE, 1200 years before. Therefore, unless, literary evidences dating back to c.550 BCE is shown for Chinese, it cannot be accepted such concept was there.

Of course, definitely, Europeans modified and refined it.

In fact, there has been interesting dialogue taken place in another forum �tech-archive.net�, about it under, �Who had the compass first, how did it spread�.

The date of Kalidasa, like the date of any other Indian personality or dynasty or monument varies according to the scholar who tried to fix.

Thus, he is placed from 8^th century BCE to 8^th cent. CE or even up to 11^th cent.CE., as listed below:

I. M. Hippolyte Fauche based on the verse of Canto XIX of Raghuvamsa fixes his date to 8^th cent. BCE.

Compared with Kautilya, he is placed in 3^rd cent.BCE.

He is placed with Chandragupta II (269-233 BCE) of Gupta dynasty, according to Puranic chronology.

Placed with Vikramaditya (82 BCE � 19 CE) as one of �Nine Gems� � 1^st cent.BCE / CE.

Lassen, Buhler, C. V. Vaidhya plsce him in the middle of 2^nd cent. BCE.

He is placed with Chandragupta II (380-413 CE) of Gupta dynasty, according to western chronology.

Popularly he is dated to Gupta period, which is wrong as proved from the internal evidences of his works.

Bhau Daji, Bhandarkar, Max Mueller, r. c. Dutt and Weber place him in 6^th cent.CE.

Comparing with Bhavabhuti, he placed in 8h cent. CE.

Making him a prot�g� of King Bhola, he is brought to 11^th cent. CE also.

6      S. A. Sabnis, Kalidasa His style and his times, M. M. Tripathi P. Ltd., Bombay, 1966, pp.1-16. After discussing all theories, he places him in 1^st cent. BCE.

6      C. V. Vaidya, The Pandyas and the Date of Kalidasa, Annals of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (ABORI), Vol.2, 1921, pp.63-68

6      K. G. Sankara, Mr. Vaidya�s Date for Kalidasa, ABORI, Vol.2, 1921, pp.189-191.

6      P. K. Gode, The Word Atmabha and the date of Kalidasa, ABORI, Vol.I, 1920.

6      K. G. Sankara, MM. H. P. Sastri�s Date for Kalidasa, Quaterly Journal of Mythic Society (QJMS), Vol.II, pp.232-237.

6      D. R. Bhandarkar, Can we fix the Date of Kalidasa more accurately?, ABORI, Vol.8, 1927, pp.200-204.

6      B. S. Upadhyaya, The Date of Kalidasa, Journal of Uttar Pradesh Historical Society (JUPHS), Vol.XIV, 1941, pp.23-40.

6      C. Kunhan Raja, Kalidasa and Astronomy, JUPHS, Vol.XV, pp.5-23.

6      D. V. Ketkar, Date of Kalidasa, ABORI, Vol.365, 1955, pp.150-156.

6      Chattopadhyaya, The Date of Kalidasa,

6      H. A. Shah, Kautilya and Kalidasa, QJMS, Vol.11, pp.138-145 and Vol.12, pp.238-248.