Pre-modern Warfare:India And Elsewhere

[Hauma Hamiddha]

IIRC, The Ramayana has references to the Vimana. Here is a link from the IIT madras folks.. Albeit a lot of spelling mistakes and typos exist, it is the first link I could find. (I have a personal copy of the Valmiki Ramayana, and can vouch that the Shlokas are correct.) The reference is to Sundara Kandam Sarga 8 where Hanumaan enters Ravana's hangar to see the Pushpaka Vimana parked. There is no documentation of it in the Mahabaratha though.

I do not deny that the rAmAyaNa and mahAbhArata mention vimAnas and flying rathas. In the mahAbhArata see the section on the attack of the attack of shalva on the yAdavas. The use of a vimana is mentioned there. I can provide the sanskrit verses if I get the time.



What I meant is that the text called the vaimAnika shAstra as available appears to be a possible concoction of subbarAya or his agents.



I do not think the ancient Indians actually made vimAnas, but definitely had sufficient imagination to concieve them. Ancient nyAya-vaisheshika texts mention hot air balloons, this is something the Indians could have potentially made, though the scale is unclear.