The Antiquities of Orissa v1.c10.473

v1.c10.473

**Chariots:** The oldest Indian car of which we have a drawing, occurs among the paintings of the reign of Thothmes III, (B. C. 1495). It is said to have been a present from a vanquished people of the name of *Rot-n-no*, Sanskrit *rathinaḥ* or “charioteers”, who have been identified by the late Henry [130] Torrens, author of the *Scope and Uses of Military Literature*, with the Vedic Aryans of the Panjab.²³⁹ In style and make it closely resembles the war chariot of the Sāñci bas-reliefs, a car on two wheels, with a curricle body, open behind, and drawn by two horses ; but it has only one pole with a yoke at the end, whereas the Sāñcī specimens have three or rather one long pole in the middle curving upward near the neck of the horses, and two short shafts on the sides, reaching only as far as the flanks, but no yoke.²⁴⁰ (Woodcut No. 54). For a two-horse conveyance this is the simplest contrivance, and the ordinary practice was to drive pairs, in the matching of which, great attention was paid by their owners.²⁴¹ But one-horse chases were not altogether unknown ; perhaps they were more common, but not being worthy of laudation were not often noticed in the *Ṛgveda* hymns, though in one place we find a verse beginning with the words : "This invigorating praise, like a horse attached to a car, has been addressed thee, who art mighty and fierce."²⁴² The *Rāmāyaṇa* makes mention of cars drawn by asses. In the time of the *Ṛgveda*, there were three shafts to each car, and they are described as triangular. "Come Aśvins with your three-columned triangular car."²⁴³ "We have placed you, Dasras, in your golden three-shafted chariots, going by an easy road to heaven."²⁴⁴ But whether the triangle was formed by the projection of the long central pole or by the body itself, does not appear. The wheels were usually two but a third was sometimes added, as tri-wheeled carriages are greatly extolled. The chariot of the sun is described in the Purāṇas as having one wheel, one having been taken away by Indra. The ancient Roman chariot had large scythe-like blades projecting from the axles, rendering approach to the cars from the sides by enemies dangerous. A similar method of arming the wheels was probably adopted by the ancient Hindus, for we read in the *Ṛgveda*, of "golden wheels, armed with iron weapons."²⁴⁵ But the Sāñcī models show no trace of these. The number of spokes to each wheel was originally five ;²⁴⁶ but a greater number was subsequently introduced, and in the Sāñcī chariot above shown there are sixteen. The earliest Assyrian and Egyptian chariots had six.