The Antiquities of Orissa v1.c10.498.3

v1.c10.498.3

It may fairly be presumed that the various names given in the vocabulary are not synonyms, but terms denoting vehicles differing from each other in shape, size, make, and character, and that vehicles, of various kinds, large and small, were in use among the ancient Hindus, though we are not in a position now to point out their distinctive peculiarities. Covered carriages are frequently mentioned, and, seeing that the constructive ingenuity necessary for coverting an open cart into a covered vehicle is exceedingly small, there is no reason to doubt the former existence of such conveyances. It is worthy of note, however, that in the Sāñcī bas-reliefs, the open war-chariot shown above in the woodcut is the conveyance selected for a religious procession, and the sacred object placed in it is shielded from the rays of the sun by an umbrella held over it. It may be asked, had the people conveyances with hoods or awning for use at the time, why should they have rejected them and brought forth so insignificant a vehicle for a ceremony, the main object of which was to produce a grand impression on the minds of the common people? A large covered van or car is far better adapted for decoration and show than an ancient war chariot, and the testimony of the *Rāmāyaṇa* and the *Mahābhārata* leaves no room for doubt that such large structures were known.