War in Ancient India c6.s6.t1.3

c6.s6.t1.3

Plates xvii and lvii afford deep interest. The motif in both seem to be the same and indicate the battle scene of Vijaya’s conquest of Ceylon with war-elephants, horses, and archers all carried in curricles. Two of these curricles carry eight or nine mounted horses and two or three war elephants. The Plates are indicative of the picturesque appearance of an army on the march. Almost every variety of weapons can be found here. The curricles are embellished with dragon-heads and the like. The soldiers carry standards flying from the sharp ends of their lances. Umbrellas and cāmaras or fly-whisks and instruments of martial music, which are a unique feature of ancient warfare, are also vividly represented. Here two cakras or discs with sharp edges on the outside and a ‘voided cross’ in the centre are shown as evidently discharged and warded off by the enemy’s lances. Scimitars like the chopper or the bill, both straight and of the primitive kind, are common. Shields both crescent and oblong are seen, handsomely curved in the longer dimension apparently made of leather. There are two bows of the classic double-curved variety. Both square and round quivers are also noticed.¹⁴⁴