Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c9.t15.1

c9.t15.1

The art of house-building seems to have been considerably developed in ancient India. Masonry and carpentry were important occupations and masons and carpenters were employed to lay foundation of buildings, palaces, halls, stair-cases, underground constructions, tanks and temples. Wooden images were prepared.¹⁸³ The carpenters made furniture for houses, such as seats, chairs, bed-steads, pegs, boxes, toys, etc. Wooden sandals (*pādalhaṇiyā*) were prepared from the wood of various trees¹⁸⁴ by clever artists and were set with *vaidūrya* and excellent *nīla* and *añjana* (granite) and ornamented with glittering and precious stones.¹⁸⁵ They also built ships, boats, vehicles of all sorts, carts and chariots of different kinds and various machines. A *rathakāra* or a chariot-maker is mentioned as one of the four jewels of a certain king.¹⁸⁶ We are told that a *rathakāra* built an aerial car known as *garuḍa*.¹⁸⁷ Axe, hatchet and other implements were known as tools of a carpenter.¹⁸⁸