History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c35.s1.14

v1.c35.s1.14

*Vistara* was also an honoured seat, a high seat worthy of royal household. In all probability, those rich seats depicted in the Ajanta murals may represent *Vistara* type of seats. Besides these, there were benches and bedsteads. *Mañca* was a bench. Acharya explains it as a bedstead, couch, bed, a sofa, a chair, a throne, a platform, a pulpit (Acharya P.K. 1927, p. 461). *Talpa* was again a high bedstead (*Raghu*. V. 75; XVI.6). The coverlets like *Uttaracada* and *āstaraṇa* are also mentioned in the kāvyas (*Raghu*. V. 65; XVII. 21; VI.4). The *uttaracada* appears to have been a bed cover or a cover to *Āsandi* (sofa). The other coverlet *astaraṇa* seems to have been used for covering chairs, cushions and the like.