The Vimanas Of Ancient India, & The Tales Of Ancient, Flying Machines, I first remember reading about vimanas, i.e. highly advanced ancient Indian flying machines, in Chariots Of The Gods, the first international best-seller of the controversial author Erich Von Daniken. Down the years I have come across several other interesting references to vimanas elsewhere, too. It wasn’t , however, until I recently received an e mail from an Indian reader of my article Ancient Astronauts, that I recalled just how very intriguing these vimanas and, indeed, many other references to space travel and fantastically advanced technology in ancient Indian texts are. To this end, the following piece is intended to take a fresh look at vimanas and, moreover, explore the Indian ancient astronaut connection in general.
It is generally reckoned that the present form of the great Indian national epic, the Mahabharata, dates from between the 4th century BC and the 4th century AD. According to Indian tradition The Mahabharata, a collection of around 80,000 couplets, was first gathered together by one Vyasadeva, possibly a incarnation of Vishnu. Vyasadeva’s ’s disciple Vaicampayana is said to have first recited The Mahabharata for the king Janamejaya some hundred years later.
Very simply, The Mahabharata tells the story of the long war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. This war was apparently willed by the ancient Indian Gods with the intention of easing the problem of over-population in the world. In his English translation of Krsna – The Supreme Personality of Godhead., His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedenta Swami Prabhupada tells us that the Mahabharata was gathered together by the great sage Vyasadeva in order to bring Krishna consciousness to “ those less intelligent ( like women, labourers and the mercantile class)”. And further informs us that In the Mahabharata “Krsna is presented in His different activities”. , and perhaps more importantly for us here, that the “Mahabharata is history….”
It is in the Mahabharata that we hear about Bhima who “flew with his vimana on an enormous ray which was as brilliant as the sun and made a noise like the thunder of a storm”. And in the same great ancient Indian epic we also hear about the great warrior Arjuna’s ascent to Indra’s heaven. Importantly, Arjuna is, we are told, a mortal. However, during the telling of his particular adventure we are told of his ascent to heaven in a car that travels upwards to the clouds with a noise like thunder. Whilst travelling to heaven Arjuna apparently also sees flying cars that have crashed and are out of action and other flying cars that are stationary, whilst others fly freely in the air.
Interestingly in the Mahabharata we also find information about the terrible weapons belonging to the ancient Indian Gods that, in the light of our present day knowledge, do sound uncannily like nuclear weapons. In his best-selling book According To The Evidence, Erich Von Daniken tells us how he found evidence of such terrible weapons held by Indian Gods in Book 8, Musala Parva:
The unknown weapon is radiant lightening, a devastating messenger of death, which turned all the relations of Vrishni and Andhaka to ashes. Their calcined bodies were unrecognisable. Those who escaped lost their hair and nails. Crockery broke without cause; birds turned white. In a very short time food was poisonous. The lightening subsided and became fine ash.
Like Von Daniken says, It really is very difficult not to consider such provocative passages in the light of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Could it really be possible, as Von Daniken infers in According To The Evidence, that the ancient Indian Gods held the terrible and awesome power of an atom bomb? And if they did, were such lethal weapons of destruction let loose on the earth in the dark and distant past, perhaps causing the a terrifying and ancient nuclear war?
In the Ramyana, often cited as the second great Indian epic after the Mahabharata , we are told about vimanas that fly at great heights with the aid of quicksilver and a great propulsive wind. These vimanas could apparently travel vast distances and manoeuvre upwards, downwards and forwards. In his first great best-seller Chariots Of The Gods Von Daniken quotes form a translation of the Ramyana by N. Dutt (1891):
“At Rama’s behest the magnificent chariot rose up to a mountain of cloud with a tremendous din…” The tremendous noise apparently caused by the ancient Indian flying machines are certainly reminiscent of similar phenomena in the Bible and other ancient texts from around the world.
Interestingly, in another of his books, The Gold Of The Gods, Von Daniken presents us with a photograph of an old Indian bas-relief which is, he tells us, a depiction of a vimana that was easily identified by Sanskrit scholars. He presents the picture of this ancient Indian vimana, or flying machine, next to a prehistoric drawing found high up on a rock face in the Sete Cidades. In Daniken’s opinion the Sete Cidades drawing is “identical in style and layout” with the ancient Indian bas-relief.
In a similar vein to the above mention of awesome and devastating mention of weapons in The Mahabarata, The Ramayana also seems to make mention of such weapons, too. For instance in the tale of ‘Rama and Sita’ the king promises Rama that if he succeeds in bending a certain immensely powerful bow, he will have his daughter, Sita, the princess born from the earth. “Straight away the King gave the orders: five thousand well-built men strained to drag the eight-wheeled iron cart which contained the divine weapon. Try, commanded the devout king, and effortlessly Rama seized the bow and drew it. He bent it to such an extent that he broke it and the sound that the string made in breaking struck fear in everyone who witnessed it. My daughter, said the king, will be the prize won by your strength”.
Also in The Ramayana is the account of one of Rama’s comrades, the King of the Apes. This King of the Apes could apparently not only evolve into a giant or shrink into a midget at will, but he is also a brilliant and fearless pilot of an obviously tremendously powerful flying machine of some kind. As Von Daniken recounts from the original text:
When he begins his flight from the mountains, the tops of the cliffs break, the foundations of the mountains shake. Giant trees are stripped of their boughs and broken, a shower of wood and leaves falls to the ground. The mountain birds and animals flee to their hiding places.
Furthermore this same King of the Apes mentioned in the ancient Indian text The Ramayana, could also apparently lift off in his flying machine from within built-up cities. He did not, by all accounts, need a runway like most modern aircraft in order to take-off:
With burning tail he swings himself up over the rooftops and kindles vast conflagrations so that the tall buildings and towers collapse and the pleasure gardens are laid to waste.
References to other intriguing flying machines also appear In The Second Chance – The Story Of A Near-Death Experience by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. A Second Chance is actually based upon an ancient book of Eastern Wisdom called Srimad-Bhagavatam and aims to show us how we can employ the techniques of meditation to overcome the obstacles of materialism. It basically tells the story of Ajamila, a debauched criminal, who at the moment of his death is saved from a terrible judgement and punishment by four beautiful figures who arrive to save him by the divine grace of Lord Krisna. It’s on page 140 of The Second Chance that we find the following interesting passage:
THE ABDUCTION AND
MANIPULATION
OF HUMANS USING
ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY
“Upon seeing the Visnudutas, Ajamila gave up his material body at Hardwar on the bank of the Ganges. He regained his original, spiritual body – one appropriate for an associate of the Lord. Accompanied by the order-carriers of Lord Visnu, he then boarded an airplane made of gold. Passing through the airways, he went directly to the abode of Lord Visnu…”
What I believe is especially fascinating about this particular passage is although it appears to talk of a spiritual journey by Ajamila, the journey itself is clearly based in the material world, with clear references to actual places and the like. Hence, for example, the mention of “Hardwar on the banks of the Ganges” and also the “airplane made of gold” that passes through “the airways”. The text on page 140 of The Second Chance is, by the way, illustrated by a beautiful plate (plate no. 7) of Ajamila, now pure and fully Krsna conscious, boarding a “spiritual” airplane that will take him back to the kingdom of God.
Finally, again in According To The Evidence, Von Daniken tells us that it is possible to read in the ‘Rama and Sita’ section of the Ramayana all about how the villainous Rawana kidnaps the beautiful heroine Sita in an aerial car that is like the sun. Rawana flies Sita in his aerial car that is like the sun high over woods, valleys, and high mountain tops. Hearing about the kidnapping of his lovely wife, Sita, Rama cries : “ Fly out the aerial cars at once”. And immediately he sets off and challenges Rawana to aerial combat. In the perusing battle to get Sita back, Rama uses an heavenly arrow to shoot down his enemy, who eventually dives into the depths. Rama manages to save Sita and she climbs into her husband’s heavenly flying machine which at Rama’s behest, rose up to a mountain of cloud with an enormous noise.
Reading passages like this, can it really be possible that Von Daniken is right when he says that “Only an illiterate could overlook the fact that flying cars were described in ancient Indian texts”? Perhaps, all in all, the very least that can be said is that ancient Indian epics such as the Mahabarata and the Ramayana are certainly compelling reading for anyone interested in discovering more ancient astronaut connections in world literature.
The Vimanas of the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Samarangana Sutradhara
Much has been written about vimanas, especially on the web. One can easily become lost amid the sites, although it soon becomes evident that most of them simply copy each others’ statements. It is obvious that precious few sites that discuss vimanas have any original research – Richard Dolan
The word vimana is Sanskrit and has multiple meanings, for the palace of an emperor or god to a vehicle. Today, the word means aircraft.
The Ramayana is a Vedic epic that dates back to the fourth/fifth century, B.C. In one passage, a vimana is described as a “chariot that resembles the sun, that aerial and excellent chariot going everywhere at will, resembling a bright cloud in the sky, and the king got in and the excellent chariot rose up into the higher atmosphere.” (1)(2)(3)
Vimanas are also described in the Mahabharata, another ancient text. In this case, measurements are given for one of the vimanas. It’s described as having twelve cubits in circumference with four strong wheels that are approximately 20 to 25 feet in circumference; about seven feet in diameter.(1)(3)
They roar like off into the sky until they appear like comets.” The Mahabharata and various Sanskrit books describe at length these chariots, “powered by winged lighting…it was a ship that soared into the air, flying to both the solar and stellar regions.(2)
According to the texts, these vimanas were used to transport the gods through the heavens. These flying machines, according to Erich Von Daniken, navigated at great heights with the aid of quicksilver and a great propulsive wind. The Vimanas could cover vast distances and could travel forward, upward and downward. They were enviably maneuverable space vehicles.
Another interesting story that comes from the Mahabharata reveals the history of the “unmarried Kunti,” who not only received a visit from the sun god but also had a son by him, a son who is supposed to have been as radiant as the sun itself. This matches stories in numerous ancient texts in several cultures and religions, stories of ‘gods’ interbreeding with humans, like the story Moses, or like Gilgamesh, or Aryuna in the Mahabharata, or the Nephilim in the Bible (a few of many examples). It also eerily correlates to abductions of modern day, forced abduction as well as friendly extraterrestrial encounters that many people claim to have had.
Furthermore, many stories of serpent beings with superhuman powers exist within ancient literature. While we are focusing on texts from India right now, consider the Naga. According to Vedic tradition, the serpent Naga instructed humanity in knowledge of good and evil.
“It is interesting how the serpent is seen as a symbol of wisdom or knowledge across many cultural traditions. Cultures such as the Scandinavian, Slavic, Hebrew, Tibetan, Hopi, and West African all depict serpent gods possessing esoteric wisdom..” – Richard Dolan (1)(2)
The Samarangana Sutradhara is a classical Indian architecture text written in 1000-1055 AD. In it, whole chapters are devoted to describing airships whose tails spout fire and quicksilver.
The world ‘fire’ in ancient texts cannot mean burning fire, for altogether some forty different kinds of “fire,” mainly connected with esoteric and magnetic phenomena, are enumerated. – Erich Von Daniken (2)(4)(5)
It also describes types of machines as automotive, one stroke engine, remote-control and driver-run machines; keep in mind that this is 1000 years ago. It devotes one full chapter on the building of flying machines. The book does not explain the process of building airplanes completely and says that it has been done purposely, for the sake of secrecy – Prabhakar Apte, MA and PhD in Sanskrit. (4)(5)
I do not believe that we should dismiss the old Sanskrit texts as just myths, we have a tendency to do this with much of our ancient history.
We are not going to get any further with the old approach which scholars unfortunately still cling to: That doesn’t exist…those are mistakes in translation…those are fanciful exaggerations by the author or copyists – Erich Von Daniken
The Tibetan books Tantyua and Kantyua
The Tibetan books of Tantyua and Kantyua mention ancient flying machines, which they refer to as “pearls in the sky.”
In both books, they emphasize that this knowledge is secret, and should be kept from the masses. The Chinese believed that these pearls in the sky were formed in the ocean. In India, dragons were often depicted fighting for possession of this pearl, chasing it across the skies.
(6)
Click here to view the Dalai Lama’s thoughts on extraterrestrials.
Again, is it impossible and incredible that the chroniclers of the Mahabharata, the Bible, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the texts of the Eskimos, the American Indians, the Scandinavians, the Tibetans, and many, many other sources should all tell the same stories of flying “gods,” and strange vehicles, by chance without any foundation?
The Tulli Papyrus
The Tulli Papyrus are writings from ancient Egypt, it’s the earliest known texts, from the annals of Thutmose III, of Egypts 18th Dynasty, whose reign dates back to 3,500 years ago. These documents are named after Alberto Tulli, a director of the Egyptian section of the Vatican museum. (1)(7)
In the year 22, of the third month of winter, sixth hour of the day, among the scribes of the House of Life it was found that a strange Fiery Disk was coming in the sky. It had no head. The breath of its mouth emitted a foul odor. Its body was one rod in length and one rod in width. It had no voice. It came toward His Majesty’s house. Their heart became confused through it, and they fell upon their bellies. They went to the king, to report it. His majesty meditated on all these events which were now going on. After several days had passed, they became more numerous in the sky than ever. They shined in the sky more than the brightness of the sun, and extended to the limits of the four supports of heaven. Powerful was the position of the Fiery Disks. The army of the king looked on, with His Majesty in their midst. It was after the evening meal when the Disks ascended even higher in the sky to the south. Fish and other volatiles rained down from the sky; a marvel never before known since the foundation of the country. And His Majesty caused incense to be brought to appease the heart of Amun-Re, the god of the Two Lands. And it was ordered that the event be recorded for His Majesty in the Annals of the house of Life to be remembered forever (1)(8)
Modern Historical Accounts
All centuries are filled with flying apparatus accounts. This gives further credence that all of today’s ‘modern UFOs’ are not all advanced, classified military technology (although I believe many of them are, I also believe many of them are extraterrestrial). In 1716, as reported in the “Boston News Letter,” there were strange appearances of Ships in the Air, which engaged each other for approximately thirty minutes. All of a sudden, a cloud of many colors covered them, which presented any further sight of them.(1)(9)
An account published in the journal Philosophical Transactions, from Westiminster, England from 1742 reads as follows:
I saw a light arise from behind the Trees and houses, which I took at first for a large sky-rocket.; but when it had risen to the height of about 20 degrees, it took a motion nearly parallel to the horizon, but waved in this manner. Its motion was so very slow, that I had it above half a minute in view, and therefore enough time to contemplate its appearance fully. There was nothing around in 1742 that could have explained this sighting.(1)(10)
One report from 1799, describes a “luminous spot seen moving across the path of Mercury.(1)(11) Another one from the journal Philosophical Transactions, in 1847 concerned a very odd moving light. According the writer, “it looked like a star passing over the Moon which, on the next moment’s consideration I knew to be impossible. It was a fixed, steady light upon the dark part of the Moon.(1)(12)
One very interesting account comes from a 1894 issue of the Astrophysical Journal about “a light reflecting body, or a bright spot near Mars seen on the 25th of November. It was seen by Professor Pickering and others at the Lowell Observatory, described as “a light reflecting body above an unilluminated part of Mars.” (1)(12)
In 1845, near Sicily and Malta in the Mediterranean Sea, three luminous bodies rising up from the sea about half a mile from the ship were reported by the captain. It was a Royal Navy ship.
On June 18th, at 9h 30m p.m., the brig Victoria, from Newcastle to Malta, in lat. 36 40′ 46, long. 13 44′ 36, was becalmed, with no appearance of bad weather, when her top-gallant and royal masts suddenly went over the side as if carried away by a squall. Two hours it blew very hard from the east, and whilst all hands were aloft reefing topsails, it suddenly fell calm again, and they felt an overpowering heat and stench of sulphur. At this moment three luminous bodies issued from the sea, about half a mile from the vessel, and remained visible for ten minutes. The sulphur connection is intriguing, since many UFO accounts have been connected to the smell of sulphur. (1)(13)
To see historical art depicting these craft, you can scroll to the bottom of
this article.
Thanks for reading.
Sources:
(1) Dolan, Richard. UFOs For the 21st Century Mind: New York: Richard Dolan Press, 2014
(2) Daniken, Erich. Chariots of The Gods. New York: Berkley Books, 1970
(3) Mahabharata VIII.31.80
(7) See “Tulli Papyrus,” Wikipedia, the free Internet encyclopedia for a good overview of this.
(8) Leondard, R. Cedric, Firce Circles, A Revised Translation of the Tulli Transcription, (www.atlantisquest.com/Firecircle.html)
(9)Daniel Guenther’s Just the Cases UFO database.” (www.jtc-ufo.com/database/sightings/4)
(10) Philosophical Transcations, Vol. 42, p. 524.
(11) Jenkins, B.G. “The luminous spot on Mercury in transit.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 38 (April 1878): p. 338. Fort, Charles, Book of the Damned, p. 198
(12)Fort, Charles, Book of the Damned, Cosimo Classics, 2004, p ;199. and 195
(13) Malta Mail Times, August 18th, 1845.
