'RA1' 2.0

The ten-headed demon king Ravana occupies an important place in Sri Lankan & Indian folklore. While there is no archaeological evidence to show that King Ravana existed, several Puranic texts, including the Hindu epics, Ramayana & Mahabharata, claim that he was real, & not just a mythical figure. Also, these texts contain descriptions of the legendary aircraft that he used to travel within Sri Lanka & to other kingdoms across the ocean.

In ancient mythology, these aircraft are called vimana; in Sanskrit, the word vimana is composed of “vi”(the sky) & “mana”(measure). The term vimana was used to refer to airborne chariots that traversed long distances through the skies. "Vaimanika Shastra", an ancient Sanskrit text on aeronautics, speaks about the construction of these ‘chariots'. This text describes the design of a few aircrafts & discusses the fuel, mechanisms & manoeuvres of the same.

This is a fantasy futuristic version of Ravana's Vimana.

Art by @sidharthvohra