IN ANCIENT KASHMIR , INFLATED ANIMAL SKINS WERE USED TO CROSS RIVERS .

                                                                       

( A summer  view of river Jhelum near Pampore  Photo autar Mota. )

 We know   the Mesopotamians made rafts with wooden platforms resting on inflated animal skins  to cross rivers . The practice of Crossing rivers on inflated animal skins  was prevalent in Kashmir also   .As per kalhana’s Rajatarangini ,Inflated Animal Skins were also used in Kashmir for crossing rivers . I quote

 “The enemy made haste and with armed men and inflated skins , he drew out Jayapida from the midst of the river and took him prisoner and held a feast . ”

(Canto 544 page 167 Taranga IV Rajatarangini translated by R S Pandit )

“His officers, Kandraja and others , while crossing the sindhu without a bridge , went to the residence of the Leveler owing to the bursting of the inflated skins in the stream ”

(Canto 1129page 497 Taranga VIII Rajatarangini translated by R S Pandit )

Animal skins were used by ancient Greeks to cross rivers .

( Autar Mota  )

 Monnday , 28th January 2013.. Time 0.15 AM ... Good Night 

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.