[tied] Re: This Whole Indian Horse Thing [obiter]

From: anthonyappleyard
Message: 13266
Date: 2002-04-15

--- In cybalist@..., "vishalsagarwal" <vishalagarwal@...> wrote:
> 1. What is the nature of the Rigvedic chariot? ..
> So we really need to wonder - even if the Puras of RV are forts and
> citadels ...

Wild horses were more like ponies in size, and that made chariots as
useful as horseback cavalry. Likely if a Napoleonic-period army found
itself with no full-sized horses available but only ponies, war
chariots would soon be back. Time passed, men bred horses to be
bigger and bigger, the horseback cavalryman became more useful, and
the chariot was relegated to legend and ceremonial parades.

The first line in the Rigveda is
> agnim iLe purohitam
which Macdonnall translated as "I praise Agni the domestic priest".
"agni" is Sanskrit for "fire". Agni was a Vedic god.