Vimanas!

[Chris Beetle]

For those interested in the UFO-vimana connection, there is a nice book
called Alien Identities that elaborately compares modern UFO accounts and
descriptions of vimanas and which finds a remarkable number of similarities
both in descriptions of the flying machines themselves and the
characteristics of their inhabitants.  The first part of the book analyzes
the modern UFO phenomena, and the second discusses Vedic parallels.  There
is a web site on on the book which lists its table of contents at:
http://www.alienidentities.com/

Chris Beetle

At 05:41 PM 3/12/00 -0600, you wrote:
>According to ancient Indian texts, the people had flying machines which
>were called vimanas. The ancient Indian epic describes a vimana as a
>double- deck, circular aircraft with portholes and a dome, much as we
>would imagine a flying saucer. It flew with the "speed of the wind" and
>gave forth a melodious sound. There were at least four different types of
>vimanas; some saucer shaped, others like long cylinders (cigar shaped
>airships)."
>
>D. Hatcher Childress, "Ancient Indian Aircraft Technology" In The
>Anti-Gravity Handbook
>
>"In the Vedic literature of India, there are many descriptions of flying
>machines that are generally called vimanas. These fall into two
>categories: (1) manmade craft that resemble airplanes and fly with the aid
>of birdlike wings, and (2) unstreamlined structures that fly in a
>mysterious manner and are generally not made by human beings. The machines
>in category (1) are described mainly in medieval, secular Sanskrit works
>dealing with architecture, automata, military siege engines, and other
>mechanical contrivances. Those in category (2) are described in ancient
>works such as the Rg Veda, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Puranas,
>and they have many features reminiscent of UFOs." "There are ancient
>Indian accounts of manmade wooden vehicles that flew with wings in the
>manner of modern airplanes. Although these wooden vehicles were also
>called vimanas, most vimanas were not at all like airplanes. The more
>typical vimanas had flight characteristics resembling those reported for
>UFOs, and the being associated with them were said to possess powers
>similar to those presently ascribed to UFO entities. An interesting
>example of a vimana is the flying machine which Salva, an ancient Indian
>king, acquired from Maya Danava, an inhabitant of a planetary system
>called Taltala."
>