On Apr 27, 2024, at 09:57, Patrick Olivelle via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

In the hill fortress of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka, there is a huge boulder up the hill sitting precariously on small stones. The theory was that with a push the boulder would slip over the stones and fall down over an approaching army. “peraḷā” in Sinhala means to roll down.

On Apr 27, 2024, at 8:49 AM, Madhav Deshpande via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

There are descriptions from medieval Maratha warfare against the enemy sieges of forts. They would make stacks of stones in such a way that with one push the stones would roll down on the soldiers climbing the hill or walls.

Madhav M. Deshpande

Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies

Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India

[Residence: Campbell, California, USA]

On Sat, Apr 27, 2024 at 6:22 AM Rolf Heinrich Koch via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear listmembers,
stone traps for the hunting of wild animals are mentioned in a Jātaka
(pāsāṇa-yantāni sajjenti). Also in a Sinhalese manuscript (12th
century?) I came across the description of a trap by which animals are
killed after "stones set in motion" (gal-peraḷā < parivartana).

I cannot imagine how this happens. The stones are hanging somewhere and
fall down on the animals?

Anyone of you can enlighten me?

Thank you
Heiner

--
Dr. Rolf Heinrich Koch
www.rolfheinrichkoch.wordpress.com


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