Ancient Indian Ranged Weapon - Historum

**plutoboyz** · April 18th, 2010, 09:24 AM

I'm doing a research.

What is ancient Indian (particularly Chola and Kalingga) most common ranged weapon besides bamboo bow?

**Lord_of_Gauda** · April 18th, 2010, 11:13 AM

The steel bow as well.

Nick · April 18th, 2010, 12:00 PM

What sort of Indian? American or Asian?

Excalibur · April 18th, 2010, 12:19 PM

It could be Vimana but i guess it was not too common

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**Salah** · April 18th, 2010, 01:25 PM

At what time did they adopt the crossbow? It was in use in China the last couple centuries BC, so it easily could have spread to India.

Elephant-mounted troops used javelins.

**plutoboyz** · April 18th, 2010, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick

What sort of Indian? American or Asian?

Asian, particularly Chola and Kalingga

**plutoboyz** · April 18th, 2010, 03:11 PM

how about sling? is it used to?

**Salah** · April 18th, 2010, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plutoboyz

how about sling? is it used to?

I'm not specifically aware of the Indians using the sling, but it is a very primitive and nigh universal weapon, so I wouldn't rule it out. Longbows and javelins would have been much more common, though.

**Efendi** · April 18th, 2010, 06:04 PM

Wathing and reading carefully, as a stranger to those lands.

Can you post pict also ?

**Lord_of_Gauda** · April 20th, 2010, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salah ad-Din

At what time did they adopt the crossbow? It was in use in China the last couple centuries BC, so it easily could have spread to India.

Elephant-mounted troops used javelins.

To my knowledge, Indians never adopted the crossbow.
I am puzzled by why this is so, but it could be because the Indian bow, which has been around since 1200 BCE or so, is an extremely good ranged weapon. I don't think we have a bow of comparable range/accuracy until the Hun-bow (or in latter times, the english longbow). So, a preferrence of regular bows perhaps makes sense to prevail, because of its far higher level of accuracy.
Also, as the 100 years wars between france and england proved, the lesser accuracy,unweildly nature and slower re-load times of the crossbow would make it a significantly inferior weapon of choice in the face of the longbow/bows with extreme range.