Why Chariots disappeared from Ancient Indian Armies?

[@rahuls8764]

those 2 reasons (flat ground, rainy season) were applicable during vedic times too.. i think infantry over the ages developed tactics against chariots, chariots became more expensive for their worth , horses that used to draw chariots were smaller earlier but thru selective breeding horses became bigger. these bigger horses could now carry soldiers. these reasons were applicable not only in india, but in egypt, anatolia, persia and other civilizations invention and improvements in the stirrups meant horse riders had better chance of not falling down while firing a bow or yielding spears on horseback. all these reasons and more made the chariot eventually obsolete

[@JayVardhanSingh]

Yes these two reasons were there in the Vedic period but during the Vedic period there were no war elephants. This we also have to keep in account for the decline of chariot warfare.

[@sbksharath]

Cavalary replaced chariots. Horses became bigger. Fete of engineering replaced by animal breeding.

[@playhard719]

There is also another reason that is in Vedic time empires were much smaller so the battles would have happened similar flat terrains, but when the empires grow mostly like places battels might took place could have been in between areas of two big power most like some kind of natural borders like mountains, forest and such so having an unit that cant adapt to different terrains might have been much more valuable, also the major benefits of chariot is being mobile tower, the access to better horses that and increasing use of war elephants mean you cavalry which is faster than chariot and war elephant which can serve as much taller mobile towers even if its little slower and both can function in almost any kind of terrains.

[@abhijayverma4700]

Sir I like your channel very much, arguably the best on Ancient Indian History on Online platforms. It feels delighted as a history buff to stumble upon your channel, where you condense information from so many sources, accounts and researched opinions in one video. I see these days you are engaging much with Ancient Indian military history. May I please request you to consider making a video on Ancient Indian battle formations. I was curious to learn about them since a very long time.😊❤

[@JayVardhanSingh]

Thanks for the kind words. There's not enough sources that talk about battle formations used in different battles, especially in the Ancient Indian case. Will do videos on Medieval battles soon.

[@el_iron_duke]

@@JayVardhanSingh I think by battle formations they mean the mentions of all kinds of Vyuhs in the epics like Chakravyuh

[@debudada]

Cavalry became predominant after the invention of saddle and stirrups , even though bare back riding was predominant in the steppes for a long time , but it was entirely dependent on the skill of the warriors , the invention of saddle and stirrups made the chariots outdated as it made cavalry a major force

[@shekharb2981]

Your description of the hitherto unknown or lesser discussed subject regarding ancient India,must be appreciated.

[@JayVardhanSingh]

thank you

[@ranjanchaudhery8479]

Jay in my opinion u should try to visit some popular podcasts to deliver something interesting on ancient Indian history, this will help u in growth of this wonderful channel

[@JayVardhanSingh]

thanks for the suggestion. Will try

[@anoop61284]

In mahabharata prominent warrior Bhagadata fought on elephant in kuru war. He belonged to the same region from where porus was.

[@sauravjyoti4886]

My dear Bhagadata was a warrior of Ancient kamrup which is modern day Assam not a place where porus belong

[@sauravjyoti4886]

Correct yourself

[@bhabaniprasadsahoo7096]

Can you make a video about tents🎪 used in ancient Indian wars for the soldiers to take rest. References that suggest about there existence, how they were and which materials were used to make them. Do they( if made by clothes) were being carried in long distance campaigns or they make any temporary tents by using available natural things. Actually in tv shows they show tents, so I want to know about them.

[@JayVardhanSingh]

Cotton or Wool, in my view were the materials. I don't think there is enough material to make a video on it.

[@sbksharath]

​@@JayVardhanSingh Cotton and wool will give protection against cold but not against rain. Pastoralists of Central Asian steppee made tents out of camel skin.

[@deepkadamba7083]

In Mahabharata War day twelve, Bhagadatta, King of Pragjyotisha, Son of Narakashur and Grand Son of Shree Varaha (Vishnu Great Boar Avatar) almost destroyed Pandavas by Riding on his Magestic Elephant Supratika. It was only Krishna who saved Arjuna. Elephants were ferocious even during Mahabharat times.

[@Sdhrrt]

Sir can chariots may disappear becoz of geographical and mobility purpose?

[@abhisheksumanAS]

Multiple points: 1. The terrain of war in Kurukshetra i.e. plains is much different from the terrain with hills and valleys where Alexander and Porus made contact. Chariots are not the right choice for the mountainous region. 2. Most warrior stories we are seeing in Mahabharata are the top generals and leaders of various battalions who need to mobilize their army constantly in various formations, thus needing a nimble flexible mode of transport while being visible and also a place to hold all kind of weapons all the time, since they will be attacked not just by hand-to-hand combat weapons but also long distance projectile weapons too due to their visibility despite being somewhat nimble. Ratha or Chariot is the best choice for the same since it also provides added defense to an extent wrt just a cavalry horse 3. It is said Mahabharata happened in Dwapar yuga meaning the people had clearly demarcated ethics of Dharma as per their professions and no one was supposed to hurt the other group when not on battlefields. It is said that farmers adjoining the battlefield were roping in the crop seeds because they knew they would not be attacked as commoners. This is very different from later periods where battlefields were not decided in advance, but it was a fight of illusions, sieges and of hit-and-run or surprise attack tactics needing faster and quieter modes of transport wrt chariots , i.e. cavalry.

[@RnR1001]

Mahabharatha and Ramayana are epics. Battle in those epics never took place.

[@yj9032]

People who make generalise assumptions like “people in XYZ age were ‘ethical’ etc.” based on their holy books and epics without corroborative evidence must not be taken seriously.

[@drsanjaykumar3448]

What is the period of epics ?

[@TheAvidWatcher]

Is it true that the horse was of a much smaller size during Ramayana? How did a horse enter into war planning and how did the cavalry develop?

[@JayVardhanSingh]

In the ancient times it is generally believed that the size of horses were smaller. They were very different from the horses which we see today.

[@Mahdi20832]

Aryans have brought/migrated on Charoit for transportation and war, so it was written in vedas.... Horses were not good breeding conditions in India, so didn't left much.... Alaxender and Greeks had Chariots, with swords around it, it can cut lot of people one time. Vedic people had horses but later on didn't. Mahabharata written by Aryans, so it was mentioned. May be Mahabharata is influenced by Greek stories where Chariots every pages...

[@SatyamBharatvanshi]

Any proof that vedas are written by immigrants and not by local people?

[@Mahdi20832]

@@SatyamBharatvanshi Dravidians had different writings, right to left.... therer is a science calles Linguistics and etymology...... study of different languages and words. how they relate each other.

[@debasissarangi4404]

Just shut up

[@neeburocks]

Sangam Literature and Mauryan invation... Can you explain briefly...?

[@mrsingha509]

Bro make a video on Invasion to Myanmar by kind of Manipur in early 18th century

[@raginisingh2251]

V. Unique and knowledgeable channel of history on utube platform

[@jayveer-nm4bm]

Any idea abt which horse breed used?🤨🤨

[@JayVardhanSingh]

The breeds are difficult to ascertain. We only know the regions from where these horses were brought.

[@MrSurfangler]

Enjoyed your the analysis. However an important development in bow technology is missing . Earlier the bows used were mainly long bows with are not suitable for horse back archery. However composite recurve bows were developed which were made of composite materials ie buffalo horns on the compressed side / belly of the bow and more flexible materials like seniew were used in the backing of the bow. This allowed the bows to have extreme curvature and thus making them smaller at the same time increasing arrow speed. This made horse back archery much more effective .

[@sooryanarayan4148]

If chariots had disadvantages as described in the video, then why did Indians start to use them in the first place. Does their widespread use in Mahabharata period show that the climatic conditions were dryer compared to the time of Porus. which made them preferable to use compared to elephants? Maybe when climate became wetter the population of wild elephants also increased. Still their use should have continued in dryer parts of India . What do you think?

[@JayVardhanSingh]

It was used because the use of War elephants hadn't began yet. Also earlier there was no mounted cavalry. So using Chariots made much more sense. But when mounter horse archers began to appear, they were able to do the job of Chariot warriors more efficiently. So in shorts, because earlier there was no mounter horse archers and war elephants that is why Chariots were used.

[@OK-pq1wj]

Which is the book in the right with pink cover? Is it warfare in ancinet Indi up thapliyal?

[@JayVardhanSingh]

yes

[@arunanand2809]

Ratha and rota(rotation) have the same root.

[@indo.iranian.Jat.007]

Sir:- Tell about Indo- Hunic Empire What's difference between (Red black White Blue Huns ) kidarites , chionites, nazek Huns , Hephthalite ? Are Kushans (Yuezhi) became vassal of White -Huns ?

[@JayVardhanSingh]

Will soon do a video on it.

[@Barlas511]

Needed strong persons which weren't many.

[@akk7791]

Nice

[@RnR1001]

The tactics of warfare changed and it made chariots useless. Alexander nullified the effectiveness of chariots at galgamela.

[@kasturipillay6626]

Interesting. But I don't see any videos on south Indian culture. Is there a reason for that.???🤔

[@JayVardhanSingh]

Will soon make videos on Southern India also.

[@benefactor4309]

Chariots disappeared from everywhere..

[@JayVardhanSingh]

Yes, but the Indian case was special because here it was the war elephant that achieved prominence. Whereas, outside the subcontinent, it was the cavalry that took the place of chariots.

[@alphasigma1869]

@@JayVardhanSingh pls do long form podcasts with Abhijit Iyer Mitra see his videos about horses &turkic invasions on carvaka podcasts

[@yatishagrawalyatish001]

Were horses in abundance during the Vedic age?

[@JayVardhanSingh]

No not necessarily.

[@DxvinderSingh1699]

Sir when will you make a video on Sikh empire

[@JayVardhanSingh]

After covering Ancient and Medieval history

[@nowwhat6716]

Why are U trying to mix myth with the history. Are U trying to cater to certain types of audience like everybody else.

[@ajbindas1095]

😂 lol Mahabharat is not a myth you chhudist fucker

[@tennisonchristopher861]

Chariots are concoction. Reference in sangam literature is false.

[@rajiburrahman8176]

Bcoz Chariot isn’t suitable for rainy muddy terrains in India. Aryans came to India from central Asia with their chariots. But as they move more east & south in India , it became more & more difficult to use & maintain chariot in battles.

[@alpha-vs1fx]

Nope

[@rajiburrahman8176]

@@alpha-vs1fx Yes

[@Truthseeker838]

Why Indian Army not devlop cavelry forces against Turks and Arabs although Greeks, Sytheans, Kushan and Huns murge in Indian society………

[@Truthseeker838]

@GIGACHAD but when Turks attack on India they mention Indian army’s large part is foot army and most important part is elephants

[@randomturd1415]

Because the best horses in the world were raised in Arabia and central Asia. You can't beat them at their own game when you have to import horses from them. Also it was somewhat possible to win without horses(British longbows decimated french knights occasionally), but it required us to let go of our obsession with elephants. That didn't happen either.

[@rishavkumar1250]

@@randomturd1415 Well, during the Arab Invasions, the Indian kingdoms still had access to Central Asian tribes who were still not islamized and thus a steady supply of horses was maintained

[@rishavkumar1250]

@@Truthseeker838 yes, Cavalry was only used in a supporting role, most of the fighting was done by Infantry which is why indian swords,Armour and other infantry weapons were one of the best in the world .

[@anirudh177]

Guptas extensively increased and used cavalry against Huns.

[@tattvamashi]

Sir, how old is Mahabharata and Ramayan?

[@samratvikramaditya305]

*Lord Rama was born in 5114 BCE in Ayodhya and Lord Krsna was Born in 3112 BCE in Mathura which Makes Ramayan and Mahabharat 7000 and 5000 years old*

[@tattvamashi]

@@samratvikramaditya305 Dhanyavadam 🙏

[@Anonymous-nz1pl]

@@tattvamashi I think nilesh oak has authored books like "When did the mahabharata war happened" , "Historic Rama" etc. According to evidences from multiple disciplines-astronomy, geology etc Mahabharata war-7000 years ago Ram ravana yudh-14000 years ago

[@randomturd1415]

When you find the remains of brahmastra flying chariots half monkey vanar sena then we can discuss when did the Mahabharata happened ☠️ Or else we can discuss how much of the Mahabharata even happened

[@tattvamashi]

@@randomturd1415 Submerged City of Dwarka.

[@mamtamaan2146]

Tum bhut acchi Hindi bolte ho to Hindi me video bnaao please

[@rudra8950]

I think the use of chariots declined cause after mahabharata there was not of Dharama in battle where the prior location was decided before fight like place with a solid ground and the wars started happening at advantageous locations like strategic mountains locations or near beaches or deep forest where chariots were basically useless so that's why the use of chariots declined and only elephants and horses were used who were more mobile