---
title: Chariot Warfare in Ancient India
author: G41rn8
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9285/chariot-warfare-in-ancient-india/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
updated: 1970-01-01
---
# Chariot Warfare in Ancient India
_Authored by G41rn8_
## Image File
[](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/9285.jpg)
## Image Caption
This [sculpture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Sculpture/) made during the period of the Chalukyas of Vatapi (6th century CE to 8th century CE) shows a scene from the [Mahabharata](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mahabharata/). Here, a combat scene involving [chariot](https://www.worldhistory.org/chariot/) warriors, archers, swordsmen, elephants, and a fallen combatant is depicted. The chariots are shown with seven-spoked wheels, a flagstaff and a rectangular box with a single archer riding it. Charioteers, virtually sitting on the horses, can also be seen. The warriors are not armoured. The use of chariots in [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) had declined long before this period and the Chalukya army did not use them. This is thus a sculptural representation of how the Chalukya artists imagined chariot [warfare](https://www.worldhistory.org/warfare/) to have been in the preceding periods of history, particularly in the Epic period where they were much valued. Location: Virupaksha [Temple](https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/), Pattadakal, Karnataka state, [India](https://www.worldhistory.org/india/)
## Cite This Work
### APA
G41rn8. (2018, October 01). Chariot Warfare in Ancient India. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
G41rn8. "Chariot Warfare in Ancient India." *World History Encyclopedia*, October 01, 2018. .
### MLA
G41rn8. "Chariot Warfare in Ancient India." *World History Encyclopedia*, 01 Oct 2018, .
## License & Copyright
[Original image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pattadakal_1501.jpg) by [**G41rn8**](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pattadakal_1501.jpg). Submitted by [Dr Avantika Lal](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/avantika.lal30/ "User Page: Dr Avantika Lal"), published on 01 October 2018. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon a work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.