Archery is a popular game since ancient times among the rural as well as urban areas of India. The history of archery can be traced back to ancient times when bow and arrows were used as a weapon for hunting wild animals. For millenniums the twin – bow and arrow, were the most potential weapons of warfare and personal defense and defined a warrior’s identity and status.
The old saying was that a single archer could maintain law and order in an entire village, the same as a single lion ruled the entire forest. Archery was considered an essential part of war training in ancient times and bow and arrows were considered superb among other weapons. Rama, the hero of epic Ramayana was a known archer. With one arrow he pierced through seven trees known as saptasala. Mahabharata refers to Arjuna, one of the brothers of mighty Pandavas as the great archer.
Various stories of his skill in archery are still popular in folk-lore and dramas. Several tribes of India are still practicing archery. Archery is considered an art for Bhils, a tribe of M.P., and the Nagas of Nagaland. These tribes are known as the best archers in India. Mughal emperor Humayun was an adept archer and successfully faced several attacks by enemies and somehow saved his wife and newborn Akbar. It is said that no Indian king had suffered so many arrow wounds as Humayun had in his life.
In this folio of Shahnama, four birds are shown carrying and flying with an octagonal seat in the sky. The seat is having four poles and these poles are decorated with Yak tales on the top. The hero is aiming his arrow towards sky with full vigour as if he is going to conquer the territory of God. Below on the earth equestrian soldiers are surprisingly looking at the hero. His quiver full of arrows is also lying near him.
Shahnama, the book of kings of Iran, was composed by Firdausi, in AD 1010. Firdausi’s Shahnama was written in Persian. It narrates stories of the achievements in war and love and the tales of valour of the fifty kings of Iran and it also throws light on the social customs, traditions, feasts, festivals and cultural aspects of Iranian life.
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