India, July 22 -- Valmiki's Ramayana is believed to be dated between the 7th century BCE and the 3rd CE. In one of the earliest references to an airborne vehicle it shows the abduction of Sita in the Pushpak Vimana (flowery aircraft), a celestial craft that changed hands from Brahma to Kuber to Ravan. Rama won the epic war and returned the craft to Kuber.

The word Vimana today means aircraft but its earlier meanings have been wider and more heavenly. The Adi Parva of the other great epic Mahabharat refers to the Vimana as a divine chariot enjoyed by deities; in the Jain tradition a Vimana is described as a palace which is the abode of the deities serving Mahavira. In temple architecture, particularly, in south India, Vimana means the pyr...