Vimana is the sanskrit word for an aeroplane.India had its own flying technology (aeronautical science ) called vymanika shastra which founds its citations in shlokas from rig veda, ramayana and mahabharata.
Four variants with different titles are as follows:
A] Vymanika prakaranam
B] Vymanika shastra
C] Vimana shastra
D] Bruhad Vimana Shastra
The word vimana is purportedly derived from vamana: “he who is able at three strides to take measure of the entire earth and heavens.”
“In the Vedic literature of India, there are many descriptions of flying machines that are generally called vimanas. These fall into two categories:
(1) manmade craft that resemble airplanes and fly with the aid of birdlike wings, and
(2) unstreamlined structures that fly in a mysterious manner and are generally not made by human beings.
The machines in category (1) are described mainly in medieval, secular Sanskrit works dealing with architecture, automata, military siege engines, and other mechanical contrivances. Those in category (2) are described in ancient works such as the Rg Veda, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Puranas, and they have many features reminiscent of UFOs.”
