Transforming Landscapes for Bharata's Travel
Ayodhyakanda - Sarga 80
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Ayodhyakanda - Sarga 80
Journey with Bharata as skilled workers prepare an epic road, adorned with reservoirs and grand encampments. Witness the splendor of ancient Indian engineering in this Ramayana excerpt.
A diverse group of skilled workers set out in advance:
Land surveyors and measurement experts
Zealous and energetic laborers
Excavators and engineers
Skilled craftsmen and architects
Expert mechanics
Carpenters and road workers
Woodcutters and well-diggers
Whitewashers and basket makers
Competent supervisors oversaw this advance party.
The multitude of people proceeding to the appointed place presented a magnificent sight:
Like a swollen ocean on a full moon day, the crowd moved with great speed.
The skilled workers, armed with various tools, began their tasks. They cleared the path of creepers, shrubs, and branchless trees. They removed boulders and hewed off branches. The king's men paved the road.
In areas lacking vegetation, some workers planted saplings. Others used axes, hatchets, and sickles to clear obstructions where necessary.
The stronger men tackled more challenging tasks:
Removing tufts of fragrant grass with strong roots
Leveling impassable terrains
Filling wells and chasms with loose soil
Flattening low-lying areas
They built bridges where needed. They pulverized obstructive stones and split open large rocks to manage water flow.
In a short time, the workers constructed:
Many water reservoirs of different shapes
Reservoirs capable of holding large volumes of water
Reservoirs resembling the sea
In places without water, they dug drinking water wells:
Of high quality
Surrounded by circular dykes
The highway for the army was adorned with:
A surface decorated with mosaic
An avenue lined with blossoming trees
Flocks of singing birds
Banners
Sandal water sprinkled on the road
Various kinds of flowers
The highway shone brilliantly, like the path of the gods.
The encampments were established:
In lovely places with varieties of sweet fruits
With splendid decorations
At auspicious constellations
At auspicious times, as determined by those knowledgeable in astrology
The constructed areas had:
Heaps of sand
Moats encircling them
Heights comparable to Mount Indrakila
Broad highways adorning them
Mansions lining the streets
Walls surrounding them
Flags decorating them
Well-built, broad thoroughfares
The tall peaks of the mansions were decorated with flags. These encampments shone like the abode of Indra.
They reached the river Ganga, which had:
Groves of various trees lining its banks
Cool and clear water
An abundance of large fishes
The lovely royal road, constructed in an orderly fashion by eminent craftsmen, shone splendidly like the clear night sky decorated with the Moon and clusters of stars.
This concludes the Eightieth chapter (sarga) of Ayodhyakanda, the second book of the Ramayana, the great epic composed by the sage Valmiki.