1. World Building of Ancient India and Mithila
A long time ago, during the reign of the first kings of the Ishwaku clan, India was all forest, and it is said that monkeys could safely go from tree to tree and cross the entire subcontinent, without ever having to face predators on the ground. But people, especially royalty, tired of going everywhere on foot through these woody trails. So they built shoes, chariots, palanquins, carriages, roads and places to rest.
The first major road to be cleared in the north was the east-west road, the Uttarapatha. It had been quite a task, with fire and elephants clearing timber, and the laboring of handheld axes, sickles and saws. Overcoming poisonous animals and pesty mosquitoes, the path was cleared; just enough for two twin horse-drawn carriages to pass through side by side. Once the roads were safe, common people took to roads and clouds of dust at a distance would at once reveal the approach of carriages with priests, pilgrims, merchants and wa…
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