10 Amzing Lifehacks from Ancient India

If you thought lifehacks or Jugaad is a recent phenomenon, here are some intelligent lifehacks used in ancient India.

In Southern part of the country , after a temple was built, Kalasams , a pot like metal, were fixed on top of it. And no building taller than the temple would be constructed. This was primarily done for two purposes:Made of gold, silver or copper, Kalasams are good conductors of electricity. So during monsoon thunder shower, the temple tower will take the first hit and Kalasams will prevent the high electrical energy from affecting a lot of people.Each Kalasam is then filled up with up to 100 kgs of rice, maize, corn and millets and sealed. During excessive rains and floods, these grains are used for subsequent sowing. 
 

Seed balls , a technique of planting trees by embedding organic seed balls in the ground and now promoted by political leaders to increase green cover, is actually an ancient India concept. Many villagers would make these seed balls at home, throw them everywhere and help in planting without opening up soil or using any tools.

Mewar rulers in India apparently used to fool their enemies by making their horses wear baby elephant trunks. Opposition would then not attack the horses thinking they were baby elephants. Maharana Pratap apparently used this war tactic in the famous Battle of Haldi Ghati.

Throwing coins in the river was actually a hack our fore-fathers used for better health. Here is how it works. Copper is one metal useful to the human body, but not consumed. So, when these coins were thrown in, it ensured we consumed copper as rivers were the only source of drinking water.

Do you know where the word Jugaad came from ? From a quadricycle called Jugaad. This vehicle was made of wooden planks and old jeep parts and was the most used means of transportation in north India. According to Wikipedia, "Jugaad could be used as a term for any low cost vehicle which typically costs around Rs. 50,000. Jugaads are powered by diesel engines originally intended to power agricultural irrigation pumps. Today, a jugaad is one of the most cost-effective transportation solutions for rural Indians."

Do you know why forts in Rajasthan were constructed with small entry gates for the rooms? During war, when soldiers from the enemy troop bent their head to enter, the soldiers standing next to gate would chop their heads off.

When sanitizers did not exist , people like care-takers, plumbers, sewage cleaners, applied salt all over the body before starting their work. This was because salt acted as a fool-proof disinfectant.

Do you know why applying Mehendi became one of the wedding rituals? It was actually a hack used by the elderly ladies in the family to ensure that the bride stays calm. Mehendi is a very powerful herb that cools your body. So, to prevent any stress for the bride and women at home, Mehendi was applied.

Women in every household would make ingredients like fries and spices by drying them for days. This way the food items would stay fresh for even a year, without preservatives. Now you know why they stayed healthy? This is followed till now in small towns.

Almost every household had mango leaves tied at the door step. That is because mango leaves act as the best anti-virus.

There are many more such interesting lifehacks that our forefathers. Please share with us in the comments section below if you know of any. Via lifehacker