Vimana

Vimāna is a mythological flying palace or chariot described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The Pushpaka Vimana of the demon king Ravana is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also mentioned in Jain texts.

Etymology

The Sanskrit word vi-māna (विमान) literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out". Monier Monier-Williams defines Vimana as "a car or a chariot of the gods, any mythical self-moving aerial car sometimes serving as a seat or throne, sometimes self-moving and carrying its occupant through the air; other descriptions make the Vimana more like a house or palace, and one kind is said to be seven stories high", and quotes the Pushpaka Vimana of Ravana as an example. It may denote any car or vehicle, especially a bier or a ship as well as a palace of an emperor, especially with seven stories. In some modern Indian languages like Hindi, vimana means "aircraft", for example in the town name Vimanapura (a suburb of Bangalore). In another context, Vimana is a feature in Hindu temple architecture.

Vimana (video game)

Vimana (ヴィマナ) is a vertical scrolling shooter, developed by Toaplan and released by Romstar and Tecmo in 1991 for the arcades worldwide. Vimana was unique in its combination of a Sci-Fi theme with brief Hindu references.

Story

Taking place in an unnamed solar system, a devastating war overtakes an inhabited alien planet. Caused by an accumulation of social and political insanity brought-on by an unknown force, the war forced its most sane and industrious people to flee their mother planet entirely. However, the exiled space colonists are still accosted by their victors who continually remove chunks of the planet's surface still containing biotic life for use as flying fortresses. The inhabitants plot to win-back their planet with the aid of the Vimana Warriors: pilots capable of handling ancient but powerful space fighter ships.

Gameplay

Players control their ship over a constantly scrolling background; the scenery never stops moving until the final level is reached. Players have three weapons at their disposal: the standard shot, a charge shot and a bomb weapon.

Vimana (disambiguation)

Vimana may mean:

Dreamtime

Dreamtime (also dream time, dream-time) is a term for the animist framework and symbol system of Australian Aboriginal mythology, introduced by anthropologist A. P. Elkin in 1938 and popularised by anthropologist William Edward Hanley Stanner and others from the 1970s for a concept of "time out of time", or "everywhen", inhabited by ancestral figures, often of heroic proportions or with supernatural abilities, but not considered "gods" as they do not control the material world and are not worshipped.

The term is based on a rendition of the indigenous (Arandic) word alcheringa, used by the Aranda (Arunta, Arrernte) people of Central Australia, although it appears that it is based on a misunderstanding or mistranslation, and the word has a meaning closer to "eternal, uncreated". However, "Dreamtime" and "the Dreaming" has acquired its own currency in 1980s popular culture based on idealised or fictionalised conceptions of Australian mythology. Since the 1970s, "Dreaming" and "Dream time" has also returned from academic usage via popular culture and tourism, and is now ubiquitous in the English vocabulary of indigenous Australians in a kind of "self-fulfilling academic prophecy".

Dreamtime (musical)

Dreamtime is an original musical by Jean Marc Cerrone and David Niles. It was created by Niles, based on an original story by Cerrone. Niles wrote the book for the musical. The show's message is the power of love and dreams. Billed as a "New Broadway Musical Experience," the show combined giant screen images in high definition with live actors, music and laser lighting effects. The hi-tech, quick editing equipment incorporated into the theater allowed the audience members to be videotaped upon their entrance and become part of the show's finale. Dreamtime ran on Broadway at the Ed Sullivan Theater in 1992.

Production Origins

Dreamtime is an adaptation of several of Cerrone’s earlier works. Cerrone was invited to perform several outdoor concerts with laser lights, synchronized water fountains and fireworks commemorating national celebrations before audience of hundreds of thousands. The first, in 1978 was a show inside a plexiglass pyramid on the Pavilion for 1200 people. Over the next ten years the concerts developed more of a theme and narrative storyline.

Dreamtime (The Cult album)

Dreamtime is the debut studio album by The Cult. Released on 10 September 1984, it reached #21 in the UK and was later certified silver by the BPI after having sold 60,000 copies. The first single, "Spiritwalker", reached #1 on the UK Indie Chart. Dreamtime has subsequently been reissued (or in some cases bootlegged) in roughly 30 countries worldwide.

Lyrics to the song "Horse Nation" are taken almost verbatim from the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. "Spiritwalker" is a reference to shamanism, while "Dreamtime" is inspired by the Australian Aborigines and 'Butterflies' is a reference to the Hopi ceremonial butterfly dance. "A Flower in the Desert" is a reworking of the Southern Death Cult's song "Flowers in the Forest".

The record was originally being produced by Joe Julian, but after recording the drums, the band decided to replace him, and Beggars Banquet suggested John Brand. The record was ultimately produced by Brand, but guitarist Billy Duffy has said that the drum tracks used on the record were those produced by Julian, as band drummer Nigel Preston had become too unreliable by that time.