Atomic explosions

A translation from the Mahabharat :

"...(the weapon was) a single projectile charged with all the power of the Universe.

An incandescent column of smoke and flame As bright as the thousand suns rose in all its splendor...

An iron thunderbolt,

A gigantic messenger of death,

Which reduced to ashes

The entire race of the Vrishnis

And the Andhakas.

... the corpses were so burned

As to be unrecognizable.

The hair and nails fell out;

Pottery broke without apparent cause,

And the birds turned white.

... After a few hours

All foodstuffs were infected...

... to escape from this fire

The soldiers threw themselves in streams

To wash themselves and their equipment..."

It would seem that the Mahabharata is describing an atomic war! The description is almost similar to a nuclear explosion and its after-effects. References like this one are not isolated; but battles, using a fantastic array of weapons and aerial vehicles are common in many of the epic Indian books.