Tanga (carriage)

A Tanga in Jaora, India
in Mysore (2010)
A tanga in Saharanpur
Tanga (carriage) at Darbhanga Bihar

A Tonga or tanga (IAST ṭā̃gā, Hindi: टाँगा, Urdu: ٹانگہ, Bengali: টাঙ্গা) is a light carriage or curricle drawn by two horses (compare ekka) used for transportation in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. They have a canopy over the carriage with a single pair of large wheels. The passengers reach the seats from the rear while the driver sits in front of the carriage.[1] Some space is available for baggage below the carriage, between the wheels. This is often used to carry hay for the horses.

Tangas were popular before the advent of automobiles and are still in use in some parts of South Asia. They are a popular mode of transportation because they are fun to ride in, and are usually cheaper to hire than a taxi or rickshaw. However, in many cities, tangas are not allowed to use highways because of their slow pace. In Pakistan, tangas are mainly found in the older parts of cities and towns, and are becoming less popular for utilitarian travel and more popular for pleasure. Tangas have become a traditional feature of weddings and other social functions in Pakistan, as well as in other nations.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gilbert, William H., Jr. (1944). Peoples of India. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. p. 16.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, November 16, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.