 In pharaonic Egypt and many other places such as India, Rome, and China, the ruler and divinities (in the form of an idol like lord Krishna) were often transported in a litter in public, frequently in procession, as during state ceremonial or religious festivals.The instructions for how to construct the Ark of the Covenant in the Book of Exodus resembles a litter.In Ancient Rome, a litter called "lectica" or "sella" often carried members of the imperial family, as well as other dignitaries and other members of the rich elite, when not mounted on horseback.