Kautilya's Arthashastra 2.18.1

2.18.1

āyudhāgārādhyakṣaḥ sāṃgrāmikaṃ daurgakarmikaṃ parapurābhighātikaṃ ca yantram āyudham āvaraṇam upakaraṇaṃ ca tajjātakāruśilpibhiḥ kṛtakarmapramāṇakālavetanaphalaniṣpattibhiḥ kārayet, svabhūmiṣu ca sthāpayet //

THE Superintendent of the Armoury shall employ experienced workmen of tried ability to manufacture in a given time and for fixed wages wheels, weapons, mail armour, and other accessory instruments for use in battles, in the construction or defence of forts, or in destroying the cities or strongholds of enemies.

All these weapons and instruments shall be kept in places suitably prepared for them. They shall not only be frequently dusted and transferred from one place to another, but also be exposed to the sun. Such weapons as are likely to be affected by heat and vapour (úshmopasneha) and to be eaten by worms shall be kept in safe localities. They shall also be examined now and then with reference to the class to which they belong, their forms, their characteristics, their size, their source, their value, and their total quantity.