Town Planning in Ancient India c15.9

c15.9

(2) Rājadhānī:—Mayamatam furnishes us with a description of a royal capital with its imperial castle. It has a belt of walls and ramparts circumscribed by ditches. Further away from the ditches are encamped the military outposts to watch the approach of the enemy. Within the walls and along its western and northern sides are rows of residential quarters, while in the east and the south are quartered the royal army and officers. It has lofty gopuras with many garlands adorning it. Within the metropolis there are shrines dedicated to various deities. Of brothels there are many. Gardens are evenly laid out in it. The elephant, the horse, the infantry, and the military officers and all classes of men put up in it.¹ It possesses many gates, principal and subsidiary. Sukrāchāryya’s description of a capital runs as follows :—"It is to have the beautiful shape of a half-moon, a circle, or a square, is to be surrounded by walls and ditches and must contain sites for grāmas or other divisions. It is to have the Sabhā or Council Hall in the centre, must ever be provided with wells, tanks and pools; it is to be furnished with four gates in the four directions. It must have good roads and parks planted in rows, and well-constructed taverns, temples and serais for travellers."²