Town Planning in Ancient India c9.49

c9.49

even number of streets, there cannot be one versus one central streets. Thirdly, Rāmrāz’s extract does not warrant such a conclusion. And Mayamata’s appellations clearly explode it. According to this authority the street that passes through Brahmā’s chamber is called Brahmavīthī and all the principal roads fitted with gates and running from east to west are Rājavīthīs. Fourthly, a Rājapatha or Rājavīthī is not ‘king’s street’, that is, the one that runs in the front of the king’s palace. All the treatises, e.g., Mayamatam, Arthaśāstra, Śukranītisāra deny such a compound. The proper rendering should be ‘king among streets’. Pānini, the renowned grammarian, expounds the word as ‘panthānām rājā’, i.e., king among streets. In other words, it refers to any large street. Fifthly, Vāmanapathas and Rājapathas are used in the plural number which furnishes additional proof against their singularity or uniqueness. I venture to say that Vāmanapathas are the short roads lying north to south joining two easterly parallel streets. They are the short-cuts. These short-cuts may be planted in a straight line so as to form a continuous road. The central among the northerly streets may sometimes be called Mahākālapatha. Sandhivīthīs seem to be roads which, when abut on other streets, form a triangular cross-section.