Defence Architecture in Early North Karnataka c8.s1.t1.28

c8.s1.t1.28

From the Mauryan period onwards almost every capital, small or big, had fortification, walls. In fact, in Kauṭilya's Arthashāstra one chapter deals with essentially the necessity, methods, plan of different kinds of forts such as Sthaladurga, Jaladurga, Vanadurga and Giridurga etc. The progress made in the development of architecture of the forts was so much in response to the existing political and social conditions, that the author of Arthashāstra felt necessary to prepare a manual of the fort architecture. Of course, the date of Kauṭilya's Arthashāstra is still disputed, however, literary references recording the earlier traditions are in favour of Kautilya being the most powerful guide and teacher to Chandragupta Maurya. The section devoted, therefore, on the fort architecture is the earliest manual on the literature of fort architecture.