Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c15.s2.1

v1.c15.s2.1

From the above description of the number of forces which the Hindu Government could summon in times of need, it is obvious that the nature of the parts which composed their army was different from that of ancient times. It is a matter of common knowledge that, according to the Hindu conception, the army was made up of four parts or divisions—infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots. In the *Arthaśāstra* of Kauṭilya, the fourfold divisions are thus enumerated: "The infantry should be arrayed such that the space between any two men is a sama (14 aṅgulas); cavalry, with three samas; chariots with four samas; and elephants with twice or thrice as much space (as between any two chariots)".¹