The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great c18.38

c18.38

The army, to which Chandragupta owed his throne and empire, was maintained at enormous numerical strength, and so organized, equipped, and administered as to attain a high degree of efficiency, as measured by an Oriental standard. It was not a militia, but a standing army, drawing liberal and regular pay, and supplied by the government with horses, arms, equipment, and stores.³ The force at the command of Mahāpadma Nanda is said to have numbered 80,000 horse, 200,000 foot, 8,000 chariots, and 6,000 fighting elephants. This huge force was greatly augmented by Chandragupta, who raised the numbers of the infantry to 600,000, and also had 30,000 horse, and 9,000 elephants, besides chariots, all permanently enrolled in a regularly paid establishment.⁴ The elephants were esteemed the most valuable section of the imperial host, because, as Chānakya observes, 'it is on elephants that the destruction of an enemy's army depends'.⁵