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History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c12.s1: Military Strength

History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c12.s1

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Military Strength

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The first thing that Harṣa did was to increase his military strength, both to keep the unsubdued kingdoms overawed and to fortify his own position against internal upheavals and foreign aggressions. Yuan Chwang informs us : “Then having enlarged his territory he increased his army bringing the elephant corps upto 60,000 and the cavalry to 100,000.”¹ It was thus on this large and strong force that the empire ultimately rested.² These high figures might at first appear incredible, but there are grounds for supposing that the maintenance of an unwieldy force was quite usual with an ambitious Indian potentate. 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 Candragupta Maurya, who raised the numbers of the infantry to 600,000 and also had 30,000 horse, and 9,000 elephants, besides chariots.³ In the 16th century (1509-30 A. D.) Kriṣṇa-deva, the Rājā of Vijayanagar, led against Raicur an army consisting of 703,000 foot, 32,600 horse, and 531 elephants, besides camp followers.⁴ Thus, as compared with these huge numbers Harṣa’s army was small, and it speaks much for the effectiveness of his government.

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¹ Watters; I, p. 343 ; Beal, I, p. 213. Bāṇa says that horses were recruited “from Vanāyu, Āraṭṭa, Kamboja, Bharadvāja, Sindhu and Persia” (Hc. C. T., p. 50). It is significant that both Bāṇa and Yuan Chwang omit to make any mention of chariots in Harṣa’s army, although the latter authority speaks of the four traditional elements of the army in his general description (Watters, I, p. 171). At one place Bāṇa refers to “troops of camels” also (Hc. C. T., p. 46).

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² We are told that “the military guard the frontiers, or go out to punish the refractory. They also mount guard at night round the palace” (Beal, I, p. 87).

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³ Early Hist. of India, 4th ed., p. 132.

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⁴ Sewell, A Forgotten Empire, p. 147. Compare also the remark of Sewell : “I can only call attention to the fact that large armies seem to have always been the rule in India.”

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