History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.s25.1

v3.c41.s25.1

Lastly we have to speak of the military administration of Hindu kingdoms in this sub-period. We have described at length the system as it was in vogue in the preceding sub-period (Vol. II. pp. 242-246) and the same system continued in this sub-period. There were very few standing armies in the states, the state army consisting usually of levies of the sardars. Govindachandra, from an inscription already noticed, must, however, have kept a large standing army. Moreover the elephant force must everywhere have belonged to the state which alone could provide the heavy expenditure required for it. In Bengal the army consisted of mercenary soldiers from other countries olso as appears from Madanapāla’s inscription (Bengal LXIX p. 71) of this period, the same foreign soldiers being mentioned as in the Bhagalpore inscription of the previous period; viz. Gauda, Mālava, Khasa, Hūṇa, Kulika, Karṇāṭa and Lāṭa with one addition viz. Choda. We have seen that in this sub-period the Cholas (also written Chodas) became powerful and it is no wonder that the Chodas having established their reputation as soldiers were employed in Bengal. It may be added that the reputation of Karṇāṭa soldiers is attested to even by Al-Beruni and Karṇāṭa or ‘Kannara’ soldiers were employed as far north as the Panjab. For Al-Beruni describes Karṇātaka as the country “ whence those troops come which in the armies are known as Kannara” (Vol. I Sachau p. 173). This condition is now reversed, a fact which further strengthens our view expressed in Vol. II that peoples’ nature is often changed; for the Kannad people, though still strong and martial, do not much seek military employment in distant lands.