State and Government in Ancient India c16.76

c16.76

In the 19th century the Indian army used to be organised and located territorially; there was the Bombay Army, the Madras Army and the Northern Army. Such an organisation was almost inevitable in the pre-railway period. In ancient times also the big empires like those of the Pratīhāras used to have a southern army to watch the Rāshtrakūṭas, an eastern army to check the Pālas and a western army to oppose the Muslims. The same principle is known to have been followed by the Rāshṭrakūṭas.³ The Mauryas and Guptas must have followed the the same principle, although we have no definite evidence on the point at present.