State and Government in Ancient India c22.s4.t5.6

c22.s4.t5.6

The infantry, the cavalry and the elephant force and the war chariots were welded into common units at the time of fighting. A Pādika commanded not only a force of 200 infantry, but also of 10 elephants, 10 chariots and 50 horsemen. According to Kauṭilya Senāpati was an officer over 10 Padikas and a Nāyaka over 10 Senāpātis (X. 6). Probably the designations of these officers may not have been uniform during the Mauryan period; Kauṭilya himself uses the term Senāpati elsewhere (II. 33) in the sense of the commander-in-chief.