Public Administration in Ancient India c18.2

c18.2

As wars were rather frequent in ancient days, each State in India found it necessary to maintain a large military force.¹ At the battle of the Hydaspes, which was fought between Alexander and Poros, the latter had with him a cavalry 4,000 strong, 300 chariots, 200 elephants, and an efficient infantry force of 30,000 soldiers.² The King of Magadha had about this time a large and powerful army consisting of 600,000 foot-soldiers, 30,000 horses, and 8,000 elephants. The Gangaridae (perhaps the people of Bengal) possessed 1,000 horse, 700 elephants, and 60,000 foot-soldiers. Pliny further mentions, on the authority of Megasthenes, that the Āndhra Kingdom had 100,000 foot-soldiers, 2,000 cavalry, and 1,000 elephants, while Kalinga kept in arms 60,000 foot, 10,000 horse, and 700 elephants, and the King of the Saurāṣṭras maintained an army of 1,600 elephants, 150,000 foot, and 5,000 cavalry.¹ From Hiuen Tsiang we learn that when Harshavardhana ascended the throne of Kanauj, that Kingdom possessed an army of 5,000 elephants, 2,000 cavalry, and 50,000 foot-soldiers, and after Harshavardhana had succeeded in bringing the greater part of Northern India under his imperial sway, he found it necessary to increase his army to 60,000 war elephants and 100,000 cavalry.²