Public Administration in Ancient India c20.3

c20.3

At the time of Alexander's invasion, an appreciable proportion of the population lived in cities. Greek writers inform us that Alexander conquered more than 2,000 cities in the Punjab. In the extensive empire of Chandragupta there was at least one city in every district.¹ Most of these cities, however, were small, and, as might be expected, it was the capital city—the seat of sovereign authority—that received the greatest amount of attention.² The Rāmāyaṇa gives a beautiful description of the city of Ayodhyā.³ In the Mahābhārata we are told that Maya, the Dānava, who was an expert in architecture, constructed a beautiful palace for the Pāndavas at Khāndavaprastha. This city, it is said, was protected by a wide moat encircling it all round, above which rose a rampart many feet high, intersected by gates which were adorned with lofty towers. Within the city were fine buildings beautified by lovely flower and fruit gardens, artificial lakes, and tanks.¹ Arrian, speaking of the Indian cities, says: "It is said that the number is so great that it cannot be stated with precision, but that such cities as are situated on the banks of rivers or on the sea-coast are built of wood, for were they built of brick, they would not last long—so destructive are the rains; those cities, however, which stand on commanding situations and lofty eminences are built of brick and mud. The greatest city in India is that which is called Palimbothra in the dominions of the Prasians, where the streams of Erannoboas and Ganges unite. Megasthenes says further of this city that the inhabited part of it stretched on either side to an extreme length of eighty stadia (10 miles), and that its breadth was fifteen stadia (2 miles), and that a ditch compassed it all round, which was six plethra (600 ft.) in breadth and thirty cubits in depth, and that the wall was crowned with five hundred and seventy towers and had four and sixty gates."² When Fa Hian and Hiuen Tsiang visited Pāṭaliputra the town itself was in ruins, but the parapets of the walls were still standing.¹