Hindu Administrative Institutions c11.s6.20

c11.s6.20

From this it would appear that great care was bestowed on the choice of camping grounds which are very important as the strategic basis of all warfare. The *Mahābhārata* has sane reflections on the choice of ground for camps and the selection of the field of battle. The camp was erected quadrangular in shape with entrances on all the four sides, each protected by efficient troops and battlements. Separate divisions of the army were established in different places previously arranged. Each division of the army was lodged comfortably and attended to with special care. The king occupied a special apartment, and it is reasonable to believe that women and treasury were located with him.¹ Besides the defenders at the four entrances, there were army scouts stationed on the outskirts of the camp to keep a vigilant eye on the movements of the enemy, and communicate the same to the leaders of the army within the camp. In days of halt the enemy was sufficiently drilled in separate grounds, of course, within the camp, so that they might not grow inactive owing to the weariness of the march or any other cause. There was another division of the army that was also very active, and it was the commissariat and the supply department. The halt was the time for