Hindu Administrative Institutions c12.s6.7

c12.s6.7

Kauṭalya mentions six principal roads in a city—roads for chariots, for small vehicles, for cattle, for other animals, for trade routes, for pastures, and in country parts for leading to military stations, and for cremation grounds. Several small roads and foot-paths are also mentioned. Damaging of these ways or blocking them in any manner would be dealt with promptly and the punishment was fines which varied according to the importance relatively of the roads.⁵ That the repairing of such damaged places was prompt and attended to immediately is obvious from the edicts of Aśoka. Along these various routes were formed, at some distances apart, rest-houses and market places interspersed by parks.¹ In these rest-houses were given water and food, provisions for strangers travelling along that road.² It has also been shown that mile-stones were a distinguishing feature though Otto Stein doubts their use as gathered from the *Kauṭalīya*.³ Again at the crossing of roads were instituted lamps which were lighted every evening and which indicated a safe path for travellers.⁴ Another interesting regulation was to afford protection to passengers from being troubled by thieves and robbers assuring them of the safety of their lives and property in every direction to the distance of one *yojana*.⁵ This report old as it is belonging to the older age of the *Dharmasūtras* shows beyond doubt the utmost care taken by the state represented by the townsmen or the village community for the safety of life and property of the individual citizen.