War in Ancient India c7.s1.t2.1

c7.s1.t2.1

The *Arthaśāstra* mentions a special officer called the Superintendent of Chariots (Rathādhyakṣa) and lays down, in vexatious detail, rules regarding the sphere of his duties.²⁶ From the number and minuteness of these rules we may infer that by this time the business of supervising the chariots of the State had become so unwieldy as to require a special officer. According to the *Arthaśāstra* the normal height of a chariot was 10 *puruṣas* while its width ranged from 6 to 12 *puruṣas*. Six varieties of chariots are mentioned, of which three were used in war, one in the period of training, the second for marching towards the enemy, and the third in the theatre of operations. The chariots were two-wheeled, four-wheeled, and eight-wheeled. Each car was accompanied by ten or fifty elephants.²⁷ The duties of the officer in charge of the chariots were many and varied. He was to see that warriors were trained to fight from chariots. He was to maintain accounts relating to the construction of chariots, their establishment charges, and other things connected with his department.