War in Ancient India c7.s1.t4.66

c7.s1.t4.66

From the great attention paid to horses in the *Arthaśāstra* treatises there is every reason to think that these animals played a very important part in warfare. Both the Purāṇas and the epics agree that the horses of the Sindhu and Kamboja regions were of the finest breed, and that the services of the Kambojas as cavalry troopers were requisitioned in ancient wars. In the *Mahābhārata* war the Kambojans were enlisted. The steeds of Bāhlika were also highly esteemed.⁸⁵ Horses had names and so also had elephants.⁸⁶ Some of the finest horsemen who were experts in their art were Śalya, Karṇa and Kṛṣṇa.⁸⁷ Unlike the chariot horse, the cavalryman drove his animal with a whip which was generally fixed to the wrist. This allowed his hand free play. The cavalryman was armed with arrow or spear or sword. He wore breastplate and turban (uṣṇīṣa).⁸⁸ Worth noting is the fact that horses were made to drink wine before actually marching to battle.⁸⁹ The tactical use of the cavalry was to break through the obstacles on the way, to pursue the retreating enemy, to cover the flanks of the army, to effect speedy communication with the various parts of the army unobserved (bahutsara) and to pierce the enemy ranks from the front to the rear.⁹⁰ The cavalry was responsible, in a large measure, for the safety and security of the army in entrenched positions, forests or camps. It obstructed movements of supplies and reinforcements to the enemy. In short, the cavalry was indispensable in situations requiring quickness of movement.⁹¹