War in Ancient India c9.s3.10

c9.s3.10

Coming to the epoch of the *Arthaśāstra*, Kautalya says: “In the construction of the rampart care should be had that on the outer portions there should be no space whatsoever for movement of any sort and the few openings allowed should be covered with invisible obstructions: on the inner side of these ramparts there must be two platforms on opposite sides, a big hall, two upper-stories provided with an ascending and a descending staircase, iron bolts, massive beams, and turrets being thrown over the huge gates. What were known as Aṭṭālakas were places for locating both movable and immovable defensive weapons. Hanumān speaks of the imposing appearance of the Aṭṭālakas of the Laṅkā fortress. The fort was furnished with a lotus pool which should never dry up. There was a special place for the worship of the goddess Kumarī. Perhaps this refers to the caitya, usually a feature of the palace. Here the guardian deities were housed and prayers offered for the welfare of the kingdom in general. This expression also occurs in the Rāmāyaṇa in connexion with Rāvaṇa’s palace. Between these towers or turrets broad streets were laid out with storied buildings on either side. There was a separate road for the gods. Perhaps the processions on festival occasions passed through this pathway. According to the Arthaśāstra the fortress was to be furnished with twelve gateways with passages, open and secret, both through land and water. From this different roads of various dimensions branched off, one leading to the neighbouring forests, and others to the country parts.⁴³