War in Ancient India c9.s3.12

c9.s3.12

Kauṭalya then speaks of the construction of the royal palace inside the fort. This occupied one-ninth of the whole area of the fort. To the north-east of the palace lived the priests, ministers and other higher officials, while to the south-east were situated the kitchen and stables. On the western side the merchants, artisans, and kṣatriyas had their residences. Near these were located the offices and the treasury, while opposite were the store-house and the arsenal. To the southern side of the palace lived musicians, prostitutes, and superintendents of the city, of commerce, and of other departments. To the west lay the residences of the Śūdra classes and those engaged in small industries. In the north-west were the bazaar-streets and hospitals with clusters of guilds and groups of workmen of various trades and manufacturers. In the heart of the city were a number of temples devoted to different cults. In the northern and eastern directions were situated burial grounds for the lower castes and in the south those for higher castes. Heretics and the Caṇḍāla community had their quarters beyond these grounds. Flower, fruit and vegetable gardens, side by side with rice fields, lay scattered throughout, both within and without the city. A well with good drinking water was dug at a distance of every ten houses. All the essential articles of daily use, such as food-stuffs, oil, and salt, were stored inside the fort so as to suffice for long periods of siege.⁴⁴ From this it appears that forts were systematically designed.