War in Ancient India c9.s3.34

c9.s3.34

There are also several other literary references to the fortresses which are both interesting and valuable. According to the *Agnipurāṇa*, the fore-part of a city should be in the form of a bow.⁵⁷ Goldsmiths and other artisans were to occupy the south-east portions; actors and dancers the south, and the minor artisans and fishermen the south-west, the arsenal department in the west, public offices in the north-west, Brahmans and monks in the north, merchant guilds in the south-east; the Kṣatriyas, the army and its commanders in the east, the Śūdras in the west, and the Mlecchas on the outer fringe. Temples for the gods and other guardian deities were to be built in any direction; the harem and the palace of the king were to be in the east, while the royal kitchen and the store-room were in the south-east and the north.