Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c9.s8.1

c9.s8.1

For the growth of trade and commerce, it is essential that there should be fairly developed means of rapid and cheap communication or transport. Kautilya mentions construction of roads for traffic both by land or water.54 Mention is made of triangular roads (siṅghāḍaga), junction of three roads (tiga), of four roads (caukka), of many roads (caccara), highways (mahāpaha), royal roads (rājamagga),55 which might suggest the existence of well constructed roads. Still the conditions of the roads, do not appear to have been satisfactory. They lay through forests and deserts and were beset with many dangers such as excessive rainfall, the fear of robbers, obstruction by rogues, elephants, the obstruction by state, forest conflagration, the bamboo forest, demons, ditches, wild beasts, draught, famine and poisonous trees.56 We read in the Avaśyaka cūrṇi57 that in Siṇavallī, around which there was a formidable desert and where there was no water and shade, a caravan suffered due to thirst. Similarly, we are told that some mendicants, who travelled from Kampillapura to Purimatāla, lost their lives due to lack of water.58 We are told that the people while travelling in the deserts followed the nails (kīlaka) that were stuck in the earth in order to indicate the direction59. Then the Avasyaka cūrṇi gives an account of the merchant Dhanna who journeyed with five hundred waggons loaded with various commodities. The merchant crossed the river Vegavai with great difficulty when one of his bullocks died.60 The country of Tosali was well-known for fierce she-buffaloes.61 The country of Koṅkana was full of wild beasts, particularly lions.62