History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.405
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.405
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The king was to have his capital inside a fort or independent of it. Manu VII. 70, 76, Āśramavāsi 5. 16-17, Śānti 86. 6-10, Kām. IV. 57, Matsya 217. 9ff, Śukra I. 213-217 describe where and how a capital was to be built. Kauṭilya (in II. 4) describes at great length how the capital was to be laid out viz. the extent should be demarcated by three royal roads from west to east and three from south to north, the capital should have twelve gates, provided with concealed land and water exits: the chariot roads, the royal roads and roads leading to droṇa-mukha, sthānīya, the rāṣṭra and pastures should be four daṇḍas (16 cubits) in width. He then prescribes the width of roads for various other purposes. Occupying one-ninth of the whole area of the capital, but to the north from the centre of the capital and in the midst of people of all castes the king's own palace should be built facing the east or north. To the north-east of the palace should be the residences of the king's teacher (ācārya), purohita, ministers and the sacrificial place and water reservoir. He then assigns appropriate places round about the palace for the offices of the several superintendents, to merchants, principal artisans, brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, prostitutes, wool workers, śūdras &c. In the centre of the capital were to be constructed apartments for the images of Aparājita, Apratihata, Jayanta and Vaijayanta and the temples of Śiva, Kubera, the Aśvins, Lakṣmī and Madirā (Durgā?).
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The principal gates named after Brahmā, Yama, Indra and Kārtikeya were to be constructed. At a distance of 100 bows (400 cubits) beyond the ditch, platforms for holy trees, groves and embankments should be built. The cemetery should be to the east or north but to the south for the higher varṇas. Heretics and cāṇḍālas should have a place of residence beyond the cemetery. For each group of ten families there must be a well; oil, grain, sugar, salt, medicines, dried vegetables, fire-wood, arms, and other essential commodities should be stored in such large quantities that they might last for several years in case of a siege or invasion. The Matsyapurāṇa (217. 9-87) differs from the above description in many ways. It prescribes four wide roads, at the ends of which a temple, the royal palace, the court of justice and the principal gate are to be respectively constructed. Almost the whole of the description in the Matsya is quoted by the Rājanītiprakāśa (pp. 208-213) and also in the Rājadharmakāṇḍa pp. 28-36. The former also quotes (pp. 214-219) a long passage from the Devīpurāṇa with regard to the construction of a *nagara*, a *pura*, a *haṭṭa* (market), a *purī*, a *pattana*²³⁰ and the temples of several deities that are to be built in each, the rites to be observed in measuring out the ground for each and accurately finding out of the east and other directions. Pāṇini (VII. 3. 14 prācāṁ grāmanagarāṇām) distinguishes between grāma and nagara, while Patañjali thereon (vol. III.
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p. 321) explains that grāma, ghoṣa, nagara, and saṁvāha are the appellations of different groups or settlements of people. The Vāyupurāṇa (94. 40) separately mentions cities (purāṇi) ghoṣas (hamlets of cowherds), villages and pattanas. Vide Śukranītisāra I. 213–258 for provisions about the laying out of the capital, the palace, the court of justice, other state offices and public buildings, ditches &c. and Yuktikalpataru pp. 22 ff, Vāyu 8. 108 ff, Matsya 130. Śukra (I. 260–267) describes how four royal roads should start from the palace in four directions, how the best, middling and inferior royal roads should be 30, 20 and 15 cubits in breadth; he defines *padyā* (a foot-path), *vīthi* (a lane) and *mārga* as respectively equal to 3, 5 and 10 cubits in breadth, that in the capital there should be no narrow street like a padyā or vīthi, that even in villages the public road should be at least 10 cubits in width, that all roads should slope down from their middle and that all houses should face the royal road. For a description of Ayodhyā vide Rāmāyaṇa II. 100. 40–42, which says that it was full of valiant men, had strong gates, was full of elephants, horses, and chariots, was inhabited by energetic people of all castes that were devoted to their duties, that had mansions of various sizes, that it was prosperous and had many physicians. From the Rāmāyaṇa (VI. 112. 42 *siktarathyāntarāpaṇā*) and the Mahābhārata (Ādi. 221.
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36) it appears that the roads of the capital were watered. In the Harṣacarita (III) Bāṇa gives a graphic description of Sthāṇvīśvara (modern Thanesar). For the local administration of the capital, vide the duties of the nāgaraka described above (p. 149) from Kautilya (II. 36). From the Paharpur plates (dated Gupta saṁvat 159 i. e. 478–9 A. D.) it appears that a nagara-śreṣṭhin (the chief of the bankers and traders of the capital) was nominated (probably by the king). Vide E. I. vol. 20 p. 59 at p. 61. There was probably a board of the elders of the city (pauramukhyas or pauravṛddhas as in Kauṭilya) appointed to help the Governor of the capital (*nāgaraka*) in administration. In the Damodarpur copper plates also a nagaraśreṣṭhin is mentioned along with others who were approached for consenting to a purchase of land (E. I. vol. XV at pp. 130, 133, dated Gupta saṁvat 129). Megasthenes (in McCrindle's 'Ancient India', Fragment XXXIV p. 187) describes the city of Palibothra (Pāṭaliputra) and its administration. He says that six committees of five each looked to the affairs of the city and were respectively in charge of (1) industrial arts, (2) entertainment and care of foreigners, (3) inquiries about births and deaths, (4) trade and commerce, weights and measures, (5) manufactured articles, (6) collection of the 10th of the prices of articles sold. Fragments XXV–XXVI (pp.
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65–67) inform us that Palibothra was 80 *stadia* in length and 15 in width, that in shape it was a parallelogram, that it was surrounded by a wooden wall with holes for discharging arrows and a ditch in front. Arrian states (pp. 209–210 of McCrindle's 'Ancient India') that Palibothra had 570 towers and 64 gates. Patañjali in his Mahābhāṣya frequently brings in Pāṭaliputra (e. g. in vol. I p. 380 he states that Pāṭaliputra is alongside of the river Śoṇa, on Pāṇ. II. 1. 16), in vol. II. p. 311 (vārtika 4 on Pāṇ. IV. 3. 66) he refers to its walls and to its palaces, in vol. II. p. 321 (on Pāṇ. IV. 3. 134). In Fa-Hien's time (399–414 A. D.) the royal palace and halls in the midst of the city built of stone still existed and were so grand that they were then believed to have been the work of spirits (vide Legge p. 77). Vide Rhys Davids' 'Buddhist India' pp. 34–41 for the ancient Indian capitals in the 7th century B. C.