Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c4.s1.43

c4.s1.43

INFANTRY. Foot-soldiers constituted the main portion or force of the army. We have no information from these stories as to the various classes of these soldiers like the *maula*, *bhṛtaka*, *śreṇibala*, *mitrabala*, or *aṭavika* of Kauṭilya.⁹ But it seems certain that they were recruited from the brave people of the Kṣatriya blood, faithful to the core.¹⁰ The foot-soldiers also were clad in mail-coats in order to protect themselves from the attacks of the sharp arrows and other dangerous missiles.¹¹ And in their hands they carried various weapons, noticeable among them being bows and swords and spears. They probably were dressed up in robes of different colours, some in blue some in brown and others in white.¹ Most of these foot-soldiers were trained archers, as we find that archery was in a greatly advanced stage in those days, and kings kept those versed in this branch in their service.² The soldiers clad in armour, *Kalāpa* on their heads, with leather-shields and bows in their hands, present a typical scene of the infantry :