Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c11.16

c11.16

4. Curfew Order. The movements of citizens were forbidden at night when it was 6 *nālikās* before dawn and 6 *nālikās* after sunset. A *nālikā* being equal to 24 minutes, the period of restriction was from 9 P.M. to 3-30 A.M. A trumpet (*yāma-tūryam*) was sounded to announce the hours when the curfew commenced and ended and all movements between these hours, especially in the vicinity of the palace (*rājño gṛihābhyāśe*), were punished with fines. Inconvenience to the public which was caused by this restriction upon movement was obviated by granting exemptions in the following cases where free movement was a necessity: (1) persons attending delivery cases (*sūtikānimittam*), (2) medical practitioners, (3) carriers of dead bodies (*preta-nimittam*), (4) persons moving about with lanterns (*pradīpayāna-nimittam*), (5) persons going in response to the summons by drum of the city magistrate (*nāgarikatūrya*), (6) persons going to a theatrical performance passed by the censor (*prekshānimittaṁ rājānujñāta-nāṭakādiprayoga-dar-* *śane-nimitte*), (7) persons called out of their houses by emergencies such as outbreak of fire, (8) persons moving with passes after time (*mudrābhiścha agrāhyāḥ akshaṇachārino*) [I. 36].