The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c10.60

c10.60

The king lived in great splendour. Once we see him “seated in majesty and splendour beneath a white canopy of sovereignty upon a throne of gold with legs as of a gazelle . . .” (I, 267). On return from expeditions, he generally goes in solemn procession round the city and then enters the palace (I, 305). Seated on an elephant, the king often went round the city in stately procession (II, 122). Kings vie with one another in splendour. For instance, a Benares king thinks, “All over India the kings live in a palace supported by many a column . . . What if I make a palace with one column only to support it? Then I shall be the chiefest king of all kings” (IV, 153).