History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c30.s3.40

v1.c30.s3.40

It was in the later phase that military element crept in, but that was outside the core area of the Gupta empire. The Vakatakas had friendly relations and matrimonial relations with their northern neighbors and in general, the political climate appears to be peaceful; consequently the need for constant military preparedness, in the nature of fortifications, seems to have become less pressing than in the previous age. This era of comparative tranquility came to an end by the closing decades of the fifth century and once again ‘region-based’ kingdoms and dynasties started asserting themselves. There was no dearth of claimants to the imperial mantle of the Guptas but few were in a position to assert their superiority over others in terms of military might. This situation continued well upto the eleventh century, perhaps slightly beyond. These region-based kingdoms were not necessarily small and by the seventh century a well established pattern emerged - the Pala-Senas in Bihar-Bengal; the Śaśāṅkas in north and the Candellas in south U.P.; the Pratiharas in the Rajasthan area; The Traikutakas and Kalacuris in the Narmada area; the Calukyas in north Karnataka and the Pallavas in the extreme south. In terms of fortifications it meant that so many frontiers were created and had to be protected. Additionally trade and military routes, important cities and capitals had to be taken care of, thereby multiplying the places to be fortified.