History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c33.s4: Buddhist Period
History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c33.s4
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Buddhist Period
v1.c33.s4.1
According to A.L. Basham, by the time of Buddha, trade routes covered most of North India, and the Mauryan times saw further improvement and expansion. “Among the chief of the routes was the one which ran from the R. Ganges to Tāmralipti (Tamluk), not far from Calcutta up the river to the old city of Campa and thence through Pataliputra and Varanasi to Kausambi, whence a branch went to the part of Bṛgukaccha or the mouth of the Narmada by way of Vidiśā and Ujjaini (Madhya Pradesh)”. Kauśāmbī was an important city even during the time of the Buddha and from there a trunk road passed along the south bank of the Yamuna to Mathura from which a branch crossed the modern Rajasthan and Thar desert to the Port of Patala near the mouth of the river Indus. He also points out the roads connecting North Western India. “The main route passed through modern Delhi (ancient Indraprastha) and crossed the five rivers of the Punjab by way of Takṣaśilā whence is continued upto Kabul Valley into Central Asia. The main route went from Ujjain to the city of Prathiṣṭāna (Paithan in Maharashtra) in the Deccan, the capital of the Satavahana empire around the beginning of the Christian era. It then passed across into the Deccan plateau to the lower Kṛṣṇā and went into the great cities of Kāñci and Madurai.”
v1.c33.s4.2
The Buddha during the course of his travels, as a homeless ascetic, visited many places, including Rājagṛha and Uruvilva near Gaya. After his enlightenment he gave his first sermon at Sarnath. For 45 years he preached to the people of Oudh, Bihar and adjoining territories and finally died at Kuśinagara—now in U.P. This constant movement may imply a good network of roads.