| Volume - VIII |
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| Culture Course |
WARFARE IN ANCIENT INDIA |
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| Foot-soldiers
fought with bow and arrows or sword and shield. The Ajanta frescos contain figures of such soldiers. The bow was as tall as the person carrying it. He placed one end of the bow on the ground and clutching it with his left foot he would shoot the arrow from the string by drawing it as far back as possible. The largest unit of the army was called Akshowhini. It contained 21870 chariots, as many elephants, three times that number of horses and five times that number of foot-soldiers. An army contained many such units. We learn this from the Mahabharata. The chief of the army was called Senapati or Commander. The great warriors manning the chariots were classified as Maha rathis and Ati-rathis. |
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| About Warfare In Ancient India | ||||||||||||||
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