Mauryan Empire
As societies progressed, they formed larger groups and explored newer areas to prosper in agriculture, mining iron, copper, coal, etc. Janapadas became Mahajanapadas.
The Mahajanapadas were big settlements in Magadh, Kosala, Kasi, Saurasena (Mathura) and became centres of crafts and industry. Another major change in society was the advent of Jainism and Budhism as centres of influence among the people.
The earliest ruler of Magadh was Bimbisara in 544 B.C and thereafter the rule and expansion of the Magadh continued in small measures in the Nanda dynasty. Subsequently, in 321 B.C, the Mauryan dynasty was established under Chandragupta Maurya.
From the military point of view, it is important to know why Magadh became the centre of the Mauryan Empire from where they conquered most of India. The reasons were:
- The geography of the nearby areas had surrounding mountains (five hills surrounded the capital) gave it a natural protection.
- Secondly, the land was very fertile, being the Gangetic plains, giving it agricultural richness.
- Thirdly, forest in the southern areas gave it timber and elephants.
- Fourthly, Chandragupta inherited a vast army from the Nandas.
Mauryan empire was the turning point of Indian history. Kautilya or Chanakya as he was known, wrote the famous treatise of Arthasastra. He gave the world a practical way of governance including, art of diplomacy, war strategy, law and commerce.
The Mauryas maintained a large standing army. It was adequate for all its needs of controlling very large empire. The chariots, cavalry, elephants and infantry were the main composition of the force. There were six varieties of chariots according to their role in battle. They are:
- Three types were used in the battlefield for actual fighting
- One type was used only for training
- One for marching towards the enemy
- Two types for general duties in the war zone
The chariots were two wheeled, four wheeled and eight wheeled. The Arthasastra mentions the organization for chariots, elephants and cavalry. It was considered important to have superintendents, animal trainers and well-organized areas to keep the animals. The infantry carried bows and arrows. The bow was made of the same height as that of the soldier who carried it. For its usage, he rested it on the ground and pressed with the left foot to fire the arrow.
Some soldiers carried javelins and all of them, irrespective of what they carried, always had one sword with them. There were six types of troops in the Mauryan imperial army: the Kshatriya, or troops of the hereditary warrior class who formed the majority of the army; mercenaries and freebooters hired as individuals seeking military adventure; troops provided by local zamindars and business men; troops supplied by allies; deserters from the enemy; and tribesmen from the wild forests and hills.
The tactical organization of the Mauryan army of this period had a basic unit called the patti, a mixed group, comprising one elephant carrying three archers or spearman and a mahout (the elephant trainer and handler) three horse cavalrymen armed with javelins, round buckler and spear, and five infantry soldiers armed with shield and broadsword or bow.
In today's military terms it would be called an all arms team. This twelve-man unit when assembled in three units formed a senamukha, or "company". Three of these formed together comprised a gulma, or "battalion". Units were added in multiples of three, forming an aksauhini, or "army", comprising of 21,870 patti. The phrase 'combat arms' denotes cavalry or chariot or elephants combined with the infantry soldier either together or as a combination of two or more.