Essay name: Samrajya Lakshmi Pithika (Study)
Author:
Artatrana Sarangi
Affiliation: Savitribai Phule Pune University / Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit Languages
This is a study in English of the Samrajya Lakshmi Pithika (written by Lolla Lakshmidhara) representing an encyclopedic manual for emperors. The Samrajyalaksmipithika encompasses about 3870 verses in addressing topics such as public festivals, governance, warfare (military strategy), and rituals associated with the Tantric worship for the deity Samrajya-Lakshmi.
Chapter 5 - Forts, Castrametation and the Royal Army
53 (of 135)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
548
Treatises like NJC, pp. 173-187, Samaras膩ra,
pp. 93-109, STR 7. 14-101 indicate that in India a science had
developed to acquaint the invading king with the success or
failure of a particular seige of a fort on the basis of a
contrivance of astrological counting known as Kotacakra.
SLP however is found to be silent on this topic. 47
Lastly, we may add that the SLP description of forts
appears to deal with not merely a fort but a town within
a fort, though in small proportions. We, moreover, are
reminded to see in it a picture of forts and fortification
48 contiguous to that of the 16-17 century A.D. India. The
description of the royal palace surrounded by lofty mansions
of kinsmen, Officers, servants, the market description with
all commodities laid out in respective places, the reserved
arenas for the four-fold class, the ditches, ramparts under
vigilant surveilance of the guards - all these clearly conjure
of the picture of a prosperous township, well-fortified
up
with battlemented towers, moats and ramparts like the city of
49 Pataliputra as witnessed by Megasthenes , Rajag峁沨a as
described by Mbh. (2.18.30, 2.19.2 ff.) or to take a laterday
example, the city of Vijayanagar as witnessed by Paes and
Nuniz.
50 47. For details and diagram etc. of the Kotacakra
see STR (7.14-101), NJC, Samarasara etc.
48.
49.
50.
Cf. V.S.Bendre, Gadakotadurga (Marathi) p.40
Fragmenta XXV.. quoted by Amita Ray,
Villages, towns
Megasthenes
0 Vasundhara Filliozat, Ed. The Vijayanagar Empire, Delhi.
64.
1977, p.26.
