Buildings within the Fort, Duties of Government Superintendents, Arthashastra
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Buildings within the fort includes the wide level of road communication; location of the palace at centre of the fortress; houses of eminent physicians etc which defines the life of the kingdom inside the walled area. The main intention is to provide as much security to the people as possible.
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Buildings within the Fort exhibit the ancient trend of creating the cities which has continued in arthashastra as well. In Chapter IV, Book II of Arthashastra, Kautilya makes a detailed assessment as to who all are to stay inside the walled area. The walled area shall include wide road communication system; houses of eminent scholars, Brahmins, priests, physicians as well common man; stables of horses, elephants and storage of food grains ; location of royal palace at the heart of the city; treasury houses; place of worship and massive principle gates to be built at a distance of 100 arrows.
Buildings within the fort begin with the construction of roads which has been divided from north to south, from east to west with strong cobbled roads. The fort shall contain twelve gates with both land and water ways kept secret; chariot roads, royal roads, and roads leading to Dronmuhkh or the forts constructed on the country side, roads leading to countryside and villages, roads towards forests, gardens, and roads leading to burial grounds etc has been divided from north to south or from east to west. The other, constructions which the fort includes are the royal buildings including the royal palace, the place of worship; the store houses the stables of horses, elephants, camels, cows etc which has been scattered in the kingdom. Finally the fort includes the twelve gates which are to be built at a distance of 100 bows from the ditch.
Buildings within the fort further includes the composition of all the communities of people, however the Chandals and Heretics are to stay beyond the burial grounds.The location of the royal fort will be at the centre of the area as has been suggested in chapter III regarding the construction of the fort which shall help the king to be more accessible to its people and at the same time be aware of what is happening in the city. The fort shall also include the families of the workmen, soldiers, superintendents, mantrins or ministers as well as the door keepers. However, people with misleading identities and hermits will be prohibited to live within the walled areas as that may hamper the security of others. Even the Bahishkaras will not be allowed anywhere near the walled area and will be thrown out of the city or compelled to heavy taxes which will restrict him in any case.
Thus Buildings within the fort gives an expression of old cities which had existed in India even after the Maurya Empire. The trend to build cities within the walled areas continued even at the time of Muslim rule in the medieval age which had only one common interest of providing security to its people from external invasions.
(Last Updated on : 24-11-2010)
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