Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

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FORTS

Mahidurga (earth fort), Varkshydurga (for- est fort), Nrudurga (fort protected by able warriors) and Giridurga (mountain fort). Manu states that of all forts the Giridurga may be regarded as the best for security. The Brihaspatismriti states that the king should take his resi- dence in a fort. It also states that the fort should be protected with the help of Yantras and brave soldiers. Manu also states that the fort should be provided with all necessary stores and provisions in- cluding an arsenal and other secret establishments and adds that the king should build his palace in the centre of the fort. In the epic Ramayana, the fortified Lanka is described by Ha- numan as follows: The gates were huge and massive, studded with iron bolts. Above them were stationed several kinds of arms and machines to guard them from invaders. Hundreds of sataghnis were arranged at the entrance. The walls were lofty and unscalable and gleamed with precious stones of high value. Surrounding the wall was a deep and wide moat filled with pure water and containing several kinds of aquatic animals. There were four bridges spanning the moat, protected on both sides with huge destructive engines. The citadel was further defended by water, hill and other artificial barriers. It was fully garrisoned with horses, elephants and hun- dreds of brave Rakshasa warriors. In the epic Mahabharata, Bhishma lists six kinds of forts to King Yudhistira, namely : Dhanvavdurga, Mahidurga, Giridurga, Manusyadurga, Abdurga and Vanadurga. He adds, "Naradurga, a fort protected by such men is the strongest among all six forts exposed in the shastras". The forts assumed significant importance during this period since the wealth of the kingdom was stored in them and also because they were the centres of administration of the kingdom. The superintendent of the fort was an important official in the imperial administrative machinery and was asked to discharge important duties by the king. Kautilya in his Arthashastra speaks of protective fortifications along the boundary of the kingdom and of the proper distribution of defence structures throughout its length and breadth. He mentions four types of forts — Nagaradurga, Dronamukha, Kharvatika, and Sangahana in the midst of eight hundred villages, four hundred villages, two hundred villages and ten villages, respectively. Out of the four main divisions water and mountain fortifications are the best, according to Kautilya. He further adds, "It is in the fort that the treasury and the army are safely kept. The upkeep of the army, the reception of allies and the driving out of the enemies and of the wild tribes are successfully practised. In the absence of forts, the treasury is exposed to the enemy, for it seems that for those who own forts there is no destruction." Pataliputra, Giriviraja, Takshashila, Kashi and Pushkalavati were some of the famous fortified cities of this time. Pataliputra was one of the most prosperous cities of that period in the world. About the fortification of Pataliputra the Greek traveller Megas- thenes wrote, "The city was situated on the confluence of the Ganges and the Sone and was more than 9 miles in length and 1 V 2 miles in breadth. It was shaped like a parallelogram and was protected by a wooden wall. In front of the wall there was a moat 600 feet wide and 45 feet deep for defence and for receiving the sewage of the city. The city wall was crowned with 570 towers and had 64 gates." Abdurga (water fort),

Fortification was considered necessary initially during the early times for defence against wild animals. Subsequently, as habita- tions developed, because of the possibility of enemy attacks, it was necessary to provide fortifications to cities and towns and also raise armies to defend them. The geographical location of several forts in India clearly in- dicate that these forts were not intended to be boundaries of any principality or kingdom. More often than not the forts were situated in the centre of various kingdoms, as is clearly seen from the distribution of forts in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and in the south. The forts were meant to protect the local treasury and provide a refuge to the people in the region during the political upheavals. In ancient and medieval Indian literature the term 'durg' is generally applied to all kinds of fortifications such as a city on a plain terrain ( Bhu-durga or Naena-durga). The word 'durg' seems to have been derived from the Sanskrit word 'durgam' meaning difficult. Thus a mountain fort is called 'Giridurga' or 'Parvatadurga', a water fort ( Jaladurga, Saliladurga and Abdurga) and a desert fort (Dhanvandurga, Dhandurga, Marudurga etc) The earliest mention of fort and fortified cities is in the Vedas. 'Pur' is a word of frequent occurrence in the Rig Veda and later, meaning 'rampart', 'fort' or 'stronghold'. The art of warfare also gained importance, which is evident from the fact the Dhanurveda is known to be a branch (Upaveda) of Yajurveda. Anshanasa Dha- nurveda is one of the seven known branches of Dhanurveda. This Dhanurveda describes the classification of various forts. These forts are Dhanvadurga (desert fort), Mahidurga (mud fort), Jal- adurga (water fort), Vanadurga (forest fort), Baladurga (fort pro- tected by able warriors) and finally Giridurga (mountain fort). The basic classification of forts given in Anshanasa Dhanurveda was universally accepted in India. While commenting on the utility of the fort, Manu, the Hindu law giver, aptly comments: "A warrior pro- tected by the fort can fight with a hundred enemy soldiers and a force of one hundred fighting from the fort can encounter ten thou- sand enemy soldiers." He further says, "Just as animals like deer need not fear the hunter if they take shelter in a fort similarly a king m a fort too can remain safe from an 'invader'". Yagnavalkya states that treasure should be stored in a fort protected by an able officer. Manu gives 6 types of forts — Dhanvadurga (desert fort),