Military System in Northern India (study)

by Prabhakar Tyagi | 2015 | 78,956 words

India history Hinduism Arthashastra

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Summary: This is a study dealing with the Military System in Northern India (606 A.D-1206 A.D). It is shown how self-preservation instincts has led to the development of weapons and strategies to defend territory and nation. The thesis focuses on Northern India from the reign of Harsha to Qutubuddin Aibek. It is further discussed how strategic planning and the rigid caste system impacted the societal cohesion and military effectiveness.

This essay also reviews historical political dynamics, highlighting major players like the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas, and Shahis, and how their interactions with invaders like the Arabs and Turks shaped the region's history. The thesis concludes with a reflection on the disunity and rigid structures that weakened Indian states, paving the way for eventual Islamic dominance.

Copyright:
Creative Commons Licence Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Source 1: exoticindiaart.com
Source 2: shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in

Contents of this online book ( + / - )

The full text of the Military System in Northern India (study) in English is available here and publically accesible (free to read online). Of course, I would always recommend buying the book so you get the latest edition. You can see all this book’s content by visiting the pages in the below index:

+ Chapter 1 - Introduction

. Part 1 - Introduction

. Part 2 - Geographical factor

. Part 3 - The Political scene

+ Chapter 2 - Composition of the Army

. Part 1 - Introduction

. Part 2 - Four-fold division of the Army

. Part 3 - Three-fold division of the Army

. Part 4 - Intelligence and Secret services

+ Chapter 3 - Military Administration

. Part 1 - Introduction—Composition and Recruitment of troops

. Part 2 - Composition of Regular Troops (in ancient Indian armies)

. Part 3 - Feudal Levies (in ancient Indian armies)

. Part 4 - Irregular Troops (in ancient Indian armies)

. Part 5 - Corporation Troops (in ancient Indian armies)

. Part 6 - Class composition of the Army

. Part 7 - Units of the Army and Officer cadre

. Part 8 - Military Ranks and Appointments

. Part 9 - Emoluments of Soldiers

. Part 10 - Marching Allowances

. Part 11 - Welfare of Families: War casualities

. Part 12 - The Forts and Fortifications

. Part 13 - Classification of Forts

. Part 14 - The Site of a Fort

. Part 15 - The Moats of a Fort

. Part 16 - Frontier Watch-stations

. Part 17 - The system of Military Supplies

. Part 18 - Medical Cover (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 19 - Women in the Camp

+ Chapter 4 - Arms and Armour

. Part 1 - Introduction—Composition and Recruitment of troops

. Part 2 - Classification of Weapons (in ancient India)

. Part 3 - Bow and Arrow (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 4 - Swords (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 5 - Spears and Javelins (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 6 - The Mace (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 7 - The Dagger (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 8 - The Battle Axe (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 9 - The Vajra (Thunderbolt) (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 10 - The Noose (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 11 - The Discus or Quoit (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 12 - The Sataghni (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 13 - The Sling (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 14 - The Boomerang (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 15 - The War Machines (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 16 - Shields (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 17 - Body Armour (in ancient Indian warfare)

. Part 18 - Fire-arms and Gunpowder (in ancient Indian warfare)

+ Chapter 5 - Strategy and Tactis in War

. Part 1 - Introduction

. Part 2 - Strategical Considerations—the March

. Part 3 - Consultation with Astrologers

. Part 4 - Order of March

. Part 5 - Site for the Battle-field

. Part 6 - River-Crossing

. Part 7 - Tactical Considerations

. Part 8 - Siege Operations

. Part 9 - Description of the Battle Formations (Vyuha)

. Part 10 - Deployment of Elephants

. Part 11 - Techniques of Attack

. Part 12 - Time for the commencement of action

. Part 13 - Importance of Correct Deployment

. Part 14 - Colligation in Fighting

. Part 15 - Night Attacks and Operations

. Part 16 - Retreat and Pursuit

+ Chapter 6 - The Famous Battles

. Part 1 - The battle between Harsha and Pulakeshin II

. Part 2 - The Battle of Rajasthan

. Part 3 - The triangular struggle for supremacy in North India

. Part 4 - The two battles of Tarain

. Part 5 - The Battle of Chandawar

Chapter 7 - Conclusion

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Last Updated: 31 October, 2025

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