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
15 (of 135)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
C. 510 however, records a new thing that water sources should
not be visible to the outsider and these should be kept
a secret. In this respect, both these works give
similar description.
18 Another point becomes quite clear here that the
author of SLP does not feel comfortable in simply describing
a locale, fit for the construction of a fort, but from his
description, it becomes quite evident that the environs of
a forest-fort, constitute in themselves a fort with its
inaccessibility and awe-inspiring qualities. Thus, the
utility of a forest-fort appears to be two-fold, the
environment serving as a fort in the first place and the
fort proper coming next. The use of choice-phrases
in the definition like samkula (thronged), dusprave sa
(of difficul taccess), dusta-jantu (wild animal) and
bhayamkara (fearful) etc. amply illustrates the point.
This is possibly the reason of attributing more
weight in favour of this class of forts on the part of our
author who considers forest-forts as the best among the
lot.
The Cavern-forts :
Now comes the type of forts which are constructed
18.
Vanadurga峁� samakhyata峁� ghanakan taka s膩khibhi岣�
antastaih samcita峁� toya峁� tahisthanam ca durlabham //
Manasa
(STR
26.546-47),
5.6.52-53).
