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
38 (of 135)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
533
presiding deity (ies), Candika, Vighnesa,
Vighnesa,
Ksetrapala,
Sastr, Mahalaksmi, Kesava, Bhaskara, Tvastr and Vagdevi
for the protection of the fort and be regularly worshipped.
(37. 3-10)
Articles to be stored in a fort:
It is quite well-known that a fort is a veritable
store-house of men and material. Thus besides weapons of
various kinds, provisions and other necessities of life
are kept in reserve in such citadels. SLP while dealing
with this topic mentions that in an ideal fort are to be
maintained the reserve of the following articles by the
intelligent king in their right places to make the fort
much more invincible (38.3).
Among the weapons are mentioned ten thousands of
sharffarro
bows and a good number of sharparrows with Crescent-shapped
heads appearing like goad-hooks of elephants near the
four main gates. Other weapons like lance, swoard, scimitar,
spear, discus, club, mallet-hammer etc. should be suitably
stored with pieces of stone. (4-6).
Besides weapons of various kinds articles such as
ghee, oil, wine, honey, salt, pepper, cumin-seeds (panicum
Miliaceum), aromatic roots like vac膩 (Acorus Colamus),
amaa (tamarind), metals like lead, a number of medicines,
