The Magadha War Machine: From Impregnable Fortresses to Siege Warfare and Lethal Weapons

In the last part, we marvelled at the colossal and awe-inspiring Magadhan army, with its indomitable cavalry, towering elephants, and fearsome chariots. To truly appreciate the genius behind their military prowess, one needs to delve deeper into their battle tactics and weaponry. In this subsequent part, we will further explore the art of Magadhan warfare—from the construction of their impregnable forts to the deadly tools of siege warfare that cemented their reputation as an unstoppable force!

Artistic Imagining of the Magadhan Army | Image Source: Wikipedia

The empire of Magadha was well known for its military brilliance and ferociousness. A naval component is also believed to have been present along with the army. Warfare was a crucial element of state politics and often included the construction of forts and fortifications. The Magadhan capitals, first at Rajagriha (Girivraja) and then at Pataliputra were heavily fortified cities. Both were built in strategic locations, guarded by natural barriers.

Forts were not only built but were also strategically defended and attacked as well. Standing garrisons were deployed for the forts. Within these garrisons, there was a proper division of functions, which can be corroborated by the list of different officers provided by the Buddhist Pali texts. These included the Chalaka (billeting officers), Pindadayika (supply corps personnel) Pakkhandino (stormtroopers) and Cammayodhino (warriors clad in leather armour). The dovarika or the gatekeeper was a crucial officer as he ensured that no suspicious or dubious strangers enter the fort. He had a vital responsibility of ensuring that only known people entered the gates.

The infantry wing of the army was well-equipped with both arms as well as armour. The most common weapons or arms included bows and arrows, swords, javelins, shields, lances, maces, axes, clubs, and pikes. Ajatashatru is credited with the deployment of two novel weapons during the Lichhavi war. These were the Rathamusula and Mahasilakantaka, and as legend has it, they were granted by Sakrendra and Charmendra (Indra of different heavens) to Ajatshatru.

Rathamusula was an automatically driven chariot armed with deadly weapons. It had swinging spiked maces on each side and was allegedly driven by Charmendra. Millions of soldiers were crushed under the chariot as it moved across the battlefield. Mahasilakantaka was a machine that threw large stones at the enemy. It is said that through this divine weapon, even the pebbles, straws, and leaves thrown by Ajatashatru's men dropped like rocks on the army of Chetaka. As a result, this weapon was given the name Mahasilakantaka, or the weapon that killed more than 100,000 people. From the descriptions, it can be assumed that it represented a type of proto-cannon.

Shields were often made up of hides and in battle, they were carried by almost everyone except for the archers, whose hands were already full of bows and arrows. This is indicated by the sculptures of Bharhut and Sanchi which provide the earliest visual evidence of a foot soldier’s equipment in ancient India. These sculptures, although made under Mauryan rule, are a good showcase of what the soldiers would have looked like in Magadha and other janapadas. The Mauryas, who succeeded the last Magadhan dynasty of the Nandas, would have carried on the same patterns of warfare and equipment as the base of their military system, albeit with some additions and subtractions.

The success of Magadhan warfare was also because of the introduction of iron tools and weapons in the 6th century BCE. The use of iron in making weapons proved to be a game-changer in the warfare of the ancient Ganga Valley. Magadha’s envious geographical location ensured its proximity to and control over rich iron deposits making Magadhan weaponry superior to others. Infantrymen are known to have carried arrows (sarahatta). Some of them also probably carried items like conches, drums, cymbals, horns, and other such musical instruments.

Description of soldiers’ equipment in Magadha under the Nanda rule can be gauged from the accounts of various ancient writers who wrote about the military equipment of other kingdoms, contemporary to that of the Nandas, in ancient India. Neglecting certain regional differences, it is plausible that soldiers of the Nandas adorned similar weaponry as that of their north-western contemporaries who faced the mighty armies of Alexander.

The Greek historian Arrian states that Indian soldiers who fought Alexander were armed with huge bows that were as long as the person carrying them, which the soldiers rested on the ground and compressed with their left foot before releasing the arrow. The soldiers were also armed with javelins, broadswords, and long bucklers made of undressed ox hide. Two lances and a smaller buckler (round shield) than the infantry were carried by the cavalry. Arrian states that even archers were equipped with shields, contrary to the evidence provided by Bharhut sculptures. It may have been likely that archers carrying shields were normative for north-western soldiers but not for the Magadhan archers, reflecting upon the regional variations in armour and weapons.

Vedic and other epic texts mention metal and chainmail armour being worn by soldiers. This may have been used during the Magadhan Empire as well. Different names for various pieces of armour covering various body parts were used, such as shirastrana (neck cover), kurpasha (cover for the trunk), kanchuka (a coat extending upto the knee joints), varavana (a coat extending up to the heels), patta (a coat sans cover for arms) and nagodarika (gloves). Armours were also made from hides, hoofs, and horns of several animals like elephants, bison, tortoise, rhinoceros, cow, etc.

Sculptures at the Sanchi stupa from the Mauryan period depict soldiers clad in thickly coiled turbans often supported with scarves tied below their chin and bands of cloth tied across their chests and waists as protective armour. These sculptural depictions of armour may have been true for the pre-Mauryan time as well. The existence of inequalities in the provision of suitable armour may have also been prevalent owing to the presence of several classes within the army. Elite and royal officers may have been better provided for as compared to the lowest class of soldiers.

Warfare was hence a major factor in Magadha's development into the greatest mahajanapada of its time and power so immense and grand, that it became one of the major reasons why Alexander's armies were wary of invading India. Under its aggressive and warmongering rulers, Magadha made a mark for itself in the rich military history of ancient India.