A Military History of Ancient India

A Military History of Ancient India
Author: Gurcharn Singh Sandhu
Publisher:
Total Pages: 556
Release: 2000
Genre: India
ISBN:

India's military history goes back to the Indus or Harappan people who flourished 5,000 years ago; the history of military fortifications in the country goes back even further. It remains, however, a subject largely neglected by the country's historians. This book traces the evolution of India's military tactics and strategy during the ancient period and till the eleventh century ad by examining available sources from a dispassionate, professional military perspective. The author analyses the military factors which led to the end of the Harappan civilization. The Rig Veda contains a great deal of information about battles fought by the Aryans. The author makes use of the description of the first recorded battle, the Dasrajan War fought around 1900 bc, as a basis for reconstructing the strategy and tactics employed by the combatants. The portion of Kautilya's Arthashastra dealing with matters military has been examined at some length because it exercised a profound influence on the tactics of Indian warfare for over a millennium. Such loyalty to the injunctions of the shastras bred extreme conservatism in military doctrine and often effectively prevented progress and innovation in the art of war. Learning from experience, the Guptas repudiated Kautilya's static concept and successfully defended the country against the Hunas. This work traces how a subsequent reversion to tradition and the antiquated Kautilyan system led to tragic consequences.

War in Ancient India

War in Ancient India
Author: Vr Ramachandra Dikshitar
Publisher: Hassell Street Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023-07-18
Genre:
ISBN: 9781019353424

This book provides an in-depth analysis of warfare in Ancient India, covering military strategies, tactics, and weaponry used during various time periods. Dikshitar examines key battles, such as those fought during the Mauryan and Gupta empires, and discusses the importance of factors such as terrain and logistics in determining the outcome of war. A must-read for anyone interested in Ancient Indian history or military history in general. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

A Military History of Medieval India

A Military History of Medieval India
Author: Gurcharn Singh Sandhu
Publisher:
Total Pages: 896
Release: 2003
Genre: India
ISBN:

The book, thus, presents a study of the development of warfare in the country from the 11th to the mid-18th century when modern warfare made its appearance in India, unlike in Europe where it had developed two centuries earlier. The first such occasion was in 1746 in the battle of the Adyar River (San Thome) when a few French soldiers supported by a detachment of European-trained "native soldiers" defeated a much larger local force of the Nawab of Carnatic, thus heralding the advent of modern warfare into the country's antiquated military system. Wars have been the primary, if not the only, instrument for political change since ancient times. A study of the development of warfare in a country is, therefore, an essential component for a correct understanding of its political developments. Notwithstanding this fact, India's military history has, thus far, been sadly neglected by the country's professional historians. This book, a result of huge scholarship and stamina, helps to set right this lacuna. The author draws many lessons of enduring value which the military history of medieval India has to offer the country's policy-makers, politicians, bureaucrats, historians, political scientists and professional soldiers

Wars and War-Tactics in Ancient India

Wars and War-Tactics in Ancient India
Author: Uma Prasad Thapliyal
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2021-04-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000397726

This work discusses the wars fought in ancient India and the war strategies that came to be developed. Advanced modes of combat were devised and new methods related to the use of various weapons were perfected. The volume also delves into The Mahābhārata and works like the Arthaśāstra, the Kāmandakīy Nītisāra and the Śukranīti that contain graphic descriptions of war tactics as these evolved over the centuries. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Warfare in Pre-British India – 1500BCE to 1740CE

Warfare in Pre-British India – 1500BCE to 1740CE
Author: Kaushik Roy
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2015-06-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317586921

This book presents a comprehensive survey of warfare in India up to the point where the British began to dominate the sub-continent. It discusses issues such as how far was the relatively bloodless nature of pre-British Indian warfare the product of stateless Indian society? How far did technology determine the dynamics of warfare in India? Did warfare in this period have a particular Indian nature and was it ritualistic? The book considers land warfare including sieges, naval warfare, the impact of horses, elephants and gunpowder, and the differences made by the arrival of Muslim rulers and by the influx of other foreign influences and techniques. The book concludes by arguing that the presence of standing professional armies supported by centralised bureaucratic states have been underemphasised in the history of India.

Warfare in Ancient India

Warfare in Ancient India
Author: Uma Prasad Thapliyal
Publisher:
Total Pages: 431
Release: 2010-01-01
Genre: India
ISBN: 9788173048425

The military History of Ancient India has not attracted the attention of scholars in sufficient measure. Naturally, not many good books are available on the subject. Consequently, Indians know little about the military system followed by their ancestors. A serious effort, is therefore, needed to analyse and interpret the source material which lies scattered in ancient Indian literature, including scriptures and archaeological remains including inscriptions and coins, to produce a tangible thesis on the subject. This book is an humble effort in that direction. The book tries to present a complete picture of Indian military system from the earliest times. The topics covered include military organization, conduct of war, strategical and tactical concepts, weapons and armour, fortification, education and training and ceremonials. Some ancillary aspects related to war such as defence production, logistics, intelligence, medical services, engineering, signals, etc., have also been covered. The study is based on historical data. The myths and legends if not supported by historical evidence have been ignored. Each chapter is a complete study and is intended to generate a new thinking on the subject among lay readers and scholars alike.

India's Wars

India's Wars
Author: Arjun Subramaniam
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Total Pages: 548
Release: 2017-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1682472426

India’s armed forces play a key role in protecting the country and occupy a special place in the Indian people’s hearts, yet standard accounts of contemporary Indian history rarely have a military dimension. In India’s Wars, serving Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam seeks to rectify that oversight by giving India’s military exploits their rightful place in history. Subramaniam begins India’s Wars with a frank call to reinvigorate the study of military history as part of Indian history more generally. Part II surveys the development of the India’s army, navy, and air force from the early years of the modern era to 1971. In Parts III and IV, Subramaniam considers conflicts from 1947 to 1962 as well as conflicts with China in 1962 and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971. Part V concludes by assessing these conflicts through the lens of India’s ancient strategist, Kautilya, who is revered in India as much as Sun Tzu is in China. Not merely a wide-ranging historical narrative of India’s military performance in battle, India’s Wars also offers a strategic, operational, and human perspective on the wars fought by independent India’s armed forces. Subramaniam highlights possible ways to improve the synergy between the three services, and argues in favor of the declassification of historical material pertaining to national security. The author also examines the overall state of civil-military relations in India, leadership within the Indian armed forces, as well as training, capability building, and other vitally important issues of concern to citizens, the government, and the armed forces. This objective and critical analysis provides policy cues for the reinvigoration of the armed forces as a critical tool of statecraft and diplomacy. Readers will come away from India’s Wars with a greater understanding of the international environment of war and conflict in modern India. Laced with veterans’ intense experiences in combat operations, and deeply researched and passionately written, it unfolds with surprising ease and offers a fresh perspective on independent India’s history.