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Warrior System in Ancient India Module - I

Military History
of Ancient India

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Note
WARRIOR SYSTEM IN

ANCIENT INDIA

Our ancient texts say that a nation can progress only when its people are protected.
This means that every citizen must feel secure and protected. It is the security forces of
a nation that provides this protection. An army is necessary not only to defend a nation
against invaders but also to maintain a stable administration and discipline in the society.

The history of ancient India is largely a history of culture. Tribes forms societies and
societies became civilizations with rich Cultural Heritage and a well organised system
of governance. Pastoral society of the early vedic age got transformed into settled
Agrarian society in the later vedic period. The 'King' or the leader of the tribe was
called "Gopati" (lord of cattle) and later as "Bhupati" (lord of the land). Bows and
arrows used for hunting became weapons of war. As societies changed so did the
armies and the weapons they used.

Objectives

After studying this lesson you will be able to:

 explain the need for nations to have boundaries and fight wars;
 trace the formation of armies and the change they underwent with time; and
 explain the concept of a united India along with a detailed account of the warrior
system and warrior code followed by our ancestors.

1.1 How Boundaries were formed

The life of people is conditioned by the geography of their habitat. Let us now understand
how the idea of boundaries came about. For this, we need to know the early history of
our oldest civilization. Indian history mentions Harappan civilization to be around
2600 B.C-1900 B.C, based on excavations and other evidences. The people of
Harappa and Mohanjodaro settled around the 'Indus' river and did not have any
boundaries around their land. But after its decline and disappearance, settlers from the
West and North West started settling Tribes, being agriculturists, started cultivating
land for crops and these lands were marked with boundaries called 'Janapadas'.

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MILITARY HISTORY 1