The Lost Warfare of India: An Illustrated Guide

The Arthashastra is an ancient Indian 15-book manual on warfare and governance authored in the 3rd/4th century BCE by a Brahmin scholar named Chanakya. It was under his tuition that an ordinary boy, Chandragupta Maurya, became the first emperor of a united India. Chanakya’s text was published in English by Dr. Rudrapatnam Shamashastry in 1915. The text is a treasure-trove of almost-lost ancient knowledge with subjects covering, but not limited to: • spy classes and espionage • various battle formations • psychological warfare • fortification and siege fighting • battlefield magic with help of gods and demons • ancient biological and chemical weapons • basic and advanced assassination tactics • traditional “Hindu” weapons and armour • uses of Indian chariots, elephants, cavalry and infantry Chanakya's text, sheds light on ancient Indian army training, weapon typology, battle formations, strategy and so much more. This book has been written to promote awareness of many forgotten aspects of traditional Indian martial culture. Several books on the Arthashastra’s political aspects have been authored by scholars and researchers since Dr. Shamashastry introduced the text to the public in the early 1900’s. However, for the first time has a book focused solely on its martial aspects. Authored nearly 2,400 years ago; translated over 100 years ago; and now edited and illustrated with nearly 200 images, presented to you, the modern reader, is ancient Indian warfare according to the Arthashastra.

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