Cities and palaces during the Vedic age

Not many ruins of cities survive from the Vedic age. It is thought that they were mainly constructed with wood and have disintegrated completely. Some excerpts from Arthashastra might throw some light on this issue. Arthashastra is seminal masterpiece of Ashoka’s political adviser Kautilya. This work is a treatise on statecraft and economic policies. It also has sections on the best way to lay out the infrastructure of cities and nations, describing plans to develop the security network from the micro to macro level in a State.

According to Kautilya’s advice in the Arthashastra, a royal palace should be quite a simple structure and should be built with wood, compacted earth, brick and stone. The layout of the palace complex was simple because it was purely functional and not extravagant, to maximize security.

Chapter III- The King’s Security, Arthashastra by Kautilya. Translated and edited by L.N. Rangarajan

The palace complex was surrounded by ramparts and moats which Kautilya specifically advised should not be built out of wood, since wood is extremely inflammable. The palace complex is set within a fortified city complex which is further surrounded by bigger ramparts of brick, stone with wooden spikes and three successive layers of moats.

It is repeatedly mentioned by Kautilya that fire was a huge concern. Blacksmiths and people who work with fire should be clubbed together and given a separate corner in the city. The crematoriums were to be constructed a considerable distance away from the city’s multiple moats.

Chapter IV- Establishing the basic structures of the country, Arthashastra by Kautilya. Translated and edited by L.N. Rangarajan

Why did they use so much wood? Wood is cheap, easily manipulated and readily available. As you can see in the figure 15, there is an entire section of the city, south of the city centre, dedicated to forest produce. Obtaining the right kind of stone and cutting it is expensive. Kings were not obscenely rich during the Gupta period.

One has to also keep in mind that you’re talking about a period which existed 2300 years ago, when people were in peace with the impermanence of the body and existence. The architecture of a people is highly complimentary to their philosophy I believe and you will find that throughout the cultures of the world.