Armies are kept by all the countries in the world. This can be for the sake of the citizens’ security or for expanding and increasing the nation’s territory. This tradition is not just seen in the world wars, i.e., the events of modern war, but it can also be seen mentioned in the ancient texts of each religion and civilization. This writing provides a clear detail of the ancient Indian( Bharat varseeya) numbers of soldiers who are grouped into different units according to their numbers and attributes.
This is the smallest unit of soldiers in the ancient category, which consists of a single chariot, an elephant, five soldiers on foot, and three steeds.
2. Senamukha
This is in second position, which is three times larger than Patti. All the things in the patti are multiplied by 3. Here, the number of chariots and the elephants is three, soldiers on foot are fifteen, and the steeds are nine in number.
3. Gulma
This is the third unit of the ancient Eastern military unit. This is also the multiple of senamukha, which contains nine chariots and elephants, forty-five soldiers on foot, and twenty-seven steeds.
4. GaNa
Being the fourth unit, this unit is filled with three times the multiplication of the numbers in Gulma, i.e., twenty-seven chariots and elephants, one hundred and thirty-five soldiers on foot, and eighty-one steeds.
5. Vahini
The fifth place holder, Vahini, is comprised of eighty-one chariots and elephants, four hundred and five soldiers on foot, and two hundred forty-three steeds.
6. Pritana
This entity is constituted of two hundred and forty-three chariots and elephants, one thousand fifteen men, and seven hundred twenty-nine steeds. This is also the multiplication of the previous unit, Vahini.
7. Chamu
The total complement in this unit includes seven hundred twenty-nine chariots and elephants, three thousand six hundred forty-five men, and two thousand one hundred eighty-seven steeds. This is also the multiplication of the previous unit, Pritana.
8. Aneekinee
This is the second largest unit of the ancient military. It features a complement of two thousand one hundred eighty-seven chariots and elephants, ten thousand nine hundred thirty-five men, and six thousand five hundred sixty-one steeds.
9. AkshauhiNee
This is the greatest unit of the military in numbers and its attributes. It boasts a total of twenty-one thousand eight hundred seventy chariots and elephants, sixty-five thousand six hundred and ten steeds, and one hundred nine thousand, three hundred fifty men ( soldiers on foot). This is ten times bigger than the previous unit, Aneekinee.
These data are taken from the ancient and holy book of the Hindus, i.e., The Mahabharata by Veda Vyasa. This text specially describes the war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Their total number of soldier and other elements are mentioned as 18 AkshauhiNee, which is not a joke. According to the text, all these were collapsed in the war except for a few of the Pandavas.
-HR Koirala
