The ancient and medieval architecture of India: a study of Indo-Aryan civilisation

26

CONSTITUTIONAL

MONARCHY

whichthe nationsofEurope

struggled

throughout

theMiddle

Ages

until the present day

was the

essence of

Indo-Aryan

policy. The

Kingwasthe

Vicegerent of

Vishnu on earth in

sofarand as long as he

remained

the constituted

Defender

of the Faith—of the laws,

customs,

and religion

of Aryan

civilisation.

The English schoolboy is

taught to

believe that all

Oriental monarchs were like

Darius of

Persia, and that the

Greeks

Vv'ere the sole defenders of

liberty against

Oriental

despotism. The

Indo-Aryanswere

notonlyloversof

freedom,

like their

Western brethren, but they

asserted the

principle

of

constitutional monarchy in their

Magna Chartasand Acts

of Parliament much

morestronglythan the

subjectsofEuro-

pean sovereigns

succeededin doing until

quite moderntimes.

"

Holy sages," says

Manu, the great Indo-Aryan

law-giver,

"

consider

asa

fit dispenser ofcriminal justice

thatkingwho

invariably speaks truth, who duly considers all cases, who

understands

the

sacred

books, who knows the distinctions of

virtue, pleasure, and riches. Such a king, if he justlyinflict

legal punishments, greatly increases these three means of

happiness
;

but punishment itself shall destroya kingwhois

crafty,voluptuous,andwrathful.... Punishment shallover-

take hiscastles, histerritories, his peopled land,with all fixed

and movable things that existon it; even the gods and the

sages who lose theiroblations will beafflicted and ascend to

thesky."

'

For purposes of military defence the capital towns and

villagescommandingstrategicpointswerefortified. The
Um-

magga
Jatakathrowsa sidelight on the"relationship
between

Indian villages

and their Rajas from the military

point of

view.

Inthislegend ofthe Buddha'sformerbirths

the Raja's

first order

before starting off on a warlike

expedition was:

1

"

Institutes

ofHinduLaw,"translatedbyS.G.Grady,

chap.vii.sect.26-9.