ABSTRACT
Literary and numismatic sources are available in adequate quantities to trace the trajectory of warfare and military manpower mobilization of the sedentary polities in the Indian subcontinent from 500 bc onwards. The Indus Valley Civilization along the banks of Indus came into existence around 3500 BC. Around 300 BC, the subcontinent witnessed the emergence of the pan Indian Maurya Empire with a combat effective standing army. The Mauryas had the financial and demographic resources along with a bureaucracy to sustain force level. The Maurya Empire was succeeded by the Sungas and the latter were replaced by the Kanvas. The Gupta Empire was a smaller entity compared to the Maurya Empire. The Gupta Empire built up a world class army by drastically changing the force structure. The collapse of the Gupta power in the mid-sixth century ad saw several regional states bickering with each other.
