Kautilya\'s Arthasastra-In the Light of Modern Science and Technology

Contents: Introduction. 1. Minerals, gems, ores: identification and occurrence. 2. Prospecting, mining and metallurgy. 3. Town planning, civil and architectural engineering. 4. Land, agriculture and irrigation. 5. Environment: natural and civic. 6. On antiquity of Arthasastra. Appendix: 1. Critical notes on some engineering features. 2. Subject-wise classification of sutras. 3. Deconstruction of a few sutras. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.

Arthasastra a Sanskrit treatise of the fourth century BCE, is ostensibly the worlds oldest surviving document of its genre. Written by Kautily\'a also known as Vishnugupta and Chanakya the astute Brahmin preceptor and prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya it is now widely recognized as a classic on statecraft including a discussion of contemporary Indian polity political theories administrative mechanisms war and peace and a variety other subjects. (jacket)