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Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 2, p. 300.

300 THE IXDIAN EMPIRE [CHAP. ordeals by water, fire, poison, or weighment was much favoured as an infallible method of ascertaining the truth. Revenue Hiuen Tsiang agreed with his predecessor Fa-hien in judging tardatnis the taxation to be light and the revenue administration lenient. He noted with satisfaction that every man could keep his worldly goods in peace, and till the ground- for his own sub- sistence. The normal rent of the crown lands was one-sixth of the gross produce.. Officials were paid by assignments of land (jodgir); and the 'fixed salaries' mentioned by Fa-hien probably meant the same. Labour on public works was duly paid for, compulsory service not being exacted. Army. The army seems to have been organized in most parts of the country after the ancient fashion in four arms-infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots; but Harsha dispensed with the chariots, and relied largely on an imposing force of cavalry and fighting elephants. The foot-soldiers were ordinarily armed with shields and long spears, but some wore swords; and battle-axes, javelins, slings, and bows and arrows also formed part of the equipment. Coinage. Hiuen Tsiang repeats the statement made by Fa-hien that gold and silver coins were not known, and adds that commerce was conducted by barter. It is not easy to understand how the pilgrims came to make such statements about a matter the truth of which was so easily ascertainable. In reality, both silver and copper coins were commonly used in Northern India from 500 or 600 B.c.; and during the centuries of the Kushln and Gupta domination large issues of gold coin were struck, specimens of which still exist in hundreds. In the time of Harsha the coinage of gold had ceased, or become very rare, but silver pieces resembling those of the Guptas were minted in quantity. Prosperous The most advanced and highly civilized regions, according and un. to the judgement of Hiuen Tsiang, were Magadha or Bihar, prosperous regions. and Western -Malwa with parts of Northern Gujarat, in the basin of the river Mahi. The tarai, or tract lying below the outer ranges of the Himalayas, continued to lie waste and desolate, as in the days of the earlier pilgrim; and Kalinga, which had been exceptionally populous in ancient times, was thinly in- habited, and supposed to lie under a curse. Buddhism gene- rally exhibited signs of decay, but was still strong in the Punjab, Kashmir, and the neighbouring states on the north- western frontier. In the Gangetic valley the adherents of orthodox Hinduism formed a decided majority, while Jains were numerous in Eastern Bengal and at Vaisali.