Another significant task that Emperor Samudragupta accomplished during his reign was building highways connecting two major cities at many places throughout the length and breadth of his empire. There is a mention of a total of twenty-four highways constructed during his reign. The highways were wide enough for three elephants to comfortably walk side by side. Along these highways were planted tall and canopied trees such as Banyan, Peepal, Ashoka, Teak, etc., as per the orders of Emperor Samudragupta. He had also built two types of rest houses in uninhabited areas on these highways, which were named ‘Dharamshālā’ and ‘Vyāpārgriha’. The Dharamshālā provided free accommodation to the common travellers and pilgrims, whereas Vyāpārgriha were exclusively meant for traders. They were built big enough to adequately store large quantities of goods and accommodate the servants of traders. In addition, specific places around the houses were allotted for erecting cowsheds for cattle, stables for horses and shelters for elephants. However, the accommodation here was not free of cost. He was the first Emperor from Bhārat to build highways. The highway constructed by him from Shurpāraka port to Surat was a centre of attraction for foreign traders.
Read More – The Grand History – 6
