Ira's Pāṭaliputra

Bhavisha and Dhruv have a new device, 'Itihāsa', a time machine! For their first trip they choose Pāṭaliputra, roughly where Patna is today.

On the edge of the city they meet a girl. "My name is Ira, daughter of Kanhadas, the ironsmith. Welcome to Pāṭaliputra!"

Soldiers march past, off to fight a neighbouring kingdom that has been causing trouble. "Our king avoids war when he can, but he protects his people when needed. My father made many of their swords, and my uncle is one of the soldiers."

The soldiers cross a drawbridge. Below it is not a river but a moat, a ditch of water dug on purpose. "The bridge is lifted when the city might be attacked. Then it's much harder to reach the walls."

Ira points to the hills and forests: they give timber, herbs and elephants, which are caught and trained for the army. In one hill a cave is being carved for a community of monks.

Inside: wooden ramparts with watch towers, palaces, busy streets, and a main market with silk from China and spices and gems from the south. Street acrobats build human pyramids, sing, dance and act short plays, sometimes for the king himself.

"Does your king rule just this city?" "Much more! He rules many villages, towns and kingdoms. My uncle says it takes about two months on horseback to reach the border." "That's bigger than a kingdom. What do you call it?" "An empire," says Ira, proudly.