Chanakya, Puri explained, had recommended numerous disguises to be adopted while conducting clandestine operations.
'Brothel keepers, storytellers, acrobats, cooks, shampooers, reciters of puranas, cowherds, monks, elephant handlers, thieves, snake catchers and even gods, to name just a few,' he said. 'For agents planning to infiltrate a city, Chanakya suggested adopting the cover of a trader; those working on the frontiers should pose as herdsmen. When a secret agent needed to infiltrate a private household, he urged the use of - and I quote - "hunchbacks, dwarfs, eunuchs, women skilled in various arts, and dumb persons".'