Mauryan Administration PDF

Mauryan Administration An elaborate administration was required to govern such a vast empire. Arthashastra, Greek accounts and Ashokan inscriptions give an idea about its administration. Kautilya presented a Saptanga theory of State in his Book number 6 of the Arthshastra. In the Saptanga theory, th...

Mauryan Administration An elaborate administration was required to govern such a vast empire. Arthashastra, Greek accounts and Ashokan inscriptions give an idea about its administration. Kautilya presented a Saptanga theory of State in his Book number 6 of the Arthshastra. In the Saptanga theory, the State is organised into seven elements – 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Swami (the king) Amatya (the ministers) Janapada (the territory and its people, i.e., subjects) Durga (a fortified capital) Kosha (the treasury) Danda (justice or force) Mitra (ally) Central Administration The central administration can be classified under the following categories: 1. The King: Arthashastra considers the king as the focal point of the administration. The minister (Amatyas) was appointed and removed by him. He defended the treasury and the people, looked after the welfare of the people, punished criminals, and influenced the people (Praja) through his morality. It is a monistic view on sovereignty where the king’s decision could override even shastric injunctions if a difference arises. 2. Mantri Parisad or the council of ministers: The Arthashastra and Ashokan edicts mention a Parishad. Major Rock Edict III mentions the Parishad, which was expected to ensure the new administrative measures. However, the primary role of the council was advisory. The king’s decision was final in all respects. 3. Army – All accounts indicate that the Mauryas had a large army. The king was the supreme commander of the army. o According to Pliny, it consisted of 6 lakh strong infantry, 30,000 cavalries, 9000 elephants and 8000 chariots. o The soldiers were paid in cash. o Kautilya refers to a standing army with four main divisions – Divisions Commanding officer Infantry Patyadhyaksha Cavalry Ashvadhyaksha Chariots Rathadhyaksha Elephants Hastyadhakshya   Megasthenes mentions a unified military with sixSub–committeesfor coordinating military activities:1. The first Committee looked after the navy, 2. the second managed transport and provisions. 3. the third was responsible for foot soldiers, 4. the fourth for horses, 5. the fifth for chariots, and 6. the sixth for elephants. Espionage network: Arthashastra mentions a well-knit espionage system to keep an eye on the ministers, and government officials, collect impressions regarding the citizens’ feelings and know the secrets of foreign kings. o Students, householders, and poisonous girls (Vishkanya) were employed as agents. o Some of the officials of the network were: – Mahamatya-pasarpa Head of the department. Gudhapurushas Secret agents. Sansthan Stationary secret agents Sancharas Touring secret agents.  Law and justice A well-organised legal system was in place. o The king was the supreme judge and upholder of dharma. o Ashoka’s inscriptions lay the judicial responsibilities in Mahamatas. The edicts urge them to be impartial and ensure that people are not imprisoned or punished without sufficient evidence. o Punishments ranged from small fines to mutilation of limbs and capital punishment. o There were two kinds of courts: – 1. Civil court Court Judge Dharmasthiyas Vyavaharikas 2. Criminal Kantakasodhanas Pradeshta a. Public welfare: o The State took the Welfare initiatives such as irrigation work, road construction, medicine and medical treatment, looking after orphans and older women, and protection against natural calamities like famines and floods. o Sohgaura (Gorakhpur) copper plate and Mahasthana (Bogara, Bangladesh) inscription deal with the relief measures adopted during a famine. o Junagadh Rudradaman’s inscription (2nd century CE) tells that Sudarshana Lake was constructed during Chandragupta’s time. Provincial administration  The Mauryan empire was divided into five provinces, which provinces were placed under the direct governance of a prince (Kumara) or a royal family member. Provinces Capital Uttarapatha(North) Taxila Avantipatha (West) Ujjayini Dakshinapatha (South) Survarnagiri Magadha (Centre) Patliputra Kalinga (East) Tosali   Uttarpatha and Dakshinapatha were also the names given to the northern and southern trade routes, respectively, during the Mauryan empire. Provincial capitals, Taxila and Ujjayini, were situated on crucial long-distance trade routes. Suvarnagiri (literally, the golden mountain) was possibly important for tapping the gold mines of Karnataka. District and Village Level Administration According to the Arthashastra, the smallest unit of administration was the village. At the district level, officials were: – Pradeshika They were overall in charge of the District. He measured land, collected taxes and maintained law and order. Rajukas They were equivalent to a modern-day District Magistrate. Their work included clerical, and accounting works. They also had judicial as well as revenue functions. The 4th pillar Edict mentions that Ashoka granted ‘independent authority to the Rajukas to carry out specific responsibilities related to public welfare. Yukatas – He was a junior officer giving secretarial assistance to the other two. Gopa and Sthanika – Acted as intermediaries between the District and village-level administrative units. Their work included demarcating village boundaries, maintaining land records, recording people’s income and expenditure, and recording taxes, revenues and fines. Despite the presence of such officials, the villages enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy in administering their affairs. City administration        There are several references to city administration about Pataliputra by Megasthenes. Nagarika – was the head of the urban administration. He was assisted by two subordinate officials – Gopa and Sthanika. Bandhanagaradhyaksha- looked after the jail. Rakshi (the police) – looked after the security of the people. Lohadhyaksha and Sauvarnika – were officials who looked after goods manufactured in the centres. Gramika – were the locals – appointed as officials. They were village heads. A City Council appears to have existed, which was divided into six subcouncils or committees with five members each. These were: 1. Industry and crafts Committee 2. Foreign visitors Committee 3. Registration of births and deaths committee headed by Gopa. 4. Trade and commerce committee to look after weights and measures, markets etc., headed by Panyadhyaksha. 5. A committee inspected manufactured goods and their sale. 6. A committee for Sales Tax collection headed by Sulkahyaksha. Mauryan Taxation system  Kautilya’s Arthshastra mentions various types of taxes: Tax Source Bhaga Land Revenue Shulka Customs duty Pravesya Import tax Vartani Road cess Parsvam Surcharges Parigha Monopoly tax Prakriya Royalty Pranaya A gift of affection     The tax(Bhaga) collected from peasants varied from 1/4 to 1/6 of the produce. Samaharta, in Mauryan times, was the official in charge of the revenue collection. The State also provided irrigation facilities (Setubandha) and charged water tax (1/5 to 1/3). A Toll was also levied on commodities brought to town for sale and collected at the gate. We also find mention of a tax on Monopoly businesses in the Mauryan times. The taxes could be paid in many modes – cash, kind or labour. Tax Mode of Payment Hiranya or Kara Tax paid in cash Pratikara Taxes in kind Vishti Forced labour paid by slaves and Shudras (free labour).   The State enjoyed a monopoly in mining, forest, salt, sale of liquor, manufacture of arms etc. Further, the Civil servants sold state goods (Rajapanya) that were either collected in tax or produced by the State. Moreover, the military was allowed to make various taxation demands from the villages. – Village Type Description Pariharaka Exempted from taxation Ayudhiya Villages that supplied soldiers. The soldiers provided to the royal army were known as Senabhakta. Kupya Villages that paid taxes on grain, cattle, gold or raw metal. The tax paid by them was known as Pindikara.