7.6 Polity Administration

Polity, Administration of Mauryas

2020-04-27 11:49:11

Central Administration

King

  • supreme authority, all policy matters and crucial decision was taken by him.
  • per Arthashastra a Kings law would prevails against a traditional law.
  • Arthashastra has mentioned various characterstics of Kings and what was expected of them.
    • has to exercise extreme vigilance to safeguard his life and position.
    • Instructions to design palace in such a way that it has multiple secret emergency exits.
    • Personal guard should be females, be surrounded with people he can trust.
    • Spies in disguise should be going abroad to all places.
  • also mentions about who could be a king viz he should he 'high born', should have sharp intellect etc.
  • should undergo military training and have knowledge about economic life, writing etc.
  • mentions the 7 limbs or angas which made a rashtra (FATAL EK prem katha). They are :
    • King
    • ministers (mantri)
    • ally,(mitra)
    • taxes (kara)
    • army (sena)
    • fort (durga)
    • land or territory (desh)
    • enemy (shatru)

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Council of Ministers/Mantri-parishad

  • Girnar Rock Edicts of Asoka mention about the function of the council -
    • Rock Edict II - Parishad was expected to see that new administrative measures were carried
    • Rock Edict VI - mentions that the ministers can discuss the King's policy during his absence; suggest amendments; decide upon any important matter which the king has left them to do.
  • primary role remained that of an advisory body
  • Ministers should be purest of all and an inner council called Mantrins should be consulted on issues of immediate attention
  • eighteen departments (Tirthas) of the central government have been mentioned
  • Karmantika looked after the industries, the Antarvamsika looked after the King's security and the Sannidhata looked after the treasury
  • Arthashastra mentions a small consultative body of mantrin called Mantri parishad.
  • Megasthenes mentions a sumbouloi and Edit 3 states palisa/parishad is there to direct officers called yuktas to discharge their duties.

City Administration

  • Megasthenes tells us that Pataliputra was administered by thirty officials who were divided into six Committees of five members each.
  • Of these 4 were related to economic activities they dealt with industrial arts, trade and commerce, the supervision of the public sale of manufactured goods and the collection of tax on articles sold
  • other two committees were concerned with the welfare of foreigners and the registration of births and deaths.

Various official that have been mentioned in Arthashastra are :

Name Occupation
Panyadhyaksha Inspection of weights and measures
Sulkadhyaksha Collection of taxes
Gopa Registration of Birth and deaths
Nagariaka head of the urban administration, assisted by Gopa and Sthanika
Bandhanagaradhya-ksha Looked after Jail
Rakshi Police
Lohadhyaksha, Sauvarnika Superintendents of various goods that were manufactured
Gopa and Sthanika Demarcating village boundaries Maintaining record of lands Recording income and expenditure of people Recording taxes, revenues and fines etc.
Samhartri Chief collector of revenue in charge of maintaining account
Sanhidhatri Treasurer also in charge of royal stores
Dauvarika Chief of Palace attendants
antarvamshika Chief of Palace guards
Adhyakshas Departmental heads

#more

  • Ashokan Officers and Designation
  • Sannidhata - treasurer
  • Samharata - collector of revenue, helped by Bhagadhuk
  • Amatya - civil servants/ admin personnel
  • Rajuka - punishing or rewarding people
  • Adhyaksha - 27 are mentioned in Arthashastra, heads of dept
  • Akshapataladhyaksha - accountant general/currency
  • Sitadhyaksha - agriculture
  • Akaradhyaksha - mining
  • Navadhyaksha - Ports
  • Panyadhyaksha - Commerce
  • Samshadyaksha - Markets
  • Sulkadhyaksha - customs and tolls
  • Pradeshika - overall incharge of a district
  • Rajuka - surveyor/ assessor of land
  • Yukta - subordinates, secretaries, accountants
  • Gopa - Accountant to a group of village
  • Sthanika - worked directly under Pradesika
  • Grambhojaka/Gramini/Gramika - head of village assisted by Gram Viddhas
  • Pramukha - president of a guild/sreni
  • Jetthaka - was elected member of guild or alderman

Army

  • Greek and Indian literary sources refer to Chandragupta raising an army of mercenary soldiers.
  • There were various branches that consisted of :
    • Infantry
    • Cavalry
    • Elephants
    • Chariots
    • Transport
    • Admiral of the Fleet
  • The 1st 4 were called the Chaturangabala it was the main component of the army.
  • Each branch was looked after by a committee of 5 members.
  • Ayudhagaradhyaksha looked after maintenance and production of armaments
  • Rathadhyaksha for chariots
  • Hiastyadhyaksha after the elephant force
  • Espionage over ministers, gov officials, collecting impression regarding the feelings of citizens, against foreign rulers. They were cooks, barbers etc.

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Judiciary

  • Gramika had judicial powers at the village level there were also courts at the level of Janapada and the centre.
  • 2 kinds of courts have been mentioned in the Arthashastra -
    • Dharmasthiya courts which decided personal disputes
    • Kantakasodhan courts that decided matters related to individuals and the state.
  • The sources of law were Dharma, Vyavahara - current legal codes, Charitra - customs , Rajasasana - royal decree.
  • Penalties in arthashastra was based on Varna hierarchies for the same kind of offence.

Revenue Administration

  • cities collected revenues in the form of fines, sales tax (Sulka), exercise on sale of liquor etc.
  • gamblers had to part with five per cent of their winnings to the state
  • merchants had to pay when their weights were tested and certified

Public Works

  • Irrigation was one of the most imp public works taken especially in arid/semi-arid areas through dams, ponds, canals etc.
  • Medicine men like physicians (Chikitsakah), midwives (Garbhavyadhi) etc were there for both Men and Animals
  • State helped during natural calamities
  • Looked after orphans, old unattended women etc
  • Laying down and repair of roads and opening inns were taken

Provincial Administration

  • head was the Kumara (royal prince) who used to govern as representative of the King. Ashoka was the Kumara of Ujjaini.
  • 4 provincial capitals were :
    • Tosali
    • Ujjain
    • Suvarnagiri
    • Taxila
  • There were also other governors have been mentioned in Junagadh inscription the Tushaspa a yavna as its governor.
  • Mahamatras were senior officials.
  • Dhamma Mahamatras looked after religion. They were appointed by both king and the Kumaras.
  • Amatyas were also high category of officials having special powers.

District and Village Administration

  • Pradeshika, Rajuka and Yukta were some of the officials they looked after :
    • survey and assessment of land
    • tours and inspections
    • revenue collection
    • maintaining law and order
  • 4th Pillar Edict - Asoka grants to the Rajukas "independent authority" to carry out pillar works
  • Yukta was a junior officer gave secretarial assistance to the other two.
  • Gramika were officials appointed and assisted by the Villagers

Nature of Mauryan State

  • #todo
  • Problems with sources
    • Arthashastra might differ on what is written and the actual way the state was governed.
    • Megasthenes Indica : most of its parts are lost and have several discrepancies and inaccuracies.
    • Ashoka's Inscriptions mostly deal with dhamma and only offere a fleeting, incidental reference to administration
    • To understand the nature of the Mauryan state we need to juxtapose information from these sources into one.
  • Question is what sort of an Empire was it? What it meant to be absorbed into the empire? Degrees of Control? How effective was the control?
  • Earlier belief that Mauryan empire was highly centralised was not correct.

**Gerard Fussman** argued that given the extent of empire and communication of the time Mauryan Empire could not have been centralised.
- It was superimposed on various existing political units that enjoyed certain degrees of autonomy.
- Ashokas personal supervision applied only to propagation of Dhamma not to details of administration. 

**Romila Thapar** : Initially presented it as a new form of govt marked by centralised control and planning. But subsequently reconsidered it as being culmination of different economies, polities and life-ways.
- Empire should be considered as a metropolitan center and peripheral areas. These peripheral areas constituted no of per state societies.
  • Certain new features of Mauryan empire was that they were significantly larger having an imperial ideology and vision. Its emperors were not insular or inward looking but looked beyond the limits of the subcontinent.
  • Arthashastra was 1st to define a state. Its concept of saptanga rajya considers tate as consisting of 7 inter related limbs.
  • King was the central figures and focus of power. Mentioning him as Devampiya and Piyadasi meant suggests linking of gods and kings.
  • Arthshastra emphaises moral obligation of kingship by elaborating the Kings duties and obligations.
  • Ashokas ideas of Kingship partially mathces that mentioned in the Arthashastra.

PYQs

  1. Discuss the comparative merit of the Arthasastra, the Indica and Ashokan Inscriptions as sources for the administration, socio-economic conditions and religious life in the Mauryan period. [1989, 60m]

- ! Write the info that these sources provide for administration, socio-economic conditions and religious life. Then give the merits and demerits of Literary and Archaeological sources in the construction of history.
  1. Write a short essay on: "Mauryan municipal administration." [1996, 20m]

- ! City Administration as mentioned above.
  1. Examine the nature of the Mauryan State. Bring out the features of their administrative system. [2002, 60m]

- ! Nature of the Mauryan state given above
  1. Examine the role of adhyaksha in the Mauryan administration. [2012, 30m]

https://littleflowercollege.edu.in/upload/e_contents/files/a83ca02f119bde3b33f2b362012a9aef.pdf
  1. How did Ashoka contribute to the moral and administrative welfare of his people? [2000, 60m]

- ! Write about Ashoka's Dhamma and form of moral and administrative welfare of its people. 

**Major Rock Edict IV** comments that because of the policy of Dhamma the lack of morality and disrespect towards Sramanas and Brahmans, violence, unseemly behavior to friends, relatives and others, and evils of this kind have been checked. The killing of animals to a large extent was also stopped.

The author also explores the concept of "ethical infrastructure," which refers to the systems, institutions, and cultural practices that support and promote moral and ethical behavior. The author argues that Ashoka's reign marked a turning point in the development of India's ethical infrastructure, as he laid the foundations for a more compassionate and just society. According to the author, Ashoka's legacy can serve as a model for contemporary leaders who wish to promote moral and ethical governance, and inspire people around the world to work towards a more just and equitable society. In this article - https://aeon.co/essays/ashokas-ethical-infrastructure-is-carved-into-indias-rocks