NATIONAL LAW INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY

V TRIMESTER

HISTORY I

PROJECT ON:

ADMINISTRATION UNDER MAURYAN EMPIRE

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

Prof. UDAY PRATAP SINGH Lalit Ahake

2017BALLB117
 ACKNOWLWDGEMENT

I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards to my guide
Prof. UDAY PRATAP SINGH for his exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant
encouragement throughout the course of this thesis. The blessing, help and guidance given by
his time to time shall carry me a long way in the journey of life on which I am about to
embark.

I am obliged to staff members of NLIU for the valuable information provided by them. I am
grateful for their cooperation during the period of my assignment.

LALIT AHAKE

2017BALLB117
Contents
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 4
OBJECCTIVES ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Elements of States .................................................................................................................................. 5
Central Administration............................................................................................................................ 6
Provincial Administration........................................................................................................................ 8
Municipal Administration ....................................................................................................................... 8
Military Administration ......................................................................................................................... 10
Judicial Administration.......................................................................................................................... 11
Revenue System .................................................................................................................................... 12
Limitations on the powers of King ........................................................................................................ 13
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 14
BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................................... 15
 INTRODUCTION

The Mauryan administration system was efficient and monarchical. The king of the Mauryan
government was the head of the Mauryan empire administration. The Mauryan Empire had
the privileged of having successful administrators such as Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara
Maurya and Ashoka the Great. The administration of Mauryan Empire was decentralized and
the administrative powers were divided into convenient administrative units. Though the
units were administered on common system, they were under a rigid central control.

The economic conditions of the time and the requirements of the Mauryan period have tended
to give the form of a centralized bureaucracy to the Mauryan administration, which has been
imprinted with the structure envisaged in the Arthashastra. If this text can be presumed to
reflect the changes of this period, then it can be argued that it was projecting the potentialities
of a centralized administration. But the degree to which it was actually so, and the manner in
which this administration was practised, may require a closer look at other texts claiming to
be descriptive. The earlier assumption of a uniform and centralized administration needs
modification. Nevertheless, some degree of centralization is suggested from other sources
and this would have provided leads to the system as constructed in the Arthashastra. It might
be more useful, therefore, to look at the variations within the system.1

The nucleus of the Mauryan system was the king, whose powers had by now increased
tremendously. Ashoka interpreted these as paternal kingships, whose rallying call was 'All
men are my children'. He travelled extensively throughout the empire to be in touch with his
subjects. Legislation was largely a matter of confirming social usage and in this the king had
a fairly free hand, but was expected to consult with his ministers. The ministerial council had
no well-defined political status, its power depending on the personality of the king. Ashoka's
edicts mention frequent consultations between him and his ministers, the latter being free to
advise him on his regulations. However, the final decision lay with the monarch.

1
R. Thapar “Early India” p.194
 OBJECCTIVES

 To study about the principles and functioning of government.

 To study about the duties of different officers.
 To study about the distribution of power within the territory.
 To study about the limitations on the powers.

Elements of States

According to conception of Hindu philosophy as elaborated in Arthashatra of Kautilya the

state consisted of seven elements (saptanga), each ultimately discharging the function
pertaining to it and all contributing to sum-total. The king (Swamin), the minister (amatya),
the territory (Janpada), the fort (durg), the treasury (kosha), the army (bala) and the ally
(mitra). As these have been designated prakritis or natural elements, according to kautilya we
cannot conceive of a whole and entire state without these seven components. The king was
regarded as the soul among the all seven elements of state.

In this scheme of Kautilya janpada denotes both territory and population. The king represents
unity, while the ally denotes an independent state. The fourth essential requisite of a state,
namely organisation, is indicated by the fort, treasure and army. The organisation may be
taken to point to not only to the distinction between the governors and the governed, but also
to the different means which enable the former to extract obedience from the latter. The
theory of the state in the Arthasastra is actually little more than an analysis of the elements
essential to the efficient operation of the political organisation.

The idea underlying the concept of the doctrine of saptanga was that without a proper
organisation a state of lawlessness (matsyanyaya) would set in and that hinders the
development of state's personality.2

2
H.V. Sreenivasa Murthy “History of India” p.52
 Central Administration

The central administration of the Mauryas represented a comprehensive system. Evidences

show that Chandragupta ruled with the advice of a Council of Ministers or Mantri Parishad.
The central administration was divided into several departments. Kautilya mentions of a large
number of departments which looked after such important subjects. The department of
finance was given greater attention. The Mantri Parishad conducted its business in all
seriousness. The king and even the provincial viceroys consulted the ministers in matters of
administration. It was the work of the central government to discharge welfare duties for the
benefit of the unemployed, widows, destitute and orphans, and even of musicians and
dancers. There were elaborate functions for the department of works and construction all over
the empire.

The king

The administration of Mauryan dynasty was controlled by the King. The king was the
supreme and sovereign authority of the Mauryan Empire Administration. He had the supreme
executive, legislative and judicial power and functions in the government.

As the head of the executive, the Mauryan king maintained social order by punishing the
guilty. He was responsible for the safety and security of his kingdom. It was his duty to
protect the life and property of his subjects. He was to collect report from the spies. He had to
plan different campaigns and movements.

The Mantri Parishad

It was impossible for a single individual to support the load of administration. The king had
the assistance of lot of advisors called parishad or mantri parishad, who were especially
consuled in times of emergencies. These were also bodies of trained officers who looked after
the ordinary affairs of the realm.3 The members of mantri parishad included- The Yuvraja
(the crown prince), the purohita (chief priest or PM), the Senapati (Commander-in-chief) and
few other ministers.

3
Majumdar R.c. “An advanced history of India” p.120
The number of its ministers in Mauryan administration system were not fixed and varied
according to needs. Kautilya favored a large Council as per the need to the empire. The
members of the Mantri Parishad had to qualify themselves and show their ability by passing
tests of religion, love, fear and money. In times of emergency the king consulted with the
Mantri Parisad and always guided by the majority decision of the Mantri Parishad. Even the
absentee ministers were consulted by letter correspondence.

Important Officials

 Sannidhata - Chief Treasury officer

 Samaharta - The collector of general revenue
 Vyavaharika - Chief justice of Dharmasthiya Nyayalaya (civilcourt)
 Pradeshta- Chief justice of criminal court
 Dhamma Mahamatra - a new post created by asoka, empowered with dual function of
propagating dhamma and taking care of the common folk for their material well-
being.
 Rastrapala/kumara – The viceroys in charge of the province.
 Pradeshika – District magistrate
 Rajukas – patwaries and responsible for surveying or accesing the land.
 Yukta – a subordinate revenue officer of the district level.
 Sthanika – the collecting officer directly under the control of pradeshika.
 Gopa – Responsible for accounts.
 Nagarakka – the officer in charge of the city administration.
 Akshapatala – accountant eneral.
 Sitaadhaksha – supervised agriculture.
 Pnyadhyaksha – Superintendent of commerce.
 Samasthaadhyaksha – Superintendent of market.
 Pautavadhyaksha – superintendent of weights and measures.
 Navaadhyaksha – superintendent of ships.
 Sulkaadhyaksha – collector of tolls.
 Akaradhyaksha – superintendent of mines
 Lohadhyaksha – superintendent of iron.
 Provincial Administration

The empire was divided into provinces, each one apparently under a prince or member of the
royal family. Centres of provincial administration were located at Taxila, Ujjain, Dhauli,
Suvarnagiri and Girnar. Governors administering smaller units were selected from among the
local people, such as the Iranian Tushaspa associated with Saurashtra, or Romodote at Taxila.
Senior officers - pradeshikas -toured every five years for an additional audit and check on
provincial administration. There were specially appointed judicial officers’ rajukas -both in
the cities and rural areas, and they combined their judicial functions with assessment work.

Among the duties of the yukta was the recording of information from varied sources. Fines
served as punishments in most cases. But certain crimes were considered too serious to be
punished by fines alone and Ashoka, despite his propagation of non-violence, retained capital
punishment.

According to the blueprint of the Arthashastra, provinces should be subdivided into districts,
each of these into groups of villages, the final unit of administration being the village: a
system which has been implemented from time to time and has remained approximately
unchanged. The group of villages was to be staffed with an accountant, who maintained
boundaries, registered land and deeds, kept a census of the population and a record of the
livestock; and the tax collector, who was concerned with the various types of revenue. The
most frequently mentioned person in the village, the headman, functioned in some official
capacity and was responsible to the accountant and the tax collector. Administrative divisions
are referred to in the edicts, one of which was called ahara - a term with an intrinsic interest
since it is derived from collecting and eating.

Municipal Administration

The nagaraka was assisted in the administration by two officials called sthanika and gopa.
The gopa was charged with the responsibility of the collection of revenue, and the
supervision of forty households each. They kept careful note of the births, deaths, income and
expenditure of the households under their charge. They also made note of the visitors that the
family received as also any important developments in households. The information thus
collected by the gopa was transmitted to the town office for permanent recording. The
sthanika attended to the accounts of the four quarters of the town. "These two officials are
first mentioned in connection with the rural revenue administration. Apparently the rural
system of administration was projected on to the urban areas to meet their needs, the
nagaraka being the only officer typical of the urban areas".

The increasingly complex social economic activities of the state coupled with the needs of
urban settlements necessitated the creation of machinery for the administration of the town,
perhaps an innovation of the Mauryas. Urban administration had its own hierarchy of
officers. The city superintendent maintained law and order and the general cleanliness of the
city. He was assisted by an accountant and a tax collector, with functions similar to those of
their village counterparts. Megasthenes' description of the administration of Pataliputra states
that the city was administered by thirty officials, divided into six committees of five
members.

The members of the first look after everything relating to the industrial arts.

"Those of the second attend to the entertainment of foreigners. To these they assign lodgings
and they keep watch over the modes of life by means of those persons who were given to
them for assistants. They escort them on the way when they leave the country or in the event
of their dying, forward their property to the relatives. They take care of them when they are
sick, and if they die, bury them.

The third body consists of those who enquire when and how births and deaths occur with ·
the view not only of levying a tax but also in order that births and deaths among both high
and low may not escape the cognizance of government.

The fourth class superintends trade and commerce. Its members have charge of weights and
measures and see that the products in their season are sold by public notice. No one is
allowed to deal in more than one kind of commodity unless he pays a double tax.

The fifth class supervises manufactured articles which they sell by public notice. What is new
is sold separately from what is old and there is a fine for mixing the two together.

The sixth and the last class consist of those who collect the tenths of prices of articles of food.
Fraud in the payment of this tax was punished with death."
All these six boards acting in unison were responsible for public works, harbours, temples,
etc. There were fire services and city police patrolled the street at night. A curfew was
declared and all strangers loitering in the streets were arrested. There was some relaxation in
times of festivals. Magasthenes gives an elaborate description of Pataliputra only. It is,
however, difficult to say that all the cities were similarly administered. We can at best
suppose that all other important towns were similarly governed. Kautilya also gives an
account of the municipal organisation. The Arthasastra does not envisage the involvement of
local elements in the city administration. The most important element there was the
nagaraka, the governor of the city. His chief responsibilities were revenue collection, the
preservation of law and order and the supervision of sanitation arrangements. According to
Arthasastra he shall make a daily inspection of reservoirs of water, of roads, of the hidden
passage for going out of the city, of forts, fort walls and other defensive works.4 He shall also
keep in his safe custody whatever things he comes across as lost, forgotten, or left behind by
others". He was also to ensure against outbreak of fire. He was assisted by the police, secret
agents and militia which were stationed in the chief towns in the discharge of his duties.

Military Administration

If bureaucracy constituted the arms of the royal power, the decisive factor that contributed to
it was the development of the coercive power on a scale unheard of before. Chandragupta
possessed 600,000 cavalry, 9,000 war elephants, besides chariots, the transport and
commissariat and the fleet. The navy, transport and commissariat were Mauryarn
innovations. There were elaborate rules and regulations for the training and drilling of
soldiers and that special attention was paid by the military authorities to the sick and
wounded in the army and for this purpose the of war were made in state arsenals and there
was state control over artisans who produced weapons. Kautilya gives a very vivid and was
state control comprehensive account of the war machinery which by itself is the greatest
tribute that could be paid to this great Mauryan statesman, who may well, be regarded as the
greatest exponent of the Forward Policy of ancient or India. No political thinker before or

4
H.V. Sreenivasa Murthy “History of India” p.59
after him has had either the courage the wide sweep to champion it, and to make it the
fulcrum of the existence of the state".

Judicial Administration

The army was sometimes used to quell internal revolts, but generally it was the duty of the
police and criminal administration supported by the elaborate espionage system to suppress
them. If Arthasastra is to be trusted, the Mauryas had developed an efficient system of police,
criminal administration and espionage. Crime was suppressed through the local officers who
had a large staff of police. Watchmen kept guard through the night in the city and villages.
The state was ultimately responsible for making up all losses due to thefts. Police
headquarters were established in all the principal towns and cities. The Arthasastra devotes a
section for Kantakasodhana (criminal courts) which differed from civil courts by their more
summary procedure and speedy disposal. They were presided over by high executive officers.
These new courts were introduced to meet the growing needs of an increasingly complex
social economy of an urban environment. Thus if traders used false weights or sold
adulterated goods, or charged high prices, if the labour in a factory was given less than fair
wage or did not do its work satisfactorily, these courts intervened to punish the culprits.
These courts were also to implement the decisions of the bureaucracy on all matters that were
being brought under its control and regulation. Officers charged with misconduct, persons
accused of theft, dacoits and sex-offences appeared before this court. "In much of the work
allotted to them they apparently represent an effort to safeguard at the same time both
government and society from the possible evils of the new order, in which the government
control and regulation became more far-reaching and ubiquitous, and new officers carrying
vast discretionary powers were coming into existence". The elaborate intelligence system
contemplated by Kautilya was similarly intended to keep a watchful eye and report on the
criminal and anti-government activities of the people. The spies were also an important
means, of keeping a finger on the pulse of the public opinion.

The officers who administered criminal law and investigated crimes were not exclusively
police officers. The officers like Pradeshika performed both police and revenue functions.
Similarly, officials like samaharta, the sthanika and the gopa performed both fiscal and police
and magisterial functions.

Revenue System

Kautilya, the greatest political thinker of ancient India laid greater stress on the treasury as
the smooth and successful functioning of the government depends on finance. The main
sources of Mauryan revenue were taxation and rent. The land revenue was the main source of
revenue collection. Though theoretically the rate of land revenue was 1/6 of the total produce,
yet in reality much higher proportion was charged varying with the economic and local
conditions. From the writings of the Greek writers we came to know that the whole of India
was the property of the king and no private person had any private land nor were they
permitted to keep any land of their own.

In addition to land revenue, there were other sources of revenue of the state. These included
excise duty, forest taxes, water taxes, mines coinage etc. Much of the state revenue was
expended on paying the army, the officials of the royal government, on charities and on
different public works like irrigation projects, road construction etc.

India had evolved a regular system of taxation before the Mauryan period. But the
significance of the Mauryan period lies in the fact it formulated a most comprehensive and
probably the world's most ancient theory of public finance. Kautilya makes, for the first time,
a distinction between war and peace economy. They were governed by the same dictum 'that
every undertaking depends upon finance'. And the success of the administration depends on
the treasury. Kautilya also demonstrates great ingenuity in devising and justifying means for
augmenting the wealth of the state. He does not neglect any source because of its smallness
and leaves almost nothing out of taxation. He brings the rural and urban areas, the peasants,
artisans and traders under the tax net. The manual labourers had to work in the state farms for
one day in a month. The sannidhata (the custodian of the treasury) and samahatra (the chief
revenue collector) were the important officials of the finance department. It is indeed worthy
of note that the assessment machinery appears for the first time in the Maurya period.
 The list of taxes and imposts and the acquiring of wealth for the state by a number of
questionable techniques must have proved oppressive. It was Kautilya's view that while the
state has its right to the golden egg, the goose must be protected'. Kautilya advocated gradual
system of taxation. Traders were taxed not on their gross earnings but on net profits, and
article was taxed only once. In spite of this the state's income was perhaps found to be
inadequate to meet the cost of maintaining a large force, which accounted for more than half
of the revenue expended, and the establishment of bureaucracy. This explains state's
participation in economic matters like the reclamation of virgin land, exploitation of mines
and the running of goldsmith's shops, liquor shops and weaving concerns, all being done
under its aegis.

The Mauryan state laid greater emphasis not only on the collection of revenue but also on the
management of the finance. Kautilya speaks of the corruption of the officials. The
Arthasastra says" Just as it is impossible not to taste the honey or the poi son that finds itself
at the tip of the tongue, so it is impossible for a government servant not to eat up, at least, a
bit of the king's revenue, just as fish moving under water. cannot possibly be found out either
as drinking or not drinking water, so government servants employed in the government work
cannot be found out, while taking money for themselves." Again it is possible to mark the
movements of birds flying high up in the sky: but not so is it possible to ascertain the
movement of government servants of hidden purpose". He therefore advises the king to be
meticulous in the choice of his officials. He further advises the king to attend to the accounts
of receipts and expenditure daily and set right the imbalance, if any.

Limitations on the powers of King

The Mauryan kings enjoyed huge power. But, still there were several limits upon the royal
authority. We can summaries these limitations in the following manner:

 Firstly, Mauryan Empire before Ashoka was essentially a Hindu State. According to the
Hindu concept, the Supreme Sovereign of the State was Dharma or law and the king was
merely its guardian.
 Secondly, the Mauryan king never dared to defy the ancient laws and usage.
 Thirdly, the king was aided and advised by a Mantri Parishad. In ordinary times he could
ignore the advice of his ministers. But in times of emergency it was obligatory on him to
hear the individual and collective advice of his ministers.
 Fourthly, the Brahmins had great influence over the king and even the later dared not to
disobey them. Instead he always had to look for their support.
 Fifthly, as the powers of the Mauryan government was was decentralized in nature, the
provincial governor and provincial ministers had right to be consulted by the king especially
in all provincial matters.

Conclusion

This description of the Maurya polity will show that the Mauryan Empire was the first
attempt in India to assure administrative centralisation on an extended scale. Kautilya's
system of administration is highly centralised; he recognises the need for uniformity in
administrative institutions, and he is careful to prevent the ambiguities that arise from divided
sovereignty'. We get a complete picture of the administration of provinces (Janapadas) and
the districts, but little attention was given to villages’ institution. The scanty evidence pieced
together appears to suggest that the village council enjoyed autonomy in the supervision of
local affairs. The guilds which enjoyed some autonomy were placed in the service of the
state. Asoka shows traits of decentralisation when he granted large executive and judicial
powers to the rajukas. Kautilya, as an apostle of monarchic cult strengthened the royal power
by vesting in him enormous power.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 H.V. Sreenivasa Murthy- “History of India, part-I (Eastern Book Company)”.

 R. Thapar “Asoka and the decline of Mauryas (Oxford University Press).”
 R.C. Majumdar “An Advanced History of India (Macmillan publication)”.
 R. Thapar “Early India”