Mauryan Empire

321 BC-185 BC

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Magadha 5 B.C
Nandan Dynasty
Chandra Gupta Maurya
Asoka
 Mauryan Empire 321BC-185BC
Kautilya’s Arthasastra
Visakhadatta’s Mudrarakshasa
Religious sources
Brahimanical texts, Buddhist literature
Sri Lankan Chronicles: Dipavamsa and
Mahavamsa
Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist sources
Megasthenes: Indica
Archaeological sources: Inscriptions of Asoka
• Chandra Gupta Maurya 321-295 B.C
• Bindusara: 297-272 B.C
• Asoka: 268-232 B.C
• Last ruler :Brihadradha
Administration

Central
Provincial
District
Tahsil
Village
Central level

King
Mantri-prishad
Amatyas
(civil servants)
Adhakshayas
(Heads of dept)
 Provincial level
kumara/ nobles
mahamattas

District Level
pradeshika ( administration)
rajuka (tax collection )
yukta (clerical)
 Tahsil
Gopa
Stanika (tax collector)
Village
Gramika
grama vrudhara
Town
Pataliputra
Six committees
(5 members each)
 King
Mantriprishad
Amatyas
Adhakshayas
Provincial level
kumara/ nobles/Aryaputras
Mahamattas
District Level
Pradeshika
Rajuka (surveying land )
Yukta
Tahsil
Gopa
Stanika (tax collector)
Village
Gramika
Grama Vrudhara
Town Pataliputra (Six committees)

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 Empire level Administration

• King was the supreme regarding general

administration, military and Justice.
• A council of ministers or an advisory body
to advise the king in the administration.
• Purohita, Senapati, Mahamantri and Yuvaraja
were key persons in central administration
• Early stage : Purohita
Mahamantri
Senapati
Yuvaraja
• Amatyas: administrative personnel or civil servants.
• ( All appointments and policies )
• Superintendent or Adhyakshas ( heads of various
departments)
• 27 adhyakshas in central administration
• Akshapataladhyaksha :Accountant-General
• Sitadhyaksha : Agriculture
• Navadhyaksha: Superintendent of Ports
• Punyadhyaksha: commerce
• Sulkadhyaksha: Collection of customs and tolls
• Akaradhayaksha: mining and scientific knowledge
of mines
Judicial Administration

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King was the fountain head of law and justice
Source of law:
Dharma ( Sacred Law)
Vyavahara ( usage)
Charitam ( customs and precedents)
Rajasasana (Royal proclamations )
Dharmasteya (Civil Court)
three Mahamattas or three Amatyas

Kantaksodhanas (Criminal Court)

three senior Pradeshika or Amatyas
• There were special courts in the cities and
villages presided over by the Mahamattas,
pradesika, rajuks and Gopa
• The merchant who used false weights,
• the artisan who failed to keep his contract,
• the physician who caused the death of his
patient,
• the official who took bribes
• Theft, murder, burglary, rape ..

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• Mauryans Penal Code was very severe and
crimes were extremely rare.
• The laws relating to personal matters,
castes and classes were beyond the
jurisdiction of the state.
• Asoka ordered his mahamattas to avoid
causeless imprisonment and harassment of
people.
• Pradeshikas were the principal police
officers at districts
• A separate police station established in
every 800, 400, 200 and 10 villages.
• Jails were under the management of the
department of Justice.

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Revenue Department:
It was under control of an account general
called Akshapataldhyaksa
Samaharta: (Collector General )
collection of revenue from various parts of
kingdom and look after the income and
expenditure.
Sannidata: ( head of Treasury)
Storage of royal treasure and the state
income both cash and kind.
Military Department
It was under the control of senapati
War office consisting of 30 members who were
divided into six boards of five members each.
First Board: Naval warfare
Second board: Supplying food, service matters,
drummers and mechanic
Third Board: Infantry ( Padadhyaksha)
Fourth Board: supervising Cavalry ( asvadhayaksha)
Fifth Board: Chariots ( rathadhyaksha)
Sixth Board: War elephants ( hastyadhyaksha)
 Provincial administration
The empire was divided into five provinces

Uttarapatha Taxila
Dakshinapura Suvarnagiri
Avantipura Ujjain
Prachyapatha Tosali
Madhyapatha Pataliputra
 Tosali
Suvarnagiri

Asoka
Taxila

Ujjain

Tosali

Suvarnagiri

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• The most important provinces such as Taxila
and Ujjain were directly under the command
of the Princes ( Kumaras).

• Viceroy was the head of the provincial

administration.
• Viceroy had the power to appoint some of his
official such as the Mahamattas, who went on
tour very five years.
• Provinces were subdivided into district for
purposes of administration.
District
Pradesika: General administration
Rajuka: Surveying and assessing land
Yukta : secretarial work
Tahsil administration
A group of five or ten villages formed as tahsil
Gopa: setting of village boundaries, census of
population
Stanika: tax collector (under pradesika)
Village administration
Smallest unit of administration and it enjoyed
autonomy to a great extent.
Gramika was the head of village and he was
assisted by Gram-vrudhas

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Municipal administration
Nagarika: head of town
Stanika and Gopa
They kept register of persons and property and
inspect hotels, gambling houses, checking
markets and places of amusement.
The city was administered by a Council of 30 members
council divided into 6 boards
Board of industries
Board for Foreigners
Board of Census
Board for Trade and Commerce
Board for manufactured goods
Board for taxes
 Central level
King
Head of judicial system
Provincial level
kumara/ nobles final decision
Mahamattas Judge
District Level
pradeshika (Criminal court )
rajuka (Civil court)
Tahsil
Gopa (Criminal court)
Stanika (Civil Court)
Village
Gramika
grama Vrudhara
Town
Pataliputra (Six committees)

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• Early Vedic age (1500-1000): No law
• Later Vedic Age 1000-600) Dharma ( Responsibility)
• Pre- Mauryan Age: 600 BC -320BC: Dharmasustra
• Mauryan Age 321 BC to 187 BC : Kautilya
Arthasastra
• Post Mauryans: Manudharma Sastra
• Gupta’s Age: Yagnavalkya Dharmasastra
• Naradiya Dharmasastra

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Social & Economic conditions
of Mauryas
• Brahmins:
• There was a decline in the authority and
position of the Brahmans.
• due to the spread of Buddhism
Kshatriyas
• Buddhist writings always place them
before the Brahmans.
Vaishyas:
• Economic development of the country led
to the improvement in the social status of
Vaishyas.
Sudras:
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 Social Conditions
• Caste system became very strong in this
period.
• This rose of unorthodox creeds, the arrival of
foreigners led to rigidity of cast rules.
• Agriculture, trade and cattle breeding as the
common occupation of Vaisyas and Sudras.
• Below the Sudras were chandalas who were
the untouchables.
• Domestic slavery was prevalent in the society
• In addition to the four castes,
• Kautilya refers more than 15 mixed castes by
the general name Antyavasayin (literally living
at the end).

• The members of such mixed castes as the

Chandalas and they were untouchables.

• They were required to live outside the main

settlement, near the cremation ground.

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Position of Women
• Women occupied a high position and freedom in
the Mauryan society.
• Kautilya permitted divorce, but is was unthinkable
in later Vedic literature.
• Inter caste marriages were quite common in the
society.
• Kautilya places husband and wife on an equal
footing.
• Women were educated and they were also
participated in social and religious functions.
• Kautilya regarded as the murder of women was
regarded as equal to the murder of a Brahman.
• Widow remarriage and divorce were
discouraged in Hindu society.
• As compared to Hinduism, Jainism and
Buddhism offered a better status to women.
Women employed as palace-guards, body guards
to the king, spies, etc.
Asoka appointed a special group of Mahamattas
for the welfare of women. (ithijhakha)

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Joint family system
Food
Rice, pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk and its products
were the item of common diet of the people.
Education:
The people had the opportunity of availing higher
education.
Education institutions established by the state
and religious heads
Universities established in Taxila, Varanasi and
Ujjain.

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Dress
• Both men and women wore on good clothes.
• While the common people used cotton garments
the rich wore garments of silk and linen,
decorated with embroidery, precious stones and
even jewels.
• Woollen clothes were also used in winter.
Diet
• Rice, pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk and its
products were the item of common diet of the
people.
Amusements:
• Animals, chariot races, chess, gambling, drama,
music and dance.
 Economic Condition
Agriculture and trade were main sources of income
State owned lands called Sita lands and
Sitidhyakshya was responsible for agriculture
activities of empire.
A variety of taxes were imposed on cultivators like
bali, bhaga, sulka, kara, etc. ( 1/6 to 1/4) based
on fertility and nature of irrigation facility.
The tax was collected by king’s officials form
individual cultivators without any mediators.
Asoka reduced the amount of baga tax to the birth
place of Buddha.
Trade
External trade: Greek world, Burma and Ceylon

Exports: spices, pearls, diamonds, cotton textiles, ivory

works, shells, etc.
Imports: horses, gold, glass, linen, etc
Trade became very important financial source by the end
of Mauryan period and imposed sales taxes also (1/5)

International trade was organized through merchant-guilds.

Balance of trade very much favour to India.

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• Handicrafts trade organized in guilds called
srenis each under its president call pramukha.
• The Royal Highway i.e Pataliputra to Taxila) was
considered the most important route.
• Special officers were appointed in high ways to
protect trading ( Agranomi)
Currency
Because of development of commerce, the use of
money became a common feature.
Punch-marked silver coins which carry the symbol
of peacock, and the hill and crescent, called pana
formed the imperial currency of Maryans.
1. Sun 
2. Sadaracakra (dynasty wheel) or Dharmacakra (Wheel of
Dharma
3. Ashoka's royal symbol
4. Three-arched hill 
5. unknown symbol
Asoka’s Dhamma

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Causes behind introduction of Dhamma
The ideological conflict between the Vedic
brahamans and the followers of the newly-
born protestant creeds a large foreign
population in the North-West.
It would have been a difficult task for any ruler
to maintain unity in a empire composed of
such diverse elements.
Only alternatives available were either to
enforce control or to unify the population
through a common set of beliefs.
Main features of contents of the Dhamma
I Major Rock Edit: Prohibition of animal
sacrifices and festive gathering

II Major Rock Edit: describes the medical

missions sent everywhere (land of Keralaputras,
Ceylon and Burma) for men and animals, plantation
of medical herbs and tree and digging of wells
along the roads.

III Major Rock Edit: he ordered all officials of

district level to travel every five years in the
jurisdiction to propagate dhamma
IV Major Rock Edit: The sound of the drum has
became the sound Dhamma showing the people
the divine form
V Major Rock Edit Appointed dhamma-
mahammatas for the propagation of Dhamma
XI Major Rock Edit:
All ceremonies are useless except Dhamma and he
urged people for religious tolerance.
• He adopted the policy of dhamma to eliminate
social tensions and conflicts and to promote a
harmonious relationship between the diverse
elements of the vast empire.

• Dhamma was neither a new religion nor a new

political philosophy. Rather, it was a way of life, a
code of conduct.
Causes for decline of empire:
1. Weak rulers after Asoka
2. Partition of empire Dasaratha (East) and Kunala (West)
3. Pro-Buddhist and policies of Asoka and pro-Jain policies
of his successors alienated the Brahmins.
4. Highly centralized administration
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Jainism:
• Aristanemi and Rishabha (24 tithankaras)
• Vardhmana Mahavira (540 B.C)
• Kundagrama near Vishali ( North Bihar)
• At the age of 30 he became an ascetic, in
13th year or at the age of 42 he attained
Kailvalya.
• He became the head of a sect of Nigranthas
( free from fetters)

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• Died at Pava at the age of 72 (South Bihar).
• He rejected the authority of the Vedas,
Vedic rituals and the Brahmin supremacy.
• Mahavira added doctrine of bhahmacharya
• ahimsa ( non-injury)
• Satya ( truthfulness)
• Asateya ( non stealing)
• Aparigraha ( non-possession)

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Buddhism

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Gautam Buddha born in 563 B.C Lumbini ( Nepal)
Shakya Kshatriya clan of Kapilavastu
He left his home at the age of 29 in search of truth.
At the age of 35 he attained unto supreme knowledge and
became known as the Buddha or the enlightened one.
Tathagata ( who attained the truth)
Gautama Buddha passed away at the age of 80 in 483 B.C
Sutta Pitaka ( Bhuddhas sermons on matters of doctrine and
ethics)
Vinaya Pitaka (Monastic code or rules)
Abhidhamma Pitaka ( philosophical interpretation of the
doctrines of the two already existing Pitikas)

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