Dr.

Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University,

Lucknow

ACADEMIC SESSION: 2019-2020

History

The Mauryan Administration

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

Dr. Vandana Singh Sadhna Diwakar

Assistant Professor 190101121

RMLNLU, LUCKNOW BA.LLB (1st Semester)

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 Acknowledgment

I would like to convey my gratitude to a lot many people who have helped and support in making
this project.

I would like to thank my family and friends who have always been supporting endeavors

Words are inadequate in offering a deep sense of gratitude to my professor, Dr. Vandana Singh
for her precious guidance. From assigning me this topic to instruct me on how I should move
forward with my work, her enthusiasm and knowledge has always been of utmost Importance.

I would also like to thank the librarians of Dr. Madhu Limaye Library who extended their
assistance to me by helping me out consult the relevant books, and the best speed internet of
University that help me to look out for the concern material i.e. secondary data very easily and
smoothly.

I know that despite my efforts some discrepancies might have crept in which I believe my
humble Professor would forgive.

Thanking you all…

- Sadhna Diwakar

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Index:-

1. Mauryan Administration
2. Republics
3. Monarchy
4. Pura and Janapada

5. Provincial Government

6. District Administration

7. Village Administration

8. Municipal Administration

9. Military and Espionage Department

10. Finance

11. Judicial and Police departments

12. Municipal Administration

13. Economic Condition

14. Agriculture

15. Other sources of Revenue

16. Trade and Navigation

17. Changes by Asoka

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4
 The Mauryan Administration

Mauryan Administration:
The establishment of the Mauryan empire in contrast to the earlier smaller kingdoms ushered in a
new form of government, that of a centralized empire.The Mauryan Empire indicates the triumph
of monarchy as a political system over tribal republics. A study of the Arthashastra in
conjunction with the edicts provides information regarding the administrative structure.At the
centre of the structure was the king who had the power to enact laws. Kautilya advises the King
to promulgate dharma when the social order based on the varnas and ashramas (stages in life)
The king is called by him dharma pravartaka or promulgator of the social order. There was a
council of ministers or mantri- parishad to advise the king and at times this may have acted as a
political check.The Mauryan centralized monarchy became a paternal despotism under Ashoka.
Ashoka in his 1st separate Edict (Dhauli and Jauguda) says “Savv-e Munisse Paja Mama”. (All
men are my children). The Mauryan king did not claim any divine origin yet they attempted to
emphasize the connection between kinship and divine power.1

Republics
At the time of invasion of India by Alexander the great , there were a large number of republics
in punjab, eastern U.P. and Northern Bihar. There are also occasional reference to them in the
Arthasastra of kautilya . it is not impossible that all these republics were integrated into the
mauryan empire. It is also possible that several Republics continued to exist as separate political
units, but as feudatories of the new power. The provincial governors of the mauryas may have
supervised them2.

Monarchy
Monarchy was the prevailing form of government in the Mauryan period. Kautilya was the
greatest exponent of a monarchical form of government. After examining the merits and demerits
of various government, his conclusion was monarchy is best form of government. According to
him kingship “was the mainspring of all national exertions for the common good and all personal
and political relations and thereby smoothened the life of the individual and gave them each a

1
https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/hf/iakh/HIS2172/v09/undervisningsmateriale/HIS2172-Mauryan_Empire.pdf
2
V.D Mahajan History of Ancient India (First Edition 1960, S. Chand & Company Law)p 315.
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chance”. Kingship is the spirit and the state is its expression. The welfare of the state depends
upon kingship and it automatically becomes the symbol of sovereignty.
Kautilya put great emphasis on the education and training of the king in the art of government
and administration. the body politics gets diseased if the king lacks discipline and is
ignorant.hence the king must be instructed in four branches of human knowledge viz.
Anvikshiki (philosophy), Trayi (the three vedas) ,Varta (economics) and Dandaniti (science
of government).
The king was the fountain source of all government activity. The army and the treasury were
under his immediate control. he was guided by his council of ministers, but he could ignore that
advice in the interest of the people.He could issue edicts prescribing a definite course of conduct.
the Mauryan kings ruled over a vast empire and naturally there was a lot of pomp and grandeur
in the courts. There were a number of secret and subterranean as a precaution against a sudden
rising or attack3
Minister
Minister occupied an important place in the body politic. The view of Kautilya is that real
sovereignty is to be achieved by three fold powers (saktis) viz. Mantrashakti (statesmanship),
Prabhu shakti (treasury) and Utsah Shakti (energy and enthusiasm).
The king is advised to administer the state with the help of his ministers. He further says that the
king cannot steer the ship of the state without the assistance of ministers who are the eye of the
king.
The Council of ministers is called Parishad . Kautiliya refers to two kinds of ministers viz., the
Mantrin and the Amatyas. The Mantrin constituted the inner circle of the parishad which
corresponded to the modern cabinet . The included the prime minister , the purohita, the
commander-in-chief and the Yuvraj . Dauvarika, Antarvamshika, Prashasta, Samaharta,
Sannidhata, Pradestha and other Amatyas constituted the outer circle of the parishad. The
Amatyas correspond to what we may call the Minister of the state. Policies were framed by the
cabinet while the Amatyas carried them out. In addition to the Amatyas, the Mantri parishad
included the leaders of the Paura- Janapada. The were called Mahamatyas. The council of
ministers or mantri-parishad advised the king and at times may have acted as a political check.
But the powers of the council were limited owing to the fact that it was the king who appointed

3
V.D Mahajan of Ancient India(first Edition 1960,S. Chand & Company Ltd.)316.
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the ministers in the first instance. Three qualities of a minister that the Arthasastra stresses are
those of birth, integrity and intelligence
There was no fixed number for the members of the council and it varied according to the need.
The Arthasastra lists the Chief Minister or the mahamantri and also distinguishes between the
ministers and the assembly of ministers (mantrinomantriparisadamca).

It would seem that the ministerial council or mantri-parisad, a small group of perhaps three or
four councillors, together with the Chief Minister, was selected to act as an inner council or a
close advisory body. It’s important members included the Purohita, Senapati (Commander-in-
chief), the Mahamantri and the Yuvaraja.4

Pura and Janapada

In the Mauryan polity , there were two assemblies known as Pura and Janapada. The important
men of the kingdom were probably the member of these bodies. They seem to have exercised
important functions like discussing and approving the policies of the king5.

Provincial Government

The formation of an empire which incorporated regions of differing ethnic composition and at
different levels of social development, necessitated the setting up of a machinery of provincial
government. Acc. to the edicts, the main provinces with centres Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and
Suvarnagiri constituted special territorial and administrative units of the Empire. Rudradaman’s
inscription from junagadh indicates the Exception statues enjoyed by Saurashtra. The princes
when appointed as viceroy were called Kumar-Mahamatras.

The provincial government was required to maintain law and order, collect taxes for the Central
Government, Cooperate in the work of its different Departments and keep a watch over the
Feudatories and frontier people6

4
V.D Mahajan of Ancient India(first Edition 1960,S. Chand & Company Ltd.)p317.

5
S.R. Myneni, Indian History for Law Student,( Second Edition 2006)p120.
6
V.D. Mahajan of Ancient India ,(First edition 1960,S. Chand & Company Ltd.)p318.
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District Administration

The revenue and general administration was carried on in the Districts by Sthanikas and Gopas
with their own staff of officials. The Gopa had charge of five to ten villages in which he
supervised the maintenance of boundaries, registered gifts, sales and mortgages , and kept an
accurate census of the people and their material resources. The Sthanikas were responsible to the
Samaharta who commanded the services of pradeshtris.

Village Administration

The village was the smallest unit of administration in charge of an official called Gramika. He
was not a paid servant of the crown but an elected officials of the village.

Municipal Administration

The government of the capital was, like the war office, in the charge of a commission of 30
members divided into six Boards of five men each. They were in charge of

(1) Artizans and industrial workers.

(2) Visitors and foreigners, who were fed and lodged by the state .

(3) Registration of births and deaths .

(4) Trade and commerce, weights and measures.

(5) Manufactures and prevention of fraud .

(6) Tolls and duties on sales .7

Military and Espionage Department:

The army was often led by the king himself. It was only in the days of the last Maurya that we
find a Senapati overshadowing the king and transferring the allegiance of the troops to himself.

7
A. Chakraborty and S.k Biswal: History of Ancient India (first edition, 2007)p214.
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The army of Chandragupta, according to Pliny, included 6, 00,000 foot soldiers, 30,000 cavalry
and 9,000 elephants, besides chariots.

It was under the control of the Senapati under whom there were several adhyakshas of different
wings and units of the army such as those of infantry (Padadhyaksha), cavalry (asvadhyaksha),
war elephants (Hastyadhyaksha), navy (navadhyaksha), chariots (Rajadhyaksha), and armoury
(ayudhagaradhyaksha).

Kautilya classifies troops into the hereditary ones (Maula), the hired troops (bhritakas), troops
supplied by forest tribes (atavivala), and those furnished by the allies (mitravala). The first were
of primary importance and constituted the standing army of the king.

They were probably the troops referred to by Megasthenes in describing the fifth class, that of
the soldiers. Kautilya’s also talks about the salaries of different ranks of military commanders.
For example, the Senapati received a salary of 48,000 panas per annum.

Megasthenes describes the administration of the armed forces as comprising of six committees
with five members on each. The first committee was concerned with naval warfare, second
equivalent to the modern commissariat supervising the transport of war materials, third
supervising the infantry, the fourth supervising cavalry, the fifth was concerned with chariots and
the sixth supervised the elephant corps.

Espionage or Spy system

The Mauryan kings used spies to obtain information about what was happening in the empire.
The Spies disguised themselves as beggar, merchant, ascetics, students, women prostitutes and
so on in order to get information8.

Finance.

● The revenue department chief was called Samharta.

● Another important official was Sannidhata (treasurer).

8
S.R. Myneni, Indian History for Law Student,( Second Edition 2006)121.
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 ● Revenue was collected on land, irrigation, shops, customs, forests, ferry, mines and
pastures. License fees were collected from artisans and fines were charged in the law
courts.
● Most of the land revenue was one-sixth of the produce.

Judicial and Police departments:

The King was the head of justice – the fountain head of law and all matters of grave
consequences were decided by him. Kautilya refers to the existence of two kinds of courts –
dharmasthala (dealing with civil matters) and kantaka shodhana (dealing criminal cases). There
were special courts in the cities and villages presided over by the pradesika, mahamatras and
rajukas. Kautilya mentions about the four sources of law.

They are dharma (sacred law), vyavahara (Usage), charitam (customs and precedents) and
rajasasana (royal proclamations). The Pradesika were the principal police officers, whose duty
was to investigate the crimes committed in the region within their jurisdiction. Police
headquarters were found in all principal centres.

There was a sthaniya in the midst of 800 villages, a dronamukha in 400 villages, a kharvatika in
200 villages and a sangrahana in 10 villages. The jail proper bandanagara was different from the
police lock-up called Charaka9

Municipal Administration:

The Arthasastra mentions the nagaraka or city superintendent who was responsible for the
maintenance of law and order in the city. He was assisted by two subordinate officials, the gopa
and the sthanika. Asokan inscriptions mention the nagalaviyohalaka mahamattas and refer to
them largely in their judicial capacity.

In describing city administration, Megasthenes outlines a more elaborate system. According to

him, the officials were divided into six committees each with a membership of five. The first
committee was concerned with matters relating to industrial arts.The second occupied it with the

9
V.D. Mahajan of Ancient India ,(First edition 1960 S. Chand & Company Ltd.)p325.
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facilities to the foreigners. The third kept a register of births and deaths both by way of a census
and for purposes of taxation. The fourth committee was in charge of matters of trade and
commerce.The fifth committee supervised the public sale of manufactured articles. The sixth
committee collected the tax on the articles sold, this being one-tenth of the purchase price.10

Economic Condition:
The mainstay of the economy under the Mauryas was agriculture, though trade was becoming
increasingly more important. It would seem that cultivators formed a majority of the population
and taxes on agriculture were the main source of revenue.

Agriculture

● The chief of the Agriculture department was known as ‘Sitadhyaksha’.

● Then there was separate irrigation department as well which looked after a network of
canals. These canals provided water for irrigation according to land requirements.

Other sources of Revenue:

The Arthasastra refers to a state monopoly of mines (khani), and the manufacture of salt and
wine. According to Megasthenes, shipbuilding and manufacture of arms were royal monopolies.
Slave labour was employed in the mines and factories.The state was also the biggest trader and
made arrangements to check adulteration, provided for the correctness of weights and measures,
and collection of tolls through officials like Panyadhyaksa, Mudradhyaksa, Kosthagaradhyaksa,
Pautvadhyaksa and Sulkadhyaksa, all of them working under the Samaharta.Megasthenes also
refers to six boards of Astynomoi, some of which were entrusted with these duties. The state
derived its revenue from seven main heads (ayasarira) viz., durga (fortified towns), rastra
(country side), khani (mines) setu (buildings and gardens), vana (forest), vraja (herds of cattle),
and vanikpatha (roads of traffic)11.

Trade and Navigation:

10
http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/20147/1/Unit-20.pdf
11
http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/20147/1/Unit-20.pdf
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There was a brisk internal trade among different regions, in various types of goods. External
trade was carried on with foreign countries, particularly with the Hellenic (Greek) world and
Burma to some extent. The main exports were different spices, pearls, diamonds, cotton textiles,
ivory works, conch shells, etc.,

The main imports consisted of horses, gold, glass, linen, etc. Balance of trade was very much in
favour of India. Trade was an important source of revenue which became a major earner in the
post-Mauryan period. The eighteen chief handicrafts of the time were organised in guilds called
sirenis each under its president called pramukha and the alderman called Jetthaka . Trade was
organised in merchant-guilds (sanghas and shrenis). The sale of merchandise was strictly
regulated by the state and a toll tax of one- fifth of the value of the commodity was levied.

The percentages of profit to the merchants were fixed and excess profits went to the treasury.
The amount consisted of 5 per cent on local commodities and 10 per cent on foreign produce.
Commodities manufactured in the country were stamped at the place of manufacture, while those
that were brought in from foreign countries were stamped at the toll-gates. Since the toll-tax was
based on the value of the commodity it was probably paid in money and not in kind.

Trade routes in the Mauryan period followed either the main highways or navigable rivers. Sea
trade was conducted both with the west and with the northern coast of Burma. The important
internal trade routes were the north to south-west route (from Sravasti to Pratisthana), the north
to south-east route (from Sravasti to Rajagriha) and the east-west route which followed the river
courses of the Ganges and the Yamuna. The Royal Highway from the north-west (in the region
of Taxila) to Pataliputra was considered the most important route.12

The Mauryan Art Pillars and Sculptures:

1. At Lauriya-Nandangarh the crowning figure is a single lion while the abacus is adorned by a
row of Brahmagiri geese or hamsas pecking their food.

2. At Rampurva a bull has been reported at one pillar and the other pillar has lion as the
crowning animal.

12
http://www.historydiscussion.net/empires/mauryan-empire-administration-economic-condition-and-art-during-the-
mauryan-period/616
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3. At Sankisa (Farrukhabad district, U.P) there is an elephant as the capital.

4. The Basarh Bakhira pillar has a single lion capital.

5. The Rummindei pillar inscription had capital of horse but it is now absent.

6. Another remarkable animal figure of the Mauryan period is the elephant at Dhauli. However,
it belongs to a very different tradition and has little in common with the animal capitals.

Two types of stone were used for Mauryan pillars – the spotted red and white sandstone from the
region around Mathura and the buff-coloured Chunar sandstone obtained from the region around
Varanasi.13

Changes by Asoka

The picture of the Mauryan administration given in periods of all the great Mauryan Emperors,
but few innovations were introduced by Asoka.He popularised the paternal theory of the
government and regarded his subjects as his children and officers as midwives. The owed debt to
his subjects which he could pay off only by security moral and material welfare. He renounced
violence and war. however that did not make him champion the cause of the abolition of capital
punishment. Is order to carry out the policy of moral regeneration of his subjects he created a
new day of officials known as Dharma - Mahamatras who were to preach Dharma during their
tour and direct charity into proper channels. He himself executed many monumental work of
charity like starting hospital for men and beasts, planting of trees and mango groves on the
roadside, sinking of wells at every half of , setting up of watching and resting places not
only in India but even in the kingdoms of friendly rulers .

He made service for the good of all (Sarva Lokhit) available to all. Officer like yuktas, Rajukas
and Pradesikas were enjoyed to go on tours of inspection every year for imparting his

13
http://www.historydiscussion.net/empires/mauryan-empire-administration-economic-condition-and-art-during-the-
mauryan-period/616
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instructions on Dharma.Officers like yuktas, Rajukas and Pradesika were enjoined to go on tours
of inspection every year for imparting his instructions on Dharma.14

14
V.D.Mahajan of Ancient India ,(First edition 1960,S. Chand & Company Ltd.)p329.

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 Bibliography

Books

V.D Mahajan of Ancient India(first Edition 1960,S. Chand & Company Ltd.)315
.
V.D Mahajan of Ancient India(first Edition 1960,S. Chand & Company Ltd.)316

V.D Mahajan of Ancient India(first Edition 1960,S. Chand & Company Ltd.)p317

V.D Mahajan of Ancient India(first Edition 1960,S. Chand & Company Ltd.)p318

S.R. Myneni, Indian History for Law Student,( Second Edition 2006)p120

A. Chakraborty and S.k Biswal: History of Ancient India (first edition, 2007)p214.

Online source

https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/hf/iakh/HIS2172/v09/undervisningsmateriale/HIS2172-Mauryan_Empire.pdf

http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/20147/1/Unit-20.pdf

http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/20147/1/Unit-20.pdf

http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/20147/1/Unit-20.pdf

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