Mauryan Administration

Great maurya

(A)-Introduction

Maurya is considered as the first architecture and the largest empire in India. The Maurya Empire at the very center was created by the three great rulers Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka.

(B)-Empire boundary

Maurya is considered as the first architecture and the largest empire in India. The highly centralized Maurya Empire was created by the three great rulers Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka. His empire extended from Bengal to the entire region of Hindukush and extended to the whole of India with the exception of a small region in Afghanistan Baluchistan, the farthest south. The valleys of Kashmir and Nepal were also included in the five.

(i)-Chandragupta Maurya (322–297 BCE)

• With the help of Chanakya, who is known as Kautilya Vishnugupta, overthrew Nanda and established the rule of the Maurya dynasty.
• Chandragupta Maurya defeated Seleucus Nicator in 305 BC and was forced to produce Afghanistan censers for Chandragupta. There was also a marriage alliance between these two families.
• The account of his reign is given by Megasthenes in his book Indica (Ambassadors sent by soldiers to the court of Chandragupta Maurya). We get a description of Kautilya's economics from here also.
• Chandragupta adopted Jainism and he along with Bhadrabahu went to Shravanabelagola (near Mysore), where he gradually died of starvation.
• Visakhadatta has written the play Mudrarakshas (describing Chandragupta's enemy) and Devi Chandragupta describing the chief general manager in the sixth century AD.

(ii)-Bindusara (297–273 BCE)

Chandragupta's son Bindusar took over his throne in 297 BC. Where did he go to conquer the 'land between two seas', that is, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. At the time of his death, almost the entire subcontinent came under Mauryan rule. The Greek ambassador Demachos visited his court.

(iii)-Ashoka (269–232 BCE)

• It is considered as one of the greatest kings of all time. He was the first ruler to maintain direct contact with the people through inscriptions.
• Ashoka was appointed Viceroy of Ujjain and Taxila by his father, Bindusara. His formal coronation was delayed for four years, suggesting a disputed succession. A Buddhist literature says that he came to the throne after killing 99 of his brothers.
• The following script has been used in his inscriptions: Brahmi, Kharoshthi, Aramac and Greek (James Prinsep's first readable inscription).
• Language: Prakrit and Greek
• Ashoka became a Buddhist under Upagupta.

Kalinga war (mentioned in the 13th inscription 261 BCE)

• Changed his attitude towards his life. Ashoka became a Buddhist after this
• He appointed Dharm Mahapatra to propagate religion among various social groups including women.
• He organized a network of missionaries to propagate the doctrine both in his kingdom and beyond. He sent his (his son Mahindra and daughter Sanghamitra to Ceylon) to Ceylon, Burma, and other Southeast Asian regions, especially Thailand.
• Ashoka is known as 'Buddhism and Ashoka' in the Masaki Fatwa and Dharmashoka in the Sarnath inscription. He is known as ‘Devanampiya’ - beloved of God, and ‘Piyadassi’ is known as a pleasing presence.

@-Rock inscriptions

1-Four major rock inscriptions:Different Principles of Dhamma

08 different place where found:

Mansher (Hazara, Pakistan), Shahbazgarhi (Peshawar, Pakistan), Kalsi (Dehradun, Uttarakhand), Junagadh (Girnar, Gujarat), Sopara (Thana, Maharashtra), Yergudi (Kumul, Andhra Pradesh), Dhauli (Puri, Orissa), Jaugada (Ganjam, Odisha)

2-Kalinga rock inscription

New system of administration after Kalinga war.

Place where it is found:

Dauli or Tosali (Puri, Orissa), Jaugada (Gunjam, Orissa)

Minor rock inscription: A summary of Ashoka's personality history and his religion

@-Column inscription

Seven pillar inscription

Places where it is found: - Meerut-Delhi (Chhoti Lata), Topara-Delhi (Big Lata), Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), Lauria Nandangarh, Lauria Areraj and Rampurwa (Bihar).

The symbol of the Indian Republic is derived from the four-lion capital of the Ashoka Pillar in Sarnath.

@-Cave inscription

Three equal cave inscriptions
Equal Mountain (Gaya, Bihar)

Maurya branch	Other names for Raja	Ambassador (greek king)
Chandragupta	Sandrocottes-Strabo, Justin Andatrocottus-Arrian, Plutarch Vrishala / Kulheen (Below Clan)- Visakhadatta (Mudrarakshas)	Megasthenes Seleucus Nicator (Persian and Babylonian)
Bindusara	Amitrochetes-Greece Vindapala-Chinese text Singhsena-Jain text Bharadrasara-Vayu Purana	Dimachos (Antiochus I - Syria) Dionysius (Philadelphos / Potley II - Egypt)

C-The reason for the decline of the Mauryan Empire

• The division of the empire among Ashoka's successors.
• Economic Crisis
• Giant size of administrative system
• It is said that Ashoka's patronage of Buddhism and his anti-renunciation approach influenced the Brahmins.
• Revenue from agricultural areas by neglecting the war was not enough to sustain a vast empire,
• Ashoka's successors were also vulnerable to putting together such a large centralized empire.
• In 185 BCE the last Mauryan king Brihadratha was killed by Pushyamitra Sunga (the commander in chief), who started the Sunga dynasty in Magadha.

D-Administration

1.Central administration

• Raja: The Maurya government was a centralized bureaucracy with the king as its center. According to Kautilya / Chanakya, there are seven elements of states.

        Week Principle:-

1> Raja (king), Amatya (secretary), Janpad (region), Durg (fort), Kosh (treasury), Sena (army) and Mitra (friend)

2>The king was considered as a form of spirit in the midst of all the elements of the state.

• Council of Ministers: The king was assisted by the Council of Ministers, whose members included - Yuvraj (successor), Purohit (chief priest), Senapati (chief commander), some other ministers.

Important Officers and their functions

Contiguity	Chief treasurer
collector	Revenue collector
Behavika (Dharmastha)	Chief Justice of Dharmasthaiya Court (Lok Adalat)
Pradeshta	Chief Justice of Criminal Court (Criminal Court)
Dhamma Mahapatra	A new post created by Ashoka, empowered with the dual tasks of taking care of the common people for the promotion of religion and their material well-being.
Rashtrapal / Kumar	Viceroy of a province
Pradesika	He was a modern district magistrate
Rajukas	In the later days, Patwari was responsible for surveying and assessing the land.
yukta	A subordinate revenue officer of the district level
sthanika	A collector officer directly under the control of the territories
Gapa	Accounts accountable
Nagarka	Acting officer of city administration
Akshpatal	Accountant General
Seetadhyaksh	Supervised farming
Panyadhyaksh	Commercial officer
Sansthadhyaksh	Market superintendent
Pautvadhyaksh	Weights and measures superintendent
Navadhyaksh	Superintendent of ships
Sulkadhyaksh	Toll collector
Akradhyaksh	Superintendent of Mines
lohadhyaksh	Iron superintendent

2-Provincial Administration

Province	Location	Capital
Uttarapath	Northern Province	Takshshila
Avanti Nation	Western Province	Ujjain
Prachi	Eastern and Central Provinces	Pataliputra
Kalinga	Eastern Province	Toshali
Dakshinpath	Southern Province	Suvarnagiri

 

Administrative unit	head
Chakra (ie province)	Rashtrapal / Kumar (Viceroy)
Ahar / Subject (ie District)	Pradeshika (Administrative) and Rajuka (Land Revenue)
Collection (Group of 10 villages)	Gopa
Village (ie Village)	Gramika

 

3.City administration

• Kautilya wrote an entire chapter for the rules of the citizen i.e. city superintendent. His main duty was to maintain law and order. 
• The Megasthenes system was responsible for: 6 committees of five members each and their functions, first industrial arts, entertainment of second foreigners, registration of third births and deaths, fourth trade and commerce, highest sales of fifth manufactured goods, and sixth sold goods. Collection of taxes (1 / 10th of the purchase price).

4.Army

• The main feature of the Mauryan administration was the maintenance of a large army. He also maintained a navy.
• According to Megasthenes, the army was administered by a board of 30 officers divided into 6 committees, each committee consisting of five members. These are: army, cavalry, elephant, chariot, navy, transport.
• In Maurya Kal, there were two types of Gudhapurushas (spies) - Sansthan (stable) and Sanchari (wanderers).

5.Economy

• Almost all the economic activities of the king were controlled. The state enjoyed monopoly in mining, jungle, salt, sale of liquor, etc., arms manufacturing.
• Collected from the farmers was varied from 1/4 to 1/6 of the production.
• The state also provided irrigation facilities (bridges) and levied a duty (tax) on water.
• Tolls were also levied on items brought from the city for sale and collected in the court.
• The Sohgaura (Gorakhpur district, Uttar Pradesh) copper plate inscriptions and the Mahasthana (Bogra district, Bangladesh) inscriptions served for relief measures during a famine.
• Important ports: Bharuchchh / Bharuch and Supra (west coast), Tamralipti (east coast) in Bengal.
• During the Mauryan period, punch-marked coins (mostly silver) were common units of transaction.

6.Society

• In the 'Arthashastra' of Kautilya, the Shudras were looked upon as an Aryan community which was different from the Malchch or non-Aryan community.
• Megasthenes states that Indian society was divided into 7 classes: (1) philosopher, (2) farmer, (3) soldier, (4) shepherd, (5) artisan, (6) magistrate, (7) corporator. The 'classes' mentioned above appear to be economical in comparison or socially.
• However Megasthenes has said that there was no slavery in India. Till now, according to Indian sources, slavery was a recognized institution during the Mauryan reign.
• Women had a high status and independence in the Mauryan society. According to Kautilya, women were allowed to divorce or remarry. Women were employed as detectives and other miscellaneous jobs as personal organ guards of the king.

7.Mauryan art

• Mauryan art could be divided into two parts:-(A)-Shahi / court art: The royal palace of Chandragupta Maurya (Kumhara, Patna) and the city of Pataliputra, Ashoka pillar, cave, stupa etc.(B)-Folk / Popular Art: (1) Yaksha-Yakshini etc. Picture Sculpture etc. | For example, Yakshi (Mathura) of Parakham, Yakshini of Besnagar / Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh), Chavar-carrier Yaksini of Didarganj (Patna). (2) Ceramics.