Discuss the Mauryan administration. Did Asoka bring about any major changes?
Discuss the Mauryan administration. Did Asoka bring about any major changes?
Examine the Mauryan administration under Chandragupta Maurya. Did Asoka bring about any major changes?
Mauryan administration
Sources of information: We get information about the Mauryan administration from Megasthenes's account, Kautilya's Arthashastra, Ashoka's inscriptions, etc.
King: Possessor of supreme power: -
The Mauryan kings did not believe in the power given by God. The king was the supreme executive, chief judge, chief commander and lawmaker at the same time. Only the king had the power to make laws. According to his wishes, high-ranking royal officials such as ministers, amatyas, generals, etc. were appointed and dismissed. The king, who had supreme military power, used to exert his utmost influence in matters related to war. Sometimes the king himself was present on the battlefield. According to the Arthashastra, the Mauryan kings had sovereign power.
Ministers and Council of Ministers:-
Ministers can be compared to the ''Mahapatras'' of Ashoka's era. Ministers advised the king on all matters of the state. According to the Arthashastra, the annual salary of the ministers was 48000 rupees. Dr. R. C. Majumdar has called the Minister and the Council of Ministers as the Executive Council and the Legislative Council respectively.
The Council of Ministers was called to discuss serious problems. The Council of Ministers played an important role in the appointment of high-ranking royal officials like the Governor, the Vice-Governor, the Chief Justice, the Naval Commander, etc.
There were also Chief Secretaries or Amatyas. They were associated with the administration and judiciary. Also, the ''Adhyaks'' or magistrates were associated with the administration. There are 32 such chiefs mentioned in the Arthashastra.
Military Organization:-
According to the Arthashastra, the military department of Chandragupta Maurya was vested in a council of 30 members, which was divided into 6 branches of 5 members each. These 6 branches handled the duties of a total of 6 departments. These 6 departments were - 1. Infantry, 2. Cavalry, 3. Chariots, 4. Elephants, 5. Logistics and Vehicles and 6. Navy. The commanders of the navy were called ''Nabadhyaksha''. According to this, the navy of the Mauryan emperors was helpful in establishing relations with foreign countries like Egypt, Syria, Epirus etc.
According to the Arthashastra, apart from bow and arrow, spear, axe, sword, there were two distinct weapons called ''Static weapons'' and ''Moving weapons''.
Municipal administration:-
From the account of Megasthenes, it is known that the municipal administration of the capital was vested in a council consisting of 30 members. The council was divided into 6 departments of 5 members each. For example - 1. The first department supervised the industrial work, 2. The second department supervised the foreigners, 3. The third department kept records of births and deaths, 4. The fourth department controlled trade and commerce, 5. The fifth department supervised the sale of manufactured goods, 6. The sixth department collected 1/10th of the tax on the goods sold.
Basham has commented on the municipal administration of the city -
‘’ Conditions in the larger Mauryan cities approximated those of a modern police state.’’
Revenue system:-
The main source of income of the government was land revenue. 1/6th of the crops of the land and 1/8th to 1/4th of the produce was collected as ‘’sacrifice’’ tax. In addition, taxes like ''bhag'', ''hiranya'' etc. were prevalent. Revenues like 1/10th of the sold goods, birth-death tax, water tax etc. were collected.
Although the king owned all the land of the state, private ownership was also recognized. Both personal cultivation by hiring laborers were prevalent. When the agrarian economy started to expand gradually, the importance of regular land survey was felt and efficient revenue collection was considered one of the duties of the state. At that time, there was no such thing as ''middleman'' between the king and the farmer.
Regarding the importance of the Mauryan revenue system, R.S. Sharma says, ‘’The Maurya period constitutes a landmark in the system of taxation in ancient India.’’
Judicial system:-
The supreme judge of the state, the king, used to perform judicial functions with the help of knowledgeable and experienced ministers and judges. There are various judicial courts mentioned in the Arthashastra. For example - 1. Dharmasthiya, 2. Punishment of thorns, 3. Local, 4. Dronamakhu, etc. According to Arthashastra, religion, character, conduct, royal regulations, etc. were considered as laws. The penal code was very strict. In Arthashastra, there are two classes called ''Samastha'' and ''Sanchara'' and from Strabo's work, there is a mention of a class of spies called ''Paridasaka''.
Provincial Administration:-
The Mauryan Empire had 5 provinces. Namely - 1. East, 2. Uttarapath, 3. Avanti, 4. South and 5. Kalinga. Their capitals were Pataliputra, Taxila, Ujjain, Subarnagiri and Tosali respectively. The emperor himself ruled the East from the capital. The other provinces were under the control of the ''Kumara'' and ''Mahamatara'' titles. The provinces were divided into several districts. The administration of these districts was under the control of the officials called ''Samaharatri''. The administration of 1/4 of the districts was under the control of the locals. The administration of the villages was under the control of the ''Gopa'' and ''Gramika''. The ''Gramika'' were not appointed by the state, they were appointed by the villagers.
There is also a mention of royal officials called ''Antapala'' and ''Durgpala'' in the provinces. They were engaged in the work of protecting the borders and forts.
Ashoka's system of government: Changes in the system of government:-
Ashoka made some changes to improve the basic structure of the system of government introduced by Chandragupta Maurya while keeping it unchanged. Ashoka made the following changes before and after the Kalinga War. The sole purpose of his system of government was public welfare. Therefore, he declared,
‘’All men are children, and just as I desire for my children that they may obtain every kind of welfare and happiness both in this and the next world, so I desire for all men.’’
-- Rock Edict VI.
The changes made by Emperor Ashoka are -
1. New classes of royal officials - Ashoka's edicts mention four new classes of royal officials. Namely - Rajuka, Yuta, Mahamatara and Purusha.
2. Dharmamahamata - Dharmamahamata preached religion and morality. They were also engaged in judicial matters.
3. Urban governance - According to Arthashastra, during the reign of Ashoka, in the case of large cities like Tosali, the responsibility of municipal governance was entrusted to the royal officials.
4. Reduction of the severity of the penal code - Ashoka reduced the severity of the existing penal code to a great extent by introducing the principles of "equality of punishment" and "equality of use".
5. Prativedaka - In order to keep abreast of the condition of the subjects and the performance of the responsibilities of the royal officials, Ashoka appointed a new class of royal officials called "prativedaka".
Finally, it can be said that, while keeping the basic structure of the system of governance introduced by Chandragupta Maurya unchanged, Ashoka reformed the system of governance according to his own ideals. Along with the constitutional provisions, he combined public welfare policies. Therefore, Dr. R.C. Majumdar has commented - ''Ashoka's place is the highest among the rulers of the world.''
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