discuss the administration system adopted by ashoka the king
Answers
The King Ashoka was born in 304 BC.
His birthplace was Patali-putra. Now it is known as Patna.
His dynasty is The Maurya Dynasty and his religion was Budhism.
When the King Ashoka was transformed spirtually, he adopted the system of administration based on the welfare of his people.
He was assisted by
- His younger brother Vith-Ashoka
- His trust-worthy ministers
- The Crown Prince Yuvraj
- His Army General
- The Chief Priest
He was always ready to serve his people.
His kingdom was consisted of Provinces. The provinces were divided into sub-divisions. These sub-divisions were further divided into villages.
There were 5 main provinces
- Northern Province
- Southern Province
- Eastern Province
- Western Province
- Central Province
These provinces were granted autonomy. They were responsible for the implementation of Law. The main financial and administrative controls were yet in the hands of the king. The head of these provinces were kept on changing to avoid any conspiracies or revolts. The King had many reporters. These reporters kept him informed about each and every affair of his kingdom.
Asoka enforced large number of benevolent policies as compared to his predecessors.His kingdom was divided into provinces which were subdivided into Vishyas or subdivisions and Janapadas, which were further subdivided into villages.
The chief provinces under Ashoka’s reign were the Uttarapatha(Northern Province) with its capital at Taxila; Avantiratha (western province) with its headquarters at Ujjain; Prachyapatha (eastern province) with its centre at Toshali and the Dakshinapatha (southern province) with its capital as Suvarnagiri.
The central province, Magadha with its capital at Pataliputra was the administrative centre of the empire. The overall law enforcement of each province was gIven partial autonomy at the hand of a crown prince who was responsible for controlling the said province.
Ashoka kept with himself the financial and administrative controls. The provincial authority were replaced from time to time to prevent any one of them exerting power over a long period of time. He appointed reporters, who would report to him the general and public affairs, leading the king to take necessary steps.
He introduced legal reforms like Danda Samahara and Vyavahara Samahara, which outlined his subjects the way of life that is to be led by them. The overall judicial and administration were overseen by civil servants whose functions were clearly delineated by the Emperor. The Akshapataladhyaksha was in charge of currency and accounts of the entire administration. The Akaradhyaksha was in-charge of mining and other metallurgical endeavours. The Sulkadhyaksa was in charge of collecting the taxes. The Panyadhyaksha was controller of commerce. The Sitadhyaksha was in charge of agriculture. The emperor employed a network of spies who offered him tactical advantages in diplomatic matters. The administration conducted regular census along with other information as caste and occupation