What was the basic unit of administration in ancient india
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Here's your answer....
The Mauryan period was the era of major development in Indian Administration. Decentralisation was prevalent as the village units played a very important role as the base of administration since ancient times.
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History of Indian administration traces its earliest known form to the
monarchical system. Since the earliest times, the monarchical system was
used in public administration in the execution of governmental functions. In the
long history of Indian administration, a number of administrative organisations
rose and fell. However, there are two basic features of the Indian administrative
system which continued right down the ages- the importance of the villages as
a primary unit and co-ordination between the two opposite trends of
centralisation and decentralisation. To put it in a nutshell the present
administration is a developed since from Vedic period 1
.
Abundant sources are available to get a clear picture of the history of
Indian administrative system. A lot of information regarding the organisation
and functions of Indian administration is obtained from Vedic literature,
Buddhist treatises, Jain literature, Dharmasastras, Indian Puranas,
Ramayanas, Mahabharata, Manu Smriti, Sukra Niti and Arthashastra.
The powers of administering the states were centralised in the hands of
the king during the ancient period in India. During the Vedic period the king was
assisted in his work by many officers. He was surrounded by a circle of his
friends and principal officers. There is a reference regarding this in the two
epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. A similar reference is also to be found in
Manu Smriti and Sukra Niti. In Kautilya's Arthashastra is obtained a detailed
account about the offices of the state for the first time in the history of India. By
this time administrative system was fully developed. Thus the development ofthe ancient Indian administration had reached its peak during the reigns
of Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka. Mauryan administrative institutions were
further developed during the period of the Guptas. Their period witnessed
multifarious activities in the field of administration.