With reference to the Mauryan administration, write short notes on The Provincial administration
Answers
Answer:
Central Government
Mauryan administration was highly centralized.
The king was the supreme power and source of all authority.
He was assisted by a Council of Ministers. It was called ‘Mantriparishad’. The ministers were called ‘Mantris.’
The council was headed by ‘mantriparishad-adhyakshya’ akin to the Prime Minister of today.
Tirthas: the Highest category of officials in the administration. There were 18 Tirthas.
Adhyakshya: Ranked next only to Tirthas. There were 20 Adhyakshyas. They had economic and military functions.
Mahamattas: Higher ranking officials.
Amatyas: High ranking officials almost like present-day secretaries. They had administrative and judicial roles.
The Adhyakshyas were formed into a secretariat, which was divided into many departments.
Arthashastra mentions many Adhyakshyas for commerce, storehouses, gold, ships, agriculture, cows, horses, city, chariots, mint, infantry, etc.
Yuktas: Subordinate officers responsible for the king’s revenue.
Rajjukas: Officers in charge of land measurement and boundary-fixing.
Sansthadhyasksha: Superintendent of mint
Samasthadhyasksha: Superintendent of markets
Sulkaadhyaksha: Superintendent of tolls
Sitaadhyaksha: Superintendent of agriculture
Navadhyaksha: Superintendent of ships
Lohadhyaksha: Superintendent of iron
Pauthavadhyakhsa: Superintendent of weights and measures
Akaradhyaksha: Superintendent of mines
Vyavharika Mahamatta: Judiciary officers
Pulisanj: Public relations officers
Registration of births and deaths, foreigners, industries, trade, manufacture and sale of goods, sales tax collection were under the administration’s control.
Local Administration
The smallest unit of administration was the village.
Head of a village: Gramika Villages had a lot of autonomy.
Pradeshika was the provincial governors or district magistrates.
Sthanika: Tax collectors working under Pradeshikas.
Durgapala: Governors of forts.
Antapala: Governors of frontiers.
Akshapatala: Accountant General
Lipikaras: Scribes
Military
The commander-in-chief of the entire military was called Senapati and his position was next to the king’s. He was appointed by the king.
The military was divided into five sectors namely, infantry, cavalry, chariots, elephant forces, navy and transport & provisions.
The army’s salary was paid in cash.
Revenue
The revenue department chief was called Samharta.
Another important official was Sannidhata (treasurer).
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.
Police
All the main centres had police headquarters.
Jail was called Bandhan Gara and lock-up was known as Charaka.
Espionage
The espionage system of the Mauryas was well-developed.
There were spies who informed the king about the bureaucracy and markets.
There were two types of spies: Sansthana (stationary) and Sanchari (wanderer).
Gudhapurushas were the detectives or secret agents.
They were controlled by the Mahamatyapasarpa. These agents were picked from different segments of society.
There were also agents called Vishakanyas (poisonous girls).
Transport
The transport department fixed the width of the chariots, cattle tracks and pedestrians.
Answer:
A continent is one of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven regions are: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.[1] Variations with fewer continents may merge some of these, for example some systems include Eurasia or America as single continents.the seven most globally recognized continents, only Antarctica and Australia are completely separated from other continents by the ocean.
Explanation:
A continent is one of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven regions are: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.[1] Variations with fewer continents may merge some of these, for example some systems include Eurasia or America as single continents.the seven most globally recognized continents, only Antarctica and Australia are completely separated from other continents by the ocean.