This Presentation is prepared for Graduate Students. A presentation consisting of basic information regarding the topic. Students are advised to get more information from recommended books and articles. This presentation is only for students and purely for academic purposes. The pictures/Maps included in the presentation are taken/copied from the internet. The presenter is thankful to them and herewith courtesy is given to all. This presentation is only for academic purposes.

1. Administrative System:
Under the Mauryas
Dr. Virag Sontakke
Assistant Professor
Center for Advanced Studies
Department of A.I.H.C. & Archaeology,
Banaras Hindu University

2. Administrative System:
Under the Mauryas

3. Introduction
• Indian history entered into a new era with the beginning of the
Mauryan Empire.
• For the first time India attained political unity and administrative
uniformity.
• Covered vast geographical area which attained neither earlier nor
afterwards
• Mauryans developed a well organized and an elaborate system of
administration.
• There was central administration directly under the King.

4. Geographical Extent of
Mauryan Empire

5. Sources
1. Arthashashtra
2. Greek Historians
3. Megasthenes
4. Jataka Tells
5. Buddhist Text
6. Ashokan
Inscriptions

6. Nature of State
• Mauryan state was Kingship
• King was chief and supreme leader of the state
• Generally, elder son became king
• Hereditary in nature.
• Kings were studied political, economical, defensive tactics etc. from
childhood
• Crown prince appointed as Governor to gain administrative experience.
• They were actively participated in administration.

7. Role of King King
Supreme
executive
Legislative
Ministers Officers
Judicial
powers Military

8. Duties of the King
1. Chief of the empire
2. Head of all administration
3. He selected Ministers
4. Distributed portfolios
5. Head of the Military
6. Head of Judicial
7. Head of the Revenue
Arthshashtra: his schedule was highly busy.
Ashok Edicts: “King was act as a father of citizens” King was a guardian
of people.

9. Mauryan Administration
King
Central
Administration
Provincial
Administration
District
Administrations
City
Administration
Village
Administration

10. Central Administration
• The King was the Chief authority of the Mauryan
administration.
• He had the supreme executive, legislative, and judicial powers
vested in him.
• He was selected Mantriparishada (council of ministers) and
ministers
• Kings policies were regulated by ministers
• Administration of Mauryan empire was divided into various sub
divisions.

11. Whole Area
Staes
Commissionerate
Districts
Cities
400 Villages
200 Villages
10 Villages
1 village

12. Mantriparishada (Council of ministers)
• Mantrimandal was an essential part of administrations.
• Post of Prime Ministers was above all
• Kautilya was Prime minister during Chandragupta.
• Number of ministers was not certain
• There was a cabinet committee of selected ministers to discuss on
confidential issues
• Meetings of ministers were happens regularly
• In the time of emergency sudden meetings were also called
• Decisions were taken by majority
• However, king hold the final rights as a chief
• In the absence of kings policy mater were not discussed

13. Central Administration
• Numbers of officers were not certain and varied
• There was a well organized hierarchy of bureaucrats,
• Bureaucrats looked after the executive, judicial, and revenue offices.
• The entire administration system was organized into departments, each
of which was headed by a Superintendent, known as ‘Adhyaksha.’
• The Adhyaksha was assisted by clerks, accountants, and spies.
• In addition, there were two posts of high officials, namely the
‘Samaharta’ and the ‘Sannidhata.’
• The Samaharta: was the collector general of revenue.
• He had control over the expenditure part also.
• The Sannidhata: was the officer-in-charge of the treasury and store.
• Besides, there were other officers like Army Minister, Chief Priest, and
Governor of Forts

14. Provinces of
Mauryan empire
1. Tosali in the East,
2. Ujjayain in the West,
3. Suvarnagiri in the
South, and
4. Taxila in the North
5. Pataliputra at the
center as a Capital

15. 1. Huge empire divided by
four provinces
2. Generally, Crown prince
was appointed as a
Governor
3. Governors called as Kumar
4. Ashok: Ujjayani and Taxila
5. Governors also selected
from the officers
6. Ex. Pushygupt Vaishya of
Saurashtra
7. Ex. Tushashp
8. Separate Mantrimandal Provincial Mantrimandal

16. Administrative divisions
Central
Govt
• King
Provinces
(Kumar)
Commissio
nerate
(Pradeshik)
Districts • Rajukas
Cities • Nagrik
Blocks
(Sthaniya)
Villages
(Gramani)

17. Provincial Administration
1. Crown price/ relatives were appointed as Governors
2. The provincial administration worked on similar lines of the central
administration.
3. The provincial Governors were responsible for day-to-day conduct of
administration of provinces.
4. They were expected to consult on important matters to the central
administration.
5. There were also the district officers, reporters, clerks, who helped in
the smooth running of provincial administration.

18. Commissionerate
• A lower administrative body of Provinces (State)
• Chief of the Commissionerate called as “ Pradeshik”
• Duties:
1. Revenue Collection
2. Judicial
3. Law and order
4. General administrative work

19. District Administration
• The district was called as “Aahar”
• The district administration was in the charge of ‘Rajukas’.
• His position and functions are similar to today’s district collectors.
• He was assisted by ‘Yuktas’ or subordinate officials.
• Census in towns was conducted by municipal officials, especially to track
the movements of both foreign and indigenous population.
• The data collected were cross checked by the spies.
• Census appears to have become a permanent institution during the
administration of the Mauryas.

20. Duties of the Rajjukas
1. Collect Revenue
2. Judicial Department
3. Repairs of roads & canals
4. Irrigation projects
5. Look after the visitors
6. Trade and commerce
7. Maintain the well being of society
8. Watch market & traders

21. City Administration
• Greek Historians: there were numbers of cities in Panjab, were administrated by “Chief
Executive officers”
• Chief Executive officers called as “ Nagrik”
• Duties: Revenue collection, law and security, Judicial departments, to look after the
Hotels and Restaurants, look after the foreigners,.
• City Administration had Municipal Board with 30 members.
• Six committees (6 x 5)
• Five Board members in each to manage the administration of cities.
• The six committees were:
1) Committee on Industrial Arts
2) Committee on Foreigners
3) Committee on Registration of Births and Deaths
4) Committee on Trade and Commerce
5) Committee on Supervision of Manufacturers
6) Committee on Collection of Excise and Custom Duties

22. Block Administrations
• Block (tehsil) was a lower division of districts.
• Block was known as “Sthaniya”
• Each Sthaniya contain 800 villages
• There were two Dronamukha in every Sthaniya (400 x 2=800)
• Every Dronamukha has 400 Villages
• Group of 200 villages= Khavartika
• Khavartika has 20 blocks contain 10 villages each= Sangrahan (10 x 20)
Aahar
(District)
Sthaniya
(Block)
Dronamukh
(400)
Khavartik
(200)
Sangrahan
(10)

23. Important officers
• Palace- Soudhgehadhip सौधगहा'धप: पाकशाला, furniture, garden
• Douvarik: दौवा.रक: chief security officer of palace (passport)
• Durgpal: दुग1पाल : security in charge of forts
• Aaydhagaradhakshya: आयुधागाराध4 :Arms and Wepons
• Koshadhakshya: कोषाध4: Treasury officer
• Dharm Mahamatra:
• 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

24. Village Administration
• Village administration was in the hands of ‘Gramani’
• He was controlled by superior was called ‘Gopa,’
• Gopa was incharge of ten to fifteen villages.
• Census was a regular activity of Gop
• They were also to count the animals in each house.
• Details of Agricultural land and crop pattern
• Village has a committee of elder persons called as “ Gramvruddha”
• Gramvruddha handle local disputes
• A committee of 3 government officials and 3 locals was established to
deal bigger disputes and cases

25. Revenue Administration
• Revenue was important source of State.
• Hence, the important department of the administration.
• The revenue department chief was called Samaharta.
• Another important official was Sannidhata (treasurer).
• Officer known as Sitaadhakshya was a head of Crown land
• Land revenue was 1/6 of the total produce.
• In addition to land revenue, there were excise duty, forest tax, water tax,
taxes on mines, tax on coinage etc., as other sources of revenue.
• Much of the Mauryan revenue was expended on paying the army, the
officials of the royal government, charities, and different public works
like irrigation projects, road construction etc.

26. Judicial System
Court
Civil
Dharmsthaniya
Loan, sale,
property,
marriages, land
disputes
Criminal
Kantakshodhan
Crime, Murder, Sex
offence

27. Judicial Administration
• The King was the head of the judiciary.
• He was the highest court of appeal and personally listened to appeals of the
people.
• King appointed judges for the judicial exercise.
• Chief Justice was called ‘Dharmathikarin’
• Provincial and districts judge were called ‘Amatyas.’
• In villages judicial work was attained by ‘Gramavrudha
• In towns, cases were settled by the ‘Nagara Vyavaharika Mahamatra’.
• Different kinds of punishment such as fines, imprisonment, mutilation, and
death were meted out to the offenders.
• Police stations were found at all major places in the city.
• Kautilyas Arthashashtra and Ashokan edicts mention about jails and jail
officials.
• It was ensured that no innocent gets punished.
• Ashoka appointed a special class of officers known, as the Dhamma
Mahamatras to look into this.

28. Military Administration
• The King was the supreme commander of the military.
• The Mauryan army was well organized and it was under the control of a
‘Senapati.’
• As per Greek author Pliny, the Mauryan army consisted of
1. 6, 00, 000 Infantry,
2. 30,000 Cavalry,
3. 9,000 Elephants,
4. 8000 Chariots.
• Medical team, Engineer, Architect, labors,

29. Division of Military
• There was a Board of 30 members to look into matters pertaining to war.
• These members were placed in six committees with five members in each.
• These committees were responsible to manage the following wings of the
military
1. Navy
2. Transport and Supply
3. Infantry:
4. Cavalry
5. War Chariots
6. War Elephants
• Each of the above wings was under the control of ‘Adhyaksha’ or
Superintendents.

30. Conclusion
• Stable political period due to strong central administrations.
• Powerful and successful administrators like Chandragupta Maurya and
Ashoka and Chanakya.
• The administration was decentralized and the powers were divided into
sub-administrative units.
• Each aspect of society was touched by Mauryan administration system.
• Chain of beurocracy.
• Ashoka introduced innovations and reforms in the rigid centralised
Mauryan administrative system.
• Ashok improved the functioning of the executive, legislature, and
judiciary.
• Ashoka appointed a Dhamma Mahamatras to look after the material and
spiritual well being of the people.