ADMINISTRATION

CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA
v
SOCIETY

 Megasthenes the author of India writes that maurya society was divided into seven
casts - philosophers agriculturists soldiers herdsmen artisans magistrates
counsellors
 Megasthenes failed to comprehend Indian society properly and confused between
jatis varna and the occupation
 Society was clearly divided into four fold varna system- the brahmana , kshatriya ,
viashyas , shudras
 Caste such as CHANDALA , SVAPAKA were untouchables and were supposed to live
outside the village.

SLAVES
 Megasthenes says that there were no slave system in India while kautilya mentions
9 categories of slaves and buddhist literature mentions three types of slaves. Strabo,
a Greek philosopher and historian confirms the existence of slaves in India.
 Wages of artisans were fixed as evident from earth shaastra slaves were mostly
shudras

WOMEN
 Women were not treated as equal terms with men. Widow remarriage stopped and the
institution of GANIKAS expanded
 Law forbade right of inheritance to women but married women had sole right on Stree dhan
 offences against women were severely dealt and Kautilya lays down penalties against
officials in charge of workshops in prisons who misbehaved towards them
 Women of the Maurya times were found to have been in several occupations - as personal
body-guards of the King, spies and for other diverse jobs
 The ruling class was known to have been Polygamous
 Sati noticed by Greek writers was rarely practised and would appear to have been limited to
the women of the higher classes
 There was officers called “Ganikadhyaksha” to protect prostitutes.

EDUCATION
 The urban way of life developed and the craftsmen enjoyed a high place in the society.
 Teaching continued to be the main job of the Brahmans.
 Buddhist monasteries were developed as important educational institutions. Taxila, Ujjayini, and
Varanasi were famous educational centers.
 Technical education was generally provided through guilds, where pupils learnt the crafts from the
early age.

RELIGION
 Vedic religion both his Magennis men and a jeevika were prominent religious sects
 The existence of several sects and religions may have led to tensions in the society but
dismissed started spreading in the 4th century BC
 Arthashastra mentions several deities including Shiva and SAMKARSHANA being worshipped
in temples
 it also mentions Shri , later identified as sree lakshmi (wife of Vishnu)
 megasthenes speaks Herakles being worshipped in Mathura region

ECONOMY
  Agriculture was the economy's backbone during the Mauryas, however trade was growing
increasingly significant. Cultivators appeared to make up the bulk of the population, and
agricultural taxes were the primary source of revenue.
 MEGASTHENES mentions that majority people were agriculturists, peasants and farmers
the land was fertile and the means of education was simple.
 Farmers were liberated from provincial rulers' tax and harvest collection obligations,
preferring instead for the Arthashastra principles' centrally managed, strict-but-fair taxation
system.
 Kautilya has given a description of ploughed , unploughed and rocky lands
 According to the junagad inscription, Pushyapati an official of Chandragupta got Sudarshan
lake constructed for irrigation in saurashtra.
 The Arthasastra references to different types of agricultural operations supervised by
officials thus refer to lands owned by either the State or King. However, a small section of
the text deals with the sale of land and buildings.
 Some lands were sita or crown lands. In these areas the King's and the State's rights of
possession, cultivation, mortgage and sale were naturally superior. Infact, in the
Arthasastra , a sitadhyaksa or superintendent of agriculture is mentioned who probably
supervised the cultivation works here
 There were many close centres during this. Among them Kasi , Vatsa , Madura , Vengi etc
were prominent centres.
 According to kautilya and megasthenes cotton was produced in great quantity – centres –
APARANTA (kalinga)
 Hundreds of kingdoms, many small armies, powerful regional chieftains, and internal
struggle gave way to a more disciplined centralised administration.

TRADE
There was brisk external and internal trade. They had foreign trade with the western
countries. The main items of trade were indigo, various medicinal substances, cotton, and
silk. The foreign trade was carried on by the land as well as by the sea. Strabo mentions
about this foreign trade. The big ships were known as “pravana”.

Special arrangements were made for facilitation of the trade like security of trade-routes,
provisions of warehouses, go-downs, and other means of transport. The trade was regulated
by the state and the trader had to get a license to trade.

The opening up of communications in various parts of the Indian sub-continent was the
direct result of the expansion of settlements, as it facilitated movement from one place to
another. This naturally fostered trade. Internal trade was considerably benefited because
river transport had been improved once the forests around the Valleys had been cleared
under State initiative. The State's policy particularly under Bindusara and Asoka to have
peaceful and friendly relations with the Greeks gave fillip to foreign trade as well.
 Trade was carried on in different ways. It was intrinsically linked to the methods of
production and its organisation. Primarily in north India craft production was organised
on guild (sreni) lines.
Megasthenes also mentions the artisans as one of the seven castes/classes he noticed
during his stay in India. The well-known guilds of the period were those of metallurgists of
various kinds, carpenters, potters,

This policy was aimed at augmenting its efficiency in economic spheres of activity and its revenues.
Megasthenes mentions a superintendent of commerce whose duty was to fix prices of goods and
also to interfere if there was a glut in any commodity. He is also mentioned in the Arthasastra as
panyadhyaksa.

TAX
Revenue was that main subject of Arthashashtra. It describes revenue at great length. Sources of
revenue were increased from the income of mines, forests, pasture lands, trade, forts, etc. The
income from the king's own land or estate was known as ‘sita.’Brahmans, children, and
handicapped people were exempted from paying the taxes.

The state also had the machinery to control and regulate the weights and measures.The land tax
was one-fourth to one-sixth of the produce. The tax was also levied on all the manufactured
goods. The toll tax was levied on all items, which were brought for sale in the market.

Strabo mentions that craftsmen, herdsmen, traders, and farmers, all paid taxes. Those who
could not pay the tax in cash or kind were to contribute their dues in the form of labor. Tax
evasion was considered a very serious crime and offenders were severely punished.

The Mauryas in fact attached great importance to the assessment of land revenue and the highest officer in
charge of this was the samharta. The sannidhata was the chief custodian of the State treasury. Since the
revenue was also collected in kind, providing storage facilities was also the duty of the latter.

COINAGE
Gold , silver and copper coins used during this period . The coins were made by the state
foundries.
The use of currency, which began in the earlier period, became a fairly common feature of
the Maurya period because of the developed commerce. Money was not only used for
trade; even the government paid its officers in cash.
It seems that the punch-marked silver coins, which carry the symbols of the peacock, and
the hill and crescent, called pana, formed the imperial currency of the Mauryas. Copper
punch-marked coins were rare. Copper masika was the token curency and quarter pieces of
masika was called kakini. Kautilya refers to state officers in charge of coinage, the
suvarnadhyaksa, the laksanadhyaksa and the rupadarsaka.

INTRODUCTION
From 321 BCE until 185 BCE, the Mauryan Dynasty reigned over the
majority of India. It covered what is now Iran, as well as areas of central
and northern India. Political and military stability throughout South Asia
for the first time during the Maurya period allowed for the formation of
an unified economic framework, as well as increased trade and
commerce, resulting in higher agricultural output.