Mod 4: Mauryan Administration — Saptanga, Ministers, Adhyakshas, Provinces, Revenue, Justice, Spies and the Army
Concept
9.7 The structure of the state
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Saptanga, ministers and adhyakshas
The Mauryan state was the most centralised in early India. Our picture comes from three sources: Kautilya’s Arthashastra (a normative manual), Megasthenes (an eyewitness) and Ashoka’s edicts (official records). The Arthashastra’s saptanga theory names seven limbs of the state.
| Limb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Svami | King |
| Amatya | Ministers / officials |
| Janapada | Territory and people |
| Durga | Fortified capital |
| Kosha | Treasury |
| Danda | Army / force |
| Mitra | Allies |
| Official | Duty |
|---|---|
| Mantrin / Mantriparishad | Advisers to the king |
| Samaharta | Chief collector of revenue |
| Sannidhata | Chief treasurer / keeper of stores |
| Sitadhyaksha | Crown lands (sita) and agriculture |
| Panyadhyaksha | Trade and commerce |
| Sulkadhyaksha | Customs and tolls |
| Lakshanadhyaksha | Mint |
| Akaradhyaksha | Mines |
| Sunadhyaksha | Slaughterhouses |
| Ganikadhyaksha | Courtesans |
- Saptanga: svami, amatya, janapada, durga, kosha, danda, mitra.
- Samaharta = revenue collector; Sannidhata = treasurer; many adhyakshas.
- Question: Who headed the mint? Answer: Lakshanadhyaksha.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] The saptanga theory of the state is found in:
[School] In the saptanga theory, “Kosha” means:
[BPSC level] The Mauryan official called Sannidhata was the:
[UPSC level] In the Arthashastra, the Sitadhyaksha supervised:
[BSSC pattern] The Mauryan official in charge of the mint was the:
[BPSC level] The Arthashastra officer who regulated trade and market prices was the:
[UPSC level] Which source on Mauryan administration is normative rather than descriptive?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who headed the mint?
Lakshanadhyaksha.Concept
9.8 Provinces, revenue and justice
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
How the empire was run on the ground
| Province | Capital | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Uttarapatha | Taxila | North-west |
| Avantirattha | Ujjayini | Ashoka was viceroy here |
| Kalinga | Tosali | Separate edicts at Dhauli |
| Dakshinapatha | Suvarnagiri | South; near Maski/Kanakagiri |
| Prachya (home) | Pataliputra | Ruled directly |
Provinces were held by princes (kumara or aryaputra). Below them Ashoka’s edicts name the pradeshika, rajuka (land measurement and justice; Ashoka gave them powers of reward and punishment) and yukta (accounts). Every five years they toured on anusamyana.
| Area | Details |
|---|---|
| Land revenue | Bhaga — usually 1/6 of produce (up to 1/4 in fertile areas); bali — an extra levy; pindakara from villages; sita = crown land |
| Irrigation | Udakabhaga — water tax; Sudarshana lake |
| Justice | Dharmasthiya (civil) and Kantakashodhana (criminal, “removal of thorns”) courts |
| Spies | Gudhapurushas: samstha (stationary) and sanchara (wandering) |
| Army | Huge standing army; Pliny: 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, 9,000 elephants; senapati at the head |
| Currency | Silver punch-marked coins (pana/karshapana) |
Romila Thapar and Gerard Fussman argue the empire had a tightly-run metropolitan core (Magadha), core areas (provinces) and loosely held peripheral areas (forest peoples — atavikas). The Arthashastra may describe an ideal rather than actual practice, and its date is debated (Olivelle 2013: composed c. 50 BCE–125 CE from an older core).
- Provinces: Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali, Suvarnagiri + Pataliputra.
- Bhaga 1/6; courts dharmasthiya (civil) & kantakashodhana (criminal); spies samstha & sanchara.
- Question: What was the southern provincial capital? Answer: Suvarnagiri.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] The capital of the Kalinga province under Ashoka was:
[BPSC level] Suvarnagiri was the Mauryan provincial capital of:
[UPSC level] Ashokan officials who were given powers of reward and punishment were the:
[BPSC level] The usual Mauryan land tax “bhaga” was:
[UPSC level] Kantakashodhana courts dealt with:
[BSSC pattern] Wandering spies in the Arthashastra were called:
[UPSC level] Udakabhaga in the Mauryan period was a tax on:
[BPSC level] Ashoka served as viceroy before accession at:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
What was the southern provincial capital?
Suvarnagiri.Concept
🎯 UPSC · BPSC · BSSC · State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Centralisation debate; Arthashastra terms; rajukas |
| BPSC | Samaharta / Sannidhata; provincial capitals; saptanga |
| BSSC / SSC | Land tax 1/6; adhyakshas |
In the Mauryan administration, the chief collector of revenue was the: (a) Sannidhata (b) Samaharta (c) Rajuka (d) Yukta
- Samaharta collected revenue; Sannidhata kept the treasury and stores; rajuka measured land and judged; yukta kept accounts.
- Samaharta = collection; Sannidhata = storage. Remember “Sam-a-harta” = one who brings in (ahara).
- Suvarnagiri was the southern capital, not Ujjayini.
- Kantakashodhana courts were criminal courts.
Model question: “The Mauryan state was a highly centralised bureaucracy.” Examine. Points: Arthashastra’s adhyakshas and spies; Megasthenes’ boards; Ashokan officials (mahamattas, rajukas); provinces under princes; Thapar’s core–periphery model; limits of communication; normative vs real.
- Thapar: metropolitan–core–periphery; Arthashastra normative and possibly later.
- Question: Silver Mauryan coins are called? Answer: Punch-marked coins (pana).
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] The chief revenue collector in the Mauryan empire was called:
[UPSC level] The “core–periphery” model of the Mauryan empire is associated with:
[BSSC pattern] The Mauryan coins were mostly:
[UPSC level] Pliny gives the Mauryan army a strength of about:
[BPSC level] Officials who toured every five years on “anusamyana” are mentioned in:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Silver Mauryan coins are called?
Punch-marked coins (pana).