The Mauryan Empire - Government

The Mauryas have the unique distinction of creating India's first empire, an empire they administered with remarkable organization and efficiency. The center of power in the Mauryan system was the king. The priest was also steadily increasing in political power, and essentially became a chief minister, with his religious duties remaining in the background. There as also a council of ministers, and the king was expected to consult them before taking decisions. However, the importance they had in decision making varied from king to king, the great Mauryan king Ashoka is known to have frequently consulted his ministers, and they were also empowered to take decisions in his absence. The Mauryan system was divided into various administrative departments that looked after various duties. Each department had its own hierarchical management structure. There were a series of superintendents who had a number of subordinate officers under them. In the Mauryan setup, the central administration looked after two key offices, of the Treasurer and the Chief Collector. The Treasurers duties was to manage the states income, he was responsible for keeping the accounts and storing of the income The Chief collector who had a number of clerks to assist him, was responsible for keeping track of the various taxes that were pouring in

from all corners of the vast empire. This was a complex task but was very well managed, the accounts of every department were systematically kept. The relevant ministers were then responsible for presenting the accounts to the king. The system was designed to reduce fraud and embezzlement. The Mauryan administration spent a substantial one fourth of the national income in public works development and salaries of the large staff that were required to manage the administration. The important ministers were paid very well and this was a drain on the treasury. The Mauryans were able and just rulers, who paid attention to the important area of public works development. Public woks spanned a variety of activities, like the construction and maintenance of roads, irrigation projects, rest houses. The maintenance of the army was also an important task, as was the running of the various state mines and industries. The king also sent grants to various institutions and individuals. The empire's rural areas were divided into four main provinces. A member of the royal family was put in charge of each province, with the official status of a Viceroy. Every five years an auditing commission would visit the provinces and do a check on the administration. There was a further division of the province into districts and then into groups of villages and the final unit of administration was at the village. This is a system which has continued for centuries till present day India, which has the Panchayati Raj system. A block of villages had two main officers, one an accountant and the other was the tax collector. The accountant was responsible for keeping a population census, maintaining the boundaries and keeping a record of items like livestock. The tax collector was there to ensure that the collection of tax took place properly. The individual villages also had their own headmen, who were responsible to the two officers mentioned earlier. Urban administration was handled separately. It had its own collection of officers. At the top was the city superintendent who was responsible for maintaining law and order as well as the general upkeep of the city. Cities in the Mauryan empire were made of wood and hence it was essential to maintain proper fire safety measures. The city superintendent had two officers to assist him, the accountant and the tax collector, both performing similar roles that the ones in the villages did. They were assisted by a further group of thirty officers, who were divided into committees of five. Each committee had its own set of responsibilities and they looked after various aspects and issues that concerned the cities. Another key aspect of the Mauryan system was the use of intelligence information. The Mauryan kings posted spies throughout their kingdom, these spies would assume the roles of ordinary people in various professions. This was an essential tool in governing such a vast empire, as the king was able to gauge public opinion and get information on possible outside attacks. For an empire of its size, such a system was vital to ensure that a king at the center could hold influence throughout his empire.

The Mauryas have the unique distinction of creating India's first empire, an empire they administered with remarkable organization and efficiency. The center of power in the Mauryan system was the king. The priest was also steadily increasing in political power, and essentially became a chief minister, with his religious duties remaining in the background. There as also a council of ministers, and the king was expected to consult them before taking decisions. However, the importance they had in decision making varied from king to king, the great Mauryan king Ashoka is known to have frequently consulted his ministers, and they were also empowered to take decisions in his absence. The Mauryan system was divided into various administrative departments that looked after various duties. Each department had its own hierarchical management structure. There were a series of superintendents who had a number of subordinate officers under them. In the Mauryan setup, the central administration looked after two key offices, of the Treasurer and the Chief Collector. The Treasurers duties was to manage the states income, he was responsible for keeping the accounts and storing of the income The Chief collector who had a number of clerks to assist him, was responsible for keeping track of the various taxes that were pouring in from all corners of the vast empire. This was a complex task but was very well managed, the accounts of every department were systematically kept. The relevant ministers were then responsible for presenting the accounts to the king. The system was designed to reduce fraud and embezzlement. The Mauryan administration spent a substantial one fourth of the national income in public works development and salaries of the large staff that were required to manage the administration. The important ministers were paid very well and this was a drain on the treasury. The Mauryans were able and just rulers, who paid attention to the important area of public works development. Public woks spanned a variety of activities, like the construction and maintenance of roads, irrigation projects, rest houses. The maintenance of the army was also an important task, as was the running of the various state mines and industries. The king also sent grants to various institutions and individuals. The empire's rural areas were divided into four main provinces. A member of the royal family was put in charge of each province, with the official status of a Viceroy. Every five years an auditing commission would visit the provinces and do a check on the administration. There was a further division of the province into districts and then into groups of villages and the final unit of administration was at the village. This is a system which has continued for centuries till present day India, which has the Panchayati Raj system. A block of villages had two main officers, one an accountant and the other was the tax collector. The accountant was responsible for keeping a population census, maintaining the boundaries and keeping a record of items like livestock. The tax collector was there to ensure that the collection of tax took place properly. The individual villages also had their own headmen, who were responsible to the two officers mentioned earlier. Urban administration was handled separately. It had its own collection of officers. At the top was the city superintendent who was responsible for maintaining law and order as well as the general upkeep of the city. Cities in the Mauryan empire were made of wood and hence it was essential to maintain proper fire safety measures. The city superintendent had two officers to assist him, the accountant and the tax collector, both performing similar roles that the ones in the villages did. They were assisted by a further group of thirty officers, who were divided into committees of five. Each committee had its own set of responsibilities and they looked after various aspects and issues that concerned the cities. Another key aspect of the Mauryan system was the use of intelligence information. The Mauryan kings posted spies throughout their kingdom, these spies would assume the roles of ordinary people in various professions. This was an essential tool in governing such a vast empire, as the king was able to gauge public opinion and get information on possible outside attacks. For an empire of its size, such a system was vital to ensure that a king at the center could hold influence throughout his empire.