South India - Vijayanagar Government

The kingdom of Viajaynagar was ruled by a monarchy, which in theory was supposed to be hereditary. However the environment during the Viajaynagar empire was very turbulent, there was significant opposition to their rule in South India as well as from the Delhi Sultanate in North India. Hence only a strong king could survive who also possessed military and diplomatic skills. Weaker kings were almost always overthrown, as is evident from the fact that the Viajaynagar empire had three different ruling dynasties.

The king ruled as an autocrat and although he was advised by a council of ministers he was not bound to consult them or to accept their recommendations. He had complete authority and even the highest minister remained in power only as long as he commanded the kings favour. There was however an administrative machinery in order to govern the large empire. A central government with a number of departments was put in place and had a well organized secretariat with its own officer. The treasury was divided into two, one through which all the states income and expenditure was routed and the other which was a reserve, to which the kings continuously added and could fall back on in times of need. The major expenditure was in

South India - Chola Government

The Chola system was headed by a king, who was the highest power in the state. Religion and culture played an important part in the Chola administration, with considerable energies of the state being used in building temples and patronizing priests. An interesting development was the cult of the god-king. Deceased Chola kings were often depicted on temples and were worshipped by the people. The king in the Chola form of government was assisted by an assembly of councillors and the rajguru (priest of the royal family). There does not appear to have been any regular ministerial councils.

The administrative set up of the Chola period was a well organized one. Although the kings word was law, before it could be implemented it would have to be written down. The entire kingdom was divided into a number of provinces known as mandalams . These were divided into districts or valanadus . The districts were then further divided into groups of villages known as kurram, naddu or kettam . A big village would sometimes be administered as a single unit, and such a unit would be known as a taniyur . The Chola villages retained the administrative machinery as it was during the Gupta period, and in fact one remarkable feature of the Chola period was the amount of autonomy given to the village government. While

The Mughal Empire - Government

The Mughal empire provided a system of government that shared many ideas with the Sultanate as well as bringing in some new ideas of its own. It also incorporated many Indian ideas as well. The empire was essentially still military in nature, with every officer of the Mughal state a member of the army. The emperor was an autocrat and had unlimited freedom in making laws. Although he had a council of ministers, he was not bound to consult them, and his word was law. The only restriction was that he had to follow the guidelines set forth in the scriptures and Islamic traditions. However, a powerful emperor could often violate these as well. The great Mughal kings can best be described as benevolent despots, who ruled fairly and justly. Most of them did involve their ministers in decision making. They also attempted to improve the lives of their subjects, although there was no socialistic work in their times.

The administrative system of the Mughal Empire was largely the work of Akbar, for the early two Mughal kings (Babur and Humayun) did not really get the chance to implement much of a system. Akbar's task was simplified for he inherited some measure of Sher Shah's system of organization. During Akbar's time the system worked very well, but it began to deteriorate during the time of his successors. As mentioned earlier, all officers were members of the army. Each officer was assigned a specific responsibility, and was

The Delhi Sultanate - Government

The new entrants brought to India a completely new form of governance. The Sultanate rulers were far more autocratic then any previous Indian ruler. They had an immense amount of freedom and their word was law, though technically they were bound to follow the law of the Quaran (the Islamic holy book). The Sultan was able to maintain control of his empire largely through military strength. The Sultan was the commander of the armed forces, the chief law maker and the final court of appeal. These powers essentially meant that he was the supreme controller of the state. Another striking difference between the new kings and previous ones, was that the concept of hereditary monarchy did not exist, a power struggle inevitably broke out. Whoever succeeded would have to have the backing of the nobles, a class of people who were important king makers. Another unique trend in the Sultanate period, which led to so many dynasties and so many kings in a relatively short period, was that if a dynasty was weak, the nobles or generals of the army would overthrow it and set up a new one. Before the Sultanate era, the king was always a member of the royal family, although weak kings were mere puppets in the hands of their nobles. In the Sultanate period however, the nobles would overthrow the ruler and the most powerful amongst

The Gupta Empire - Government

The Gupta system of government did share some similarities with the Mauryan setup but was on the whole a different style of government. Like the Mauryan system the Gupta kings were the center of the administration. The empire was divided into several provinces each of which had viceroys who were appointed from amongst the members of the royal family. The provinces were further sub-divided into a series of districts. Each district had its own administrative centre. The local administration of the district was free to make decisions on governing the area, essentially free from central control, except in matters which may have dealt with central policies. The highest officer in a district was known as the kumaramatya and he was the link between centre and the district. Unlike their Mauryan predecessors, the Gupta kings were not concerned with every nuance of local administration leaving such matters to the kumaramatya.

Villages were organized under rural bodies which consisted of the headman and village elders. In the cities there was a council which had several officers like the President of the City corporation, the chief representative of the guild of merchants, a representative of the artisans and the chief scribe. The Gupta system of urban and rural administration was based on encouraging as much local participation unlike the

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

British India - Government under the East India Company

The English East India Company was now the ruler of a large empire, composed of millions of people. During their one hundred year rule, they made frequent changes to their administrative set up. The main objective throughout their period was to ensure that the company maintained and strengthened its hold on India, and to increase the profits it made. All policies were made keeping these factors in mind. The entire administrative machinery was designed to ensure the smooth functioning of trade, law and order was given special importance, for if there was stability the exploitation of the Indian resources could take place more effectively. The English East India Company's first major administrative area was Bengal, in which initially they implemented the dual system of government. Under this system the puppet nawab was saddled with the responsibilities and no power, while the English East India Company took all the power without any responsibility. This system proved disastrous for Bengal, for neither side was concerned for the welfare of the people. The Nawab could not assist his people even if he wanted to, for all the state's resources were controlled by the English East India Company. The English East India Company on its part, was more concerned with maximizing its profits then anything else. As a result when a terrible famine struck the state, thousands of people died without receiving any aid. Finally in 1772, the company ended the Dual system

British India - Government under the crown

The revolt of 1857, jolted the British presence in India. It was inevitable that the administration of the English East India Company's territories in India would have to be re-organized. Meanwhile the industrial revolution had resulted in a fiercely competitive market in the western world, and hence many European countries had colonized other nations in order to obtain their resources at a low cost. Britains interest in India began picking up substantially and by around 1850, there was a substantial amount of British money invested in India. Hence the need to maintain control over India was imperative from the British point of view. Eventually by an act of parliament in 1858, the administration of India was passed over from the English East India Company to the British Crown.

A Secretary of State for India was appointed to be assisted by a council. The Secretary of State was a member of the parliament and as a result India was now governed by the British parliament. In place of the Governor-General a new official was appointed, know as the Viceroy. His powers were more limited then