Introduction Ancient Indian administration, The Vedic Period The Post- Vedic Period, Administrative Structures
Objectives:
This unit will deal with the evolution of Indian Administration from ancient period till the modern period. It will also discuss Vedic Period , Post- Vedic Period and Administrative Structures
Introduction :
Every civilized society needs a good administrative system, and administration is as old as our ancient civilization. Public administration is essential for executing government orders and functions. The history of ancient Indian governmental system begins from the Vedic times and continues till the establishment of Mughal rule. In the evolutionary process of Indian administration numerous administrative organizations rose and fell, but its specialty of village- focused administration still continues. The present administration, assert many scholars, is a developed form of organization and function of the old administrative system that we find mentioned in Vedic, Buddhist and Jain Literature such as the Dharmashastras, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Manu Smriti, Sukra Niti and Arthashastra). In Vedic times the king was assisted in his functions by numerous officials. Both our epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are replete with instances of administrative officers and their relevant departments. We find similar references in Manu Smriti and Sukra Niti. Kautilya’s Arthashstra provides details of the offices of the state. During the reigns of Chandragupta and Ashoka, the administrative system was fully developed and Mauryan Administrative institutions were further developed during the Gupta period. However, the present administrative system in India was developed by the British Government. Historically, we may study Indian administration under the following heads.
ANCIENT INDIAN ADMINISTRATION
The earliest reference to ancient Indian administration can be traced to the Indus Valley Civilization. The recent excavations at Harappa and Mohenjodaro show that the cities and well planned roads with a good drainage system and similar types of houses. It also followed a system of weights and measurements and a common script. This shows the existence of a large kingdom in the area.
The Vedic Period :
In the Rig Veda period, administrative units were known as kull, gram, vesh and nation. The Vedic king ruled with the help of popular bodies- the samiti and sabha. The word samiti means meeting together, i.e. an assembly. It was thought necessary that the king should attend the samiti. The sabha also acted as the national judicature. Thus, we learn from the Vedas that the national life and activities in the earliest times were expressed through popular assemblies and institutions. The main duty of the king was to defend the people. Under this administration, the head of the army was called senani and the head of the village was gramini. The king was assisted by many ministers, chief of whom was known as the purohit. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are two ancient epics of our country. In the Ramayana period the form of Government was monarchical. The head of the administration was the king who looked after the welfare of the people. There were ministers and councilors to advise him. Monarchy was the form of government during the Mahabharata period. The king was responsible for the welfare of the people and there was a council of ministers and officers.
The Post- Vedic Period :
During the period of the Buddha, numerous republics and Mahajanpadas existed. Four big kingdoms of Magadha, Avanti, Vats and Kaushal also existed along with the republics. The actual power in the republics was in the hands of sabhas, which included both the elite as well as common people. The king was the head ofthe republic and was elected for a fixed period. He was accountable for his action to the council or sabha. The Arthashastra of Kautilya is an important source from which a lot can be known about the values, norms and beliefs pertaining to public administration in ancient India. According to Kautilya, “The king is the centre of the state. All officers of the state were appointed and removed directly or indirectly by the king, they acted according to his commands and were accountable for the exercise of their assigned functions. The administration of justice was carried out in the name of the king and sometimes he himself presided over the royal count of justice. It was he who gave effect to the judgement of law courts the exercised his prerogative of granting mercy in suitable cases. Although legislation was not among the powers entrusted to the king, yet royal edicts, at least insofar as they related to administrative business, had the force of law. He was the supreme commander of the military forces of the country, and not infrequently, he personally led the army on the battlefield. Kautilya places high importance to espionage and provides the method of selecting spies, their role in administration and the mode of their working in some detail. Kautilya was the prime Minister of Chandragupta Maurya. For the first time, it was Chandragupta who succeeded in bringing the entire country from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal and from the Himalayas to beyond the Vindhya Mountains under one direct authority. In the Arthashastra, Kautilya mentions 18 high functionaries such as the yuvraj or the prince who was stated to succeed the king, the minister who was the supreme advisor, the purohit, who advised the king in governmental and religious matters and the senapati who was the head of the armed forces. These four persons were members of the council of ministers whom the king consulted on important matters. The other 14 were heads of the departments whom the king consulted on matters coming within their jurisdiction. The empire was divided into provinces. The central executive controlled the home province, while the distant provinces were governed by governors appointed by the king. For administrative purpose the provinces were further subdivided into regions or districts for general administration, revenue collection and law and order. The regions were further sub-divided into villages and their heads were known as gopas who were equivalent to the present –day patwaris or lekhpals. The distantprovinces were kept in touch with the central government through the inspection staff who submitted periodic reports by means of a regular correspondence system. The Mauryan kings had a well-organized municipal government. The cities were divided into wards for the sake of better administration.
Administrative Structures
The king was the most important element in administration. He exercised his executive authority through the central executive that consisted of mantris, amatyas and sachivas. The advice of the mantris was constantly sought and they were regarded as the most trusted advisors of the king and trustees of the public’s interests. According to Kautilya’s Arthashastra, the amatyas constituted a regular cadre of service from which higher officials such as chief priests, ministers and treasurers were recruited. The duties assigned to the amatyas included agricultural operations, fortification, territory welfare, collection of the royal dues and punishment of criminals. Sachivas, who may have been officials of a particulars cadre, helped the king in the discharge of his duties in various spheres more as executors of orders rather than as councilors. The mantris, amatyas and sachivas seems to have enjoyed positions in a descending order, respectively. Others who formed part of the king’s entourage included parishadas or assembly men who were the helpers of the king, the arthakarins who were executive officers in charge of state business, and were generally five in number in the cabinet, and the dharmikas who were the judges or the interpreters of law. There were 18 other officers of the state known as tirthas who have been mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana; the mantri, or the chief councilor who used to offer secret advice to the king, purohit, the chief priest who advised on matters relating to succession, yuvraj, or the crown prince who preceded the senapati channupati or the commander –in- chief of the army who was ranked higher up in the arrangement and placement inside the army; dyarapala or the chamberlain; antarvesika or overseer of the harem who controlled the forces working inside the palace area; dravya samchayakrit or the chief steward concerned with financial administration; kritya krityeshu chartham viniyoia-kali or the chief executive officer who determined the transactions of public business, pradeshta or the chief judge for the administration of justice, nagardhyaksha or the city prefect, karyanirmanakrit or the chief engineer. Dharmadhyaksha or the President of the assembly, dandapala or the chief criminal judge, durgapala or the warden of the forts; rashtrantapalaka or the warden of themarches, and atavipalka or the in-charge of forests. The state was divided into provinces, which were further subdivided into divisions and districts. In the Maurya and Gupta empires the provincial governors, who are described as tatapadha-pargrahita, were directly appointed by the king and usually were members of the royal family. The district governors were appointed by the provincial governor. They had combined judicial and administrative functions to perform. The distinct administration representing the state ensured the safety of the royal interests as well as of those specified in the grants for religious and charitable purposes. The village (gram) was the smallest unit of the administration. The leader of the village, known as the headman, was the keystone of the village constitution. These villages were considered to be the hub of the administration. The village administration was run by the village council (panchayat). The panchayat as endowed with executive as well as judicial powers. The village officers had to maintain law and order and protect the life and property of the villagers. The city formed a separate administrative unit headed by the governor (nagarika purapala). It had its own city council (adhishthana dhiarana). The city council was divided into committees. These were functional bodies and the council in its cooperative capacity managed general local affairs such as finance, sanitation, water supply, etc. village autonomy and city autonomy were the seminal principles of ancient administration in India. Democracy did not have an exotic growth in India, and before the advent of British or Mughal rule, the stress was on self- governing institutions and cooperative life. During the Gupta period, the local administrative units had an efficient set –up with official and non-official units working together in harmony and unions.
SUMMARY
Ancient Indian administration was characterized by a diversity of political structures, governance systems, and administrative practices across different regions and time periods. Here is a brief summary of some key aspects: Ancient India witnessed a variety of political entities, ranging from small tribal republics (Mahajanapadas) to large empires. The Mauryan and Gupta Empires are notable examples of centralized monarchies, with well-defined administrative structures. Many ancient Indian states were ruled by monarchs, and the king (Raja or Maharaja) was often considered both a political and religious figure. The Arthashastra, attributed to Chanakya (Kautilya), provides insights into the administrative principles of the Mauryan Empire. Ancient Indian legal systems were influenced by texts like Manusmriti and Arthashastra. Dharma, or righteous conduct, was a guiding principle in legal matters, and punishment was administered based on the severity of the crime.
Source: Utkal University