HSM2012 POST MAURYAN INDIA 200 BC 300 AD

HSM-2012 POST MAURYAN INDIA (200 BC- 300 AD) M. A. II SEMESTER (History) UNIT-II

Satavahana Administration • The Satavahana coins, inscriptions and literature are the rich source of our knowledge about their administrative system. In this period the South was ruled over by the monarchies. King was the highest official of the Government and his office was hereditary. • The Satavahana administration was very simple and was according to the principles laid down in Dharmashastras. The King laid no claim of divine right. They had only the most modest title Rajan. They had no absolute power. Their power was checked in practise by customs and shastras. • Eldest son was appointed as the yuvaraja but he could not render any help in administration of the empire. Other princess were appointed as the viceroys of the King.

• They did not assume high sounding titles. Similarly, the Satavahana rulers did not believe in divine rights of a king and they carried administration in accor dance with the directives of the Dharma Shastras and the social customs. The king himself led his armies in the battle field and was commander in chief of his forces. • There was also a council of ministers to aid and advise him for carrying out the administration properly. The king was the head of the Government as well as the protector to his people. The Satavahana kings regarded their subjects as their own children and always looked after their welfare. • The Satavahana Empire was very vast. Their administrative system was feudal. They had divided their empire among a number of feudal chiefs who managed the land revenue system and looked after the administration. • There were three grades of feudatories – the ‘Raja’, the ‘Mahabhoja’ and the ‘Maharathi or ‘Senapati”.

• The ‘Raja’ belonged to the highest grade. He had the right to impose taxes • • and to strike coins. The kingdom was divided into provinces and ‘Janapadas’ for administrative efficiency. Mahabhoja were feudatories of Satavahanas. They were primarily located in Western Deccan. They were related by blood to the feudatory Maharathi. It is definitely known that the Maharathis were the feudatories of Satavahanas. They also granted in their own name villages with physical immunities attached to them. The Maharathis of the Chitaldrug enjoyed the additional privilege of issuing coins in their own name. Towards the close of Satavahana period, two more feudatories were created: mahasenapathi and Mahataralavara. Barring districts that were controlled by feudatories, the empire was divided in janapadas and ahars, the latter corresponding to modern districts. The division below that of aharas was grama. Non hereditary governors were subject to periodical transfers.

• There were other functionaries like mahataraka (great chamberlain), • • • bhandaragarika (store keepers), heramika (treasurers), nibandhkara (officer in charge of registration of documents) and dutakas who carried royal orders to help in the adminsitration of the kingdom. The government lived from hand to mouth. The taxes were neither heavy nor many. The source of income were proceeds from the royal domain, salt monopoly, ordinary and extra ordinary taxes both soldiers and officials paid in kind. Except the provinces which were under the control of the Samantas, the rest of the empire was divided into: JANAPADA: mainly comprised of many ahars. AHARS: under the control of Maharathis, Mahabhojas and Amatyas. The name of the ahar was kept on the basis of the office and its governor was called amach. His post was not hereditary and time to time he was transferred to different places. GRAMA: Gramika was in charge of Grama.

• The high estofficial in a province was ‘Amatya’ or minister. His office was not hereditary. Men of proven ability were appointed to this official. Each unit had several villages. A village was administered by a ‘Gramika’. There we several officials to help the king. Out of them, the most important were ‘Senapati, ‘Mahabhoja’, ‘Koshadhyaksha’, ‘Rajadoof, ‘Amatya’ etc. • There was also a special official called ‘Uparakshita’ who was charged with the duty of building caves etc. for the monks. The ‘bhikshus’ (monks) and Brahmanas were held in high esteem and they too observed and preached high standards of conduct. They were beyond the ordinary laws of the Government.

• In this period, the local administration had its own importance. There were separate organization to look after the administration of the towns and the villages. The towns were administered by a body called the ‘Nagarsabha’ while in villages there were ‘Gram Sabhas’. These organizations carried their functions independently without any interference. • The military administration of the Satavahanas was also quite efficient. Their army consisted of foot soldiers, cavalry and elephants. Foot soldiers or infantry was the backbone of the army and they formed the vanguard and were flanked on either side by horses and elephants. The soldiers used swords, spears, axes and armours as weapons of war. • It was by dint of efficient military administration that the Satavahanas succeeded in expanding their empires. They kept a regiment posted in each village for maintaining peace and order. They were maintained at the expense of the rural inhabitants.

Suggested Readings: • Irfan Habib, Post-Mauryan India (200 BC-AD 300) A Political and Economic History, 2012, New Delhi. • A. M. Shastri, The Age of the Satavahanas, Delhi, 1999. • I. K. Sharma (Ed. ), Early Historic Andhra Pradesh (500 BC AD 624).