Provincial Administration of the Maurya Empire
- According to Ashokan edicts, the empire was divided into provinces: Uttarapatha with its capital Taxila (north), Dakshinapatha with its capital Suvarnagiri (south), Prachyapatha with its capital Tosali (east), and Avantiratha with its capital Ujjaini (west). The central province was Magadha and its capital was Pataliputra. Royal princes or members of the royal family were appointed as governors of these provinces.
- The provinces were divided into extensive districts and in Ashokan inscriptions, these administrative sections are referred to as Ahara and Janapada. The districts were overseen by Rajukas with assistance from Yuktas. Districts were further divided into villages. Grahmini maintained the village administration and Gopa controlled from ten to fifteen villages. The city superintendent, Nagarika, was in charge of law and order.
Central and Provincial Administration System of the Maurya Empire
The Maurya Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE and it existed until 185 BCE. Its capital city was Pataliputra (modern Patna) and the empire covered almost all of the Indian subcontinent except for Tamil Nadu and Kerala and some parts of modern-day Iran. It was an ancient Indian empire during South Asia’s Iron Age. The empire was known for its exceptional architecture, texts, art, and inscriptions. Chandragupta Maurya, with the help of an army, overthrew the Nanda Empire and became the first ruler of the Mauryan Empire.
The Mauryan Empire’s organization had taken inspiration from the Arthashastra; this Ancient Indian Sanskrit text is about political science, statecraft, military strategy, and economic policy and Kautilya is credited as the author. The Greek writer Megasthenes also wrote an account of Mauryan India in a text called Indica or Indika. Ashokan inscriptions give insight into the extensive Mauryan administration.