History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c12.16

v1.c12.16

This is perhaps academical but we have clear references to the Vishayapati in records and the Vishaya consisted of a number of villages, the average of which was a hundred. The district *i. e.* Bhukti or Mandala may be taken to contain one thousand villages more or less, and there was a district officer also called Mandaleśvara or Rāshtrapati. The Vishayapati and the Mandaleśvara represented the king and hence they often are called Rājasthānīya in inscriptional records.* Subordinate to these there were other officers also, chiefly a police officer and a magistrate. The duty of catching thieves and exterminating robbers was always considered paramount and police stations were established for every ten or less number of villages as provided for even in the Manusmriti VII, 114. ( द्वयोस्त्रयाणां पंचानां मध्ये गुल्ममधिष्ठितम् । तथा ग्रामशतानां च कुर्याद्राष्ट्रस्य संग्रहम् । ) The police officer of 100 villages or rather of the Vishaya ( Tehsil or Taluka ) is called Chauroddharanika (चौरोद्धरणिक), while the magistrate or dispenser of punishment was called दण्डनायक. These names occur in several inscriptions of the time. Of course, in different states, names of officers sometimes differed, but apparently the system was generally the same. We give below some names of officers appearing in the Deo-Barnak inscription (of Bengal) Corp. Ins. Vol. III p. 216 नगरभुक्तौ वालवीवैपयिक श्रीवोपलिक्शान्तःपातिवारुणिकाग्रामः... दूत सीमकर्मकर मध्य राजपुत्रराजामात्यमहादण्डनायक महाप्रतीहार. (illegible) प्रमाता...कुमारामात्यराजस्थानीयोपरिक...धिक चौरोद्धरणिक दाण्डिकदण्डपाशिक. The officers whose names can well be ascertained in the above are the दूत or envoy, the सीमकर्मकर or marker of boundaries, राजपुत्र the heir apparent or king's eldest son, राजामात्य king's ministers, महादण्डनायक the chief dispenser of punishments for the whole state, महाप्रतिहारी the chief usher, प्रमाता the measurer, कुमारामात्य minister in charge of princes, राजस्थानीय the representatives of the king (i. e. District and Taluka or Tehsil officers), चौरोद्धरणिक the pursuers of robbers, दाण्डिक magistrates and दण्डपाशिक executers of sentences. These names indicate that almost all departments of administration which are necessary for a well ordered, civilized government existed in those days. The boundary settlement officer, District and Taluka chief officer, the surveyor or measurer, the magistrate, the police officer, and the दण्डपाशिक or jailor are there and do the work required of them in a complex administration.