History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.s22.3

v3.c41.s22.3

The nature of civil and military administration in all countries was practically the same, though slight variations existed. Its system has been well described in the Smritis as also in the different Nītiśāstras and since the discovery of the Arthaśāstra of Kautilya, we have got now a complete idea of how administration was carried on in so ancient a time as the days of Chandragupta Maurya (300 B. C.). The same system of administration with important changes continued through the mediæval Hindu period treated of in these volumes. We have already described the system in our first volume as it existed in the first sub-period (600-800 A. D.) and in the second volume as it obtained in the second sub-period (800-1000). We will here describe the system of administration which obtained in this sub-period (1000-1200 A. D.) and which, though practically the same as before, discovers several varations. Unfortunately Al-Beruni does not assist us on this subject as his treatise on India does not speak of the nature of civil and military administration in the Hindu kingdoms of his time. But the detailed deeds of grant of inam villages issued in this sub-period supply us as before with interesting information on the subject and we proceed to give the details of administration as they appear from these grants. It is strange to find, as we shall show later on, that this system of administration of mediæval Hindu kingdoms entirely disappeared in Mahomedan times; and we find no trace of it in the revival of Hindu rule under the Marathas.