State and Government in Ancient India c12.s3.27

c12.s3.27

In conclusion we shall passingly refer to the position of the queen. In the Vedic period, she figured in the list of the *ratnis* or important state officers, but her function in the administration is not known. Constitutional writers do not allot to the queen any part in the administration, but in actual practice, it may have been often influenced by her views and personality. This was the case to a greater degree in south India, where we often find queens making land grants on their own authority or functioning as viceroys over extensive provinces.¹ There is ample evidence to show that princesses and queens used to receive administrative and military training to be of use to them in the case of necessity.