State and Government in Ancient India c23.s1.10

c23.s1.10

There was not much departure from the earlier tradition in the general administrative structure. Senior officials continued to be known as Mahāmātras and Rajjukas; the Sātavāhanas had a Śramaṇa-mahāmātra at Nasik and the Rajjukas were working in Central India under the Śuṅgas and in Karnātak under the Chūtu Sātakarṇis.² The cadre of the Amātyas, corresponding to the present I. A. S., continued to supply high officers in the different departments of the administration. Ayama, the minister of Mahākshatrapa Nahapāṇa, was an Amātya, as also Kuplaipa, the viceroy of Gujarat under Rudradāman. Under the Sātavāhanas private secretaries to kings and treasures were also Amātyas.⁵ The officers in charge of Govardhana and Māmala districts belonged to the same cadre.⁶ The royal donor of the gift of a tank and monastery at Banavāsi had entrusted the work of the execution of her project to Amātya Khadasati, who probably belonged to the engineering department, as he is expressly described as the superintendent of works (*kammāntika*).⁷ The Amātyas were as ubiquiotous in the administration at this period as they were in the Mauryan age.