State and Government in Ancient India c23.s4.13

c23.s4.13

The Rāshṭrakūṭa empire consisted partly of vassal states and partly of directly administered areas. Important feudatories like the rulers of Southern Gujarāt enjoyed almost complete autonomy; they could even alienate villages without the imperial sanction; they had also their own sub-feudatories. The latter had very little independent power and often were called Rājās by the merest courtesy. They had to secure higher sanction before they could alienate revenues or grant villages.¹ Feudatories had to obey the orders of the sovereign and to attend his court at periodical intervals to offer assurances of personal loyalty and to give such explanations as might be required by the imperial secretariat. They were bound to pay regular tribute and also to supply an agreed quota of fighting troops. Very often they had also to participate with their forces in the military campaigns of their feuadal lords. They were obliged to entertain an imperial resident at their courts and used to keep their own representatives at the imperial capital to watch there the trend of events.² If they rebelled, they were subjected to a number of indignities after the defeat. They had to surrender their treasures, elephants, and horses and sometimes had to engage themselves in menial work at the arbitrary dictation of the emperor.