Public Administration in Ancient India c13.2

c13.2

The details of executive administration were in the hands of the subordinate officials (yukta and upayukta)¹ working under the control and general supervision of the Ministers. The business of the State was divided into a number of departments, each of them being under a Superintendent. In one passage Chānakya speaks of eighteen departments (aṣṭādaśa tīrthāḥ),² which probably refers only to the more important departments. In his actual treatment of the subject of administration, he mentions about thirty departments.³