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The Mauryan Polity c10.s1.t10: Duties of the Gopa

The Mauryan Polity c10.s1.t10

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Duties of the Gopa

c10.s1.t10.1

In every village there was an official who went by the name of Gopa.⁴ He was the official of the Central government appointed over a small area ranging from five to ten villages. He held the jurisdiction of this area for which he was responsible. He was primarily a revenue official. Among the functions assigned to him the following may be noted:

c10.s1.t10.2

⁴ Ar. Śās., Bk. II, ch. 35.

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(1) He maintained proper records of the accounts relating to the village or villages under his jurisdiction.

c10.s1.t10.4

(2) He set up boundary limits of villages, fields, forests and roads.

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(3) He numbered the plots of ground under respective heads: cultivable and non-cultivable, dry lands and wet lands, number of gardens including fruit, flower and vegetables.

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(4) He also kept a note of the grounds covered by temples and altars, cremation grounds, rest-houses where food and water were supplied, pasture grounds and roads.

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(5) He maintained another register wherein were noted down gifts, sales, charities and the cultivable lands remitted of revenue.

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(6) He kept yet another register showing the number of houses in his charge, both tax-paying and tax-free. In this he further noted the number of inhabitants, their castes and professions, their income and expenditure besides the heads of cattle in each household, as well as other domestic animals.

c10.s1.t10.9

These rural officials were not left to themselves. The Central government appointed as many as three commissioners in every headquarters of the rural areas. They went about the country and kept watch over the revenue officials lest they should prove tyrannical or harass the people unduly with unjust taxes. These commissioners were then an effective check on the conduct of these government servants who were thus given no opportunity to misuse their powers.¹ If any comparison could be made, the *sthāniyas* and the *droṇa*- mukha officers were the viceroys and provincial governors, while those at the *kharvaṭika* and the *saṅgrahana* were district officers. The *gopas* were the members of the subordinate civil service who were in charge of the accounts.

c10.s1.t10.10

¹ *Ibid.* Also see Bk. III, ch. 1.

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