The Mauryan Polity c7.s6.t1: King owner of no-man's property
The Mauryan Polity c7.s6.t1
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King owner of no-man's property
c7.s6.t1.1
Apart from these responsibilities the Mauryan monarch enjoyed certain rights and privileges consistent with the dignity and status assigned to him by the law of the land. It is contended that the Mauryan king added the no-man's property such as forests, mines, and waste lands to his dominions with the result that the Mauryas became financially sound, and secured even financial independence.¹ History teaches us that financial independence of the king marks the beginning of despotic and irresponsible rule. Was this the case with the Mauryas? The answer is simple. There is no evidence to show that the Mauryas were financially independent in spite of the fact that the above property came to be reckoned as state property; for does not Kauṭalya prescribe many means to get the coffers of the state filled?
c7.s6.t1.2
¹ See N.C. Bandyopādhyāya, Kauṭilya, pp. 87-89.